Gardening With Brenda

Love is What We Need

“What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” - Lyrics by Hal David

By Brenda Powell

HAPPY NEW YEAR. IT’S A NEW BEGINNING. IN DECEMBER I THOUGHT ABOUT PEACE. PEACE ON EARTH, PEACE IN THE GARDEN. NOW MY THOUGHTS TURN TO LOVE.

When my husband and I named our farm Love and Grace Farms, it was because that is what both of us have experienced in our lives and it is what we hope to share with others we encounter. We joke about our love garden. We didn’t design one specifically. We just started accumulating garden art with that theme: two people dancing, a metal heart, two people in conversation, heads together, and a heart water bowl. Our most recent addition was a stone and glass heart. If our order ever gets filled by a concrete company, we will add a concrete “LOVE” statue.

I thought to myself: why haven’t I created a special landscape area with a complete theme? One with garden art and plants that symbolize love? Red flowers, fragrant flowers, plants with heart-shaped leaves, and flower symbolism could direct my design. Below are two lists, one of flowers that symbolize love and the other of plants with heart-shaped leaves.

Flowers that symbolize love:

Yarrow: Everlasting love. Aster: Symbol of love in Greek mythology Red Camellia: “You’re a flame of my heart” Heliotrope (annual here): Eternal love, devotion Honeysuckle: Bonds of love. Red Rose: “Love, I love you.” Purple lilac: First love Red Tulips: Unconditional love and passion. Lavender: Love and devotion. White Jasmine: Sweet love, amiability. Red Carnation: I love you. Primrose: Eternal love.

Plants with heart-shaped leaves:

Hosta Brunnera Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum) Redbud (Cercis)

As it turns out, many of these plants are already in my landscape, and there’s plenty of space to add the ones that aren’t represented, though not all together in one section. So, I’ll just think of it as spreading my love around.

Brenda

www.garlandnursery.com

Brenda Powell is a fourth generation owner of Garland Nursery in Corvallis.

Follow her writing at garlandnursery.wordpress.com