Many of us have plants and trees that are special to us. As part of National Garden Week, several RGC members shared pictures and thoughts about some of the items special to them. This blog post’s feature image is of a plant special to Linda B – Linda shares that, after more than 30 years and two moves, I still have the old fashioned bleeding heart plant that started out in my mother’s garden in Pennsylvania. That’s pretty special.
Linda Lee – 20 years ago Ron and I walked out of an old K-Mart and saw a rose bush with no flowers or leaves for 75 cents. Ron said it needs a home. Whatever color it turns out to be he said we will call it The Princess Rose after me. It bloomed a month later on Mother’s Day a year after my mother died. Today it still blooms with the most delicious fragrance.
Gretchen – This geranium is a small or miniature. I was given a cutting of this in 2005 by a friend in Connecticut. At the time she said it was Blue Bird. And it does have a blueish cast to the foliage when outdoors in the sun. The blooms are small peach clusters. I 
have enjoyed this all these years and I find it to be easier to grow than the standard size. This is my ‘mother plant’ and I take cuttings to root each spring. These small plants travel to New Hampshire and I put them in outdoor planters with other types of plants. The large plant usually survives the summer while I am gone as I have someone come in every two weeks to water the many plants that stay here. I always bring back several of the plants to pot here and be enjoyed as house plants in the winter. I look at this plant and always think of my friend Ronnie who gave me a cutting all those years ago. This is not the original as they at times become too woody and it is time for another to take its place.
Suzy – My dad grew this Japanese Maple from the Japanese Maple my brothers, sisters and I gave him for Father’s Day when I was in the 6th grade. The parent tree still stands at my parents’ house. It is magnificent, as is my tree. I moved my tree to my house in November of 2008. At that time, it was as tall as me. As you can tell, it likes my yard. I think of my dad every time I see the tree. The purple iris in the bed came from Grandma’s. We moved next door to Grandma when I was almost 4 years old. These iris were in her yard for as long as I can remember. I can’t tell you how old they are — but I know the iris they came from were planted in the early 1940’s. I love these iris. In addition to their beautiful color, they smell like grape jelly. And they remind me of Grandma.
Dotty – My Iris bed was established with plants that date back to when my children were small – over 40 years ago. Each time I moved over the years I would take a few with me. I have transplanted them so many times that I just wait to see what colors pop up each year, as I never know. This is one that surprised me this year.
Roz – These pictures are from my indoor sun room garden. There will be more blooms in a week or two. The 
single orchid was rescued by Linda B a little more than two years ago and given a home in my sun room.
Nancy – My white Chinese snowball viburnum was originally purchased some 8-10 years ago in a 3 gallon container at a nursery near Augusta. I had no idea where I wanted to plant it, so it remained in the container for quite some time as I moved it several different places around the yard. At the time of planting it was possibly 3 feet tall. It grew and grew and grew. Apparently it liked its final resting place. One meeting of the garden
club when we had a professional pruner as a speaker, I reluctantly asked when it should be pruned. The response to me was why would I ever want to prune this plant! In the winter is looks so dead and forlorn. However, as it begins to awaken and its leaves take on new life, it becomes a daily treat to watch this transformation. From small buds, to green blooms, and finally to magnificent white blooms, it is quite a spectacle! Thus it has never been pruned and has continued to be a delight to all who have visited and seen its beauty this spring. This is the prettiest that it has ever been. I tell people that Stan, my deceased husband, sent this beautiful blooming to me!
All of us at RGC hope you have special plants, trees, or garden ornaments in your life. If not, maybe National Garden Week is the time to change that.