Thursday, June 10, 2010

of honeysuckle and sweet memories...

I was at the farmyard the other day...and noticed a lovely aroma in the air.  I am used to all kinds of scents and smells over at the farm...but this one was different.  I couldn't quite get enough of it!

There's nothing quite like the heady scent of honeysuckle on the vine!

It's been almost ten years since my mom passed away...and we received many arrangements of flowers from friends and family at the time.  My sister-in-law brought us a lovely planter...containing a purple clematis and a golden honeysuckle.  Long after the cut flowers were gone...my potted plants bloomed on.

I decided to plant them in front of our bulk gas tank...together with a climbing hydrangea.  The idea was that one day they would cover-up the unsightly gas tank...and make something beautiful out of an eye-sore.


Well...for the first few years they never showed much promise.  And then we moved down the road...and the kids moved onto the farmyard.  And I haven't paid much attention since.

But the other day...when the honeysuckle demanded that I take a closer look...I realized that the gas tank cover-up was almost 'mission accomplished'.

My mom loved flowers...and could take any desolate spot and brighten it up with blooms.  She'd be quite happy to see the honeysuckle blooming on the fuel tank. 

If something in your world is not so lovely...plant a honeysuckle!  Or...at least take a whiff...it will brighten your day. 


15 comments:

  1. Beautiful....I have just bought an honeysuckle plant the same colour to grow up an arch used at our sons wedding. You can coninue to enjoy the lovely bloom and remember your Mum at the same time!

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  2. I love honeysuckle! It brings back childhood memories playing in backyards where the vines were growing profusely.
    Beautiful shots Judy.

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  3. It hit me that we were celebrating a wedding while you were saying goodbye to your mom. Sometimes it must seem like... has it really been that long? and other times, I'm sure it seems like a very long time. May memories of her keep coming back and bring you joy, even though you miss her.

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  4. How absolutely wonderful. It is amazing how we are all in the journey of life like Anneliese said, she was marrying off her daugher when you were saying goodbye to your mom.

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  5. What a great memory of Honeysuckle and Mom !
    Now she is in a place where everything is in bloom for eternity :-)

    Enjoy your day Judy...

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  6. I love the scent of honeysuckle and have a vine struggling to make its way across the north side of the veranda. Our climbing hydrangea has taken off this year, proving that the ads are right, and that it can take seven years for this plant to really establish itself. Worth waiting for!

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  7. My dearest friend in high school wore honeysuckle as a fragrance she loved it so. This post made me think of her for the first time in months. You really did do a great job of hiding the tank.

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  8. There were always honeysuckle vines growing in my childhood home's backyard and four o'clock flowers and irises in the front.

    It is lovely to remember you mother through flowers, Judy. I'm sure she'd be pleased.

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  9. You are right...honeysuckle is sweet and hearty. We have some on our fence.We can depend on it being there every spring. Funny how quickly things can change when we are not paying attention.... I tinik there might be a spiritual application there! :-)

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  10. Funny that you would mention this on your post today. We were riding motorcycle recently, through the countryside, and all of a sudden I smelled the most beautiful fragrance of honeysuckle. At that time I thought I would like to plant some in my garden. Thank you for this reminder, and thank you for mentioning memories of your dear mother.

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  11. There's a honeysuckle vine getting ready to bloom on our porch - at least I think that's what it is.

    What a lovely reminder of your mom.

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  12. Ahh this post reminds me I must go check on the honeysuckle plant I moved earlier this spring. It was taking over the arbor, but I couldn't bare to get rid of it. Yes I am addicted to that scent myself.

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  13. Most of the year I call honeysuckle a notorious weed as it is taking over the whole back of our property, but this time of year, I love it! Your honeysuckle looks like one of the newer varieties that our a little "tamer" and better for yard planting! Thanks for sharing the lovely memories.
    Gina

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  14. I'm another honeysuckle fan. The scent brings back memories of my early childhood church, where I would amuse myself by picking the blossoms and pulling off the green end cap, easing out the stamin and sucking on the honey in the blossom.

    Your friend unwittingly gave a wonderfully comforting gift with her plant. I wonder if she knows that you still appreciate it.

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  15. I love your lovely flower photos!
    A lot of my photography involves flowers, but I live on the dry side of the Sierras --Carson City.
    I have visited Washington and Oregon and love the lush vegetation, trees and blossoms there.

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