Flowers in a garden that evoke fond memories from childhood

Pansies, my beloved grandmother grew them in her back garden

Grandma's Bonnets and lilies-of-the-valley, and honeysuckle. The honeysuckle was all up the garage wall and it smelt wonderful.

Just read the whole of this thread when I should be doing other things, what a lovely start to the day. Can anyone tell me what I only know as bunny-rabbit ears were? They had a flat longish leaf that was very stokeable and I think were a tallish plant. But I was very small. I can’t remember the flowers so much but they might have been a deep pink.

I meant to say that it was nice to see you pop in Absent. Your grandchildren must be growing up fast now.

This is s lovely thread and so many of us have good memories from childhood. I always think of Scabious - a gorgeous blue flower - which grew in my parents garden. I never seem to have any success growing them, try as I might. Also Michaelmas daisies. And snapdragons. Pussy willow reminds me of the nature table at school - I see my classroom in my mind’s eye every time I see pussy willow!

dustyangel

Just read the whole of this thread when I should be doing other things, what a lovely start to the day. Can anyone tell me what I only know as bunny-rabbit ears were? They had a flat longish leaf that was very stokeable and I think were a tallish plant. But I was very small. I can’t remember the flowers so much but they might have been a deep pink.

I called them bunny-rabbit ears as well!

Lupins and pansies bring fond memories back for me,i was about the age of 6/7,they grew in our back garden and i always thought the pansies were smiling at me.
Still do to a degree.

Those big poppies, which we used to unfold and turn into ‘ballerinas’ with a bit of grass or whatever tied around the ‘skirt’.

Big purple irises - just a memory from the house we left when I was 6.

Deep red peonies, clarkia, saxifrage, huge bright orange poppies, lilac trees - all in my grandparents' large garden. An aunt and uncle had a greenhouse filled with fragrant tomato plants, my paternal GPs had a privet 'maze' in their garden. Well, it was a maze if like me, you were four and couldn't see over it.

Happy days indeed!

Every Summer my grandfather had a garden full of chrysanthemums and dahlias - there may have been other things but these are what I remember. The garden was a blaze of colour. Whenever anything happened in the street - a death, an illness, a celebration - a huge bunch of flowers would be dispatched usually carried by a grandchild too small to see over the top of the bunch.

I remember sitting in the middle of a bed of asters, my eyes were just above the level of the flowers the pink and purple and a light musty perfume. I loved the flowers in my mum’s garden the pinks, roses, pansies and the little veronica with intense blue flowers. One day I picked most of the flowers in the garden and arranged them beautifully in rows on the verandah, somehow my mother managed not to get angry.
When my mother had to stop growing roses because every time she got a thorn she had to go on antibiotics she started growing lots of fuschias. She also grew lovely vegetables as well as working on the farm, she must have been so busy.
Thank you for all your stories I have enjoyed them so much.

HONEYROSE. My mum’s favourite flowers were Michaelmas daisies, along with Forget- me-nots. I can still see them now in the garden that she loved so much. Wonderful memories BAKING MAD. Thank you for starting this lovely thread ???

I too loved Michaelmas daisies, because they flowered late in the summer holidays and meant it was time to go back to school - and I loved going back to school in September.

I had an orange cat called Marigold and for some years after she died I grew marigolds - the ordinary orange calendula - in her memory.

Catmint (nepeta). I was never sure whether the cats’ crazy reaction to this meant they were happy or had just gone mad!

My father grew wallflowers, lovely velvety petals of dark red or gold, and a heavenly scent.

Thank you everyone for responding with such lovely memories. . My mum lived in the house for 40 years and I think that is why her garden looked so colourful. Also she didn’t have Gransnet to distract her!

Ha ha Bakingmad. I often think my mum would not have believed it to see us all on our mobile phones and tablets every day.

My dad’s dahlias, as big as saucer’s, probably all the horse muck he shoved on them! He was always shovelling up after the rag bone man had been.
Pinks reminded me of brushing past them in a neighbours garden. I still love the smell.
Lupins and bluebells were everywhere.

Lovely thread this, lots of memories.

dustyangel it’s called Rose Campion. I have it in my garden. It self seeds and has dark pink flowers on a tall stem with furry leaves. We call it ‘lambs ears’

I also loved Michaelmas daisies and have tried to grow them, but without success.

I think I inherited my love of gardening from my grandmother. Her favourite flowers were Lily of the Valley but I also remember her saying a poem when I was about 4. "There is one thing that I like a lot, it's a little geranium in a pot"

Hollyhocks. We had one at the front of our house when I was growing up but you don’t often see them here. It was very tall, not particularly pretty but definite associations there.

So glad I caught this. Thank you Bakingmad

Grandma 70's. Especially about wallflowers . The scent of them is as good as sweet peas but more subtle.

Important correction:
Grandma70s.