A Passion For Flowers

I must confess that I’ve had a lifelong passion for flowers with their assorted blooms, colors and shapes.  I think my love of flowers started when I bought petunia seeds at Armstrongs, planted them in the back corner of our lot and watched them grow.  Then I remember looking at a book of flowers with such intriguing names as zinnias, morning glories, larkspur, delphinium.  The color photos showed me a world of beauty.  Many years later, it was my privilege to walk through Mrs. Tucker’s wonderful garden at Rogue’s Roost with its fragrances and patterns.  And, it was no accident that I chose botany as one of my chapters in The Magicians of Form, and that I asked my interviewee, Dr. Frank Lang, to identify the plants and flowers in the riparian environment surrounding our home while we walked to the Rogue River.

I do have a fondness for roses and camellias and have taken hundreds of photos.  (Incidentally, my sister Nancy has won several awards for her roses.)  When it comes to landscaping, I am indebted to the helpful suggestions of the Medfords, who took the trouble to explain how to prune rhododendrons and roses.  Mr. Medford’s penchant for gardening is well-known, but Mrs. Medford possesses a fine eye for beauty and order.(I might also say that Mrs. Medford’s famous apple pies are just as good as they are reported to be.)  Also, my flowering dogwood is an inspiration to me, and azaleas are something to reflect on.  I offer you some photos of flowers that have a place in my heart.