Gretchen: There was a wonderful RGC program about orchids by a friend of Mary Booth Cabot. He had several plants to give away 
and this Elephant Ear was one. It has grown by leaps and bounds and fascinates me. As you can see, the new leaves emerge from the stem of another recent leaf…and this continues.
And, each time I glance at this I think or our beautiful Mary Booth!
King: I get such pleasure from my “Friendship Gardens,” that is, gardens with plants that have been given to me by friends. They help surround my house with resonating memories of precious gardening friends.
Lisa: These lines from “Friendship in the Garden” are most meaningful to me:
These are ones that should be cherished
In hopes they will remain
To lose them from our gardens would
Engulf our hearts with pain.
When my mom died, visits to her house to clean up and clean out were difficult. I missed her so much. One day on a May visit, I looked out at her yard and saw her spring plants and bulbs popping up. Everywhere I looked, there were “volunteers” and plants ready to be divided. One early morning I decided to go to the house specifically to work in the yard. I dug out and scooped up bishop’s weed, hosta, daylilies, narcissus, red maple, lily of the valley, iris, rose of Sharon, and more.
Some of these plants had come from her own mother’s garden and the gardens of friends and neighbors—a true friendship garden. Before I left town, I shared plants with friends and relatives who were thrilled to receive this perennial reminder of my mom. Each spring, I eagerly look for these transplants in my garden. Seeing them evokes wonderful memories of my mom and her passion for planting and tending her indoor and outdoor plants.
Suzy: My dad grew this Japanese Maple from a seedling under the Japanese Maple tree my siblings & I gave him for Father’s Day when I was in the 6th grade. I think about my dad and my sibs almost every time I look at the tree. The iris under the tree are from my grandmother’s yard. Grandma loved iris. I think about Grandma when I see them, when I smell them on the breeze (they smell like grape jelly!!), and when I divide them and share them with friends.
It’s amazing to think about the way the flowers we touch, and our friends touch, do, indeed, touch us back and spread friendship and love in ever-widening circles.