Sisters

Becky's Garden

Some credit goes towards my sister for getting me started gardening.  After I had gone to college, got married, and settled into a home of our own, I would go to my parents for a visit.  I found that my little sister had an extremely green thumb.  She created beautiful flowerbeds where I thought it was impossible to grow anything but rocks and dirt.  It didn’t start with her ability to grow things, but her ability to talk father out of some of his precious top soil.  Not only that, she got her brother to haul in some excellent compost.  Then the magic began.  Especially where the compost was concerned, as her mini-rose grew to gigantic proportions. 

          She would never write me letters, but often I would receive an envelope containing some tiny seeds and a hastily scribbled note “purple flowers.”  When she would visit she would bring Johnny-jump-ups and cosmos.  She grew African violets from seed.  She never ceased to amaze me.  It wasn’t long before I was also in full swing creating my own flower beds.  Then she went to college and her gardening bug slowed for awhile.



Bonnie's Garden

          Now she is married and we are back at it.  Critically reviewing each others beds when we visit.  She has the brightly colored, free flowing, annual seeds scattered everywhere approach.  Just throw some farm implements in the middle of the bed and it looks great.  I, on the other hand, like organization.  Cool colored perennials are carefully place among fountains, birdhouses, and other garden art.  She fights wayward chickens and the occasional loose farm animal.  My battle is with the squirrels every spring and the deer in the fall.  She loves peonies and I love roses.  She can grow tomatoes while I kill them.  My raspberries thrive and her’s get stomped by cows.  Just because we are family doesn’t mean we have the same approach.

We e-mail photos and advice.  I appreciate that she inspired me to garden in the beginning.  We swap plants, seeds, books, catalogs, and advice.   We are different in style, but the same in desire to make things grow.