Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Fling In A Few Funny Flowers by Margo Hoornstra



Day Lily
 

The subject for this post was pulled straight from the masthead. However in my world, there's nothing funny about flowers.

It's one of the biggest disappointments of my life. My inability to grow flowers. No matter what floral entity I come in contact with, whether potted, bulb or seed. In my hands,  any and all vegetation doesn't stand a chance.

The cause of this deficiency in my DNA is a mystery. It's certainly not in my heritage to be challenged in such a way. Farmers abound in my background, grandparents, great-grandparents and the like made their livings reaping and sowing.

I'd starve within a month.


Snow on the Mountain
 

This green thumb talent elusive to me was alive and well in someone as near, genetically, as my mother. I often joked she could put a popsicle stick in the ground and it would grow and flourish.

Fear Not. All is not doom and gloom outside around here in the Summertime. We do have an abundance of Snow on the Mountain and Day Lilies in our yard. Which is far from a superior feat of botanical success. Both basically grow like weeds. The Day Lilies grow with literal wild abandon in the ditches and along the edges of fields that border our country roads. As a visual aid of sorts to support my anti-claim to fame. I went out in the yard this morning for a picture to share. The specimen up top was the sole survivor.

The Snow on the Mountain I mentioned is another example, also pictured. As you can see, it's flourishing far and wide. Except, in this particular instance, I don't want it to. But who am I to argue?

My latest release is part of the Dearly Beloved wedding series of The Wild Rose Press. In Night Stars and Mourning Doves, the heroine and hero are maid of honor and best man for their younger siblings, the bride and groom.


Elyse Monroe may be her sister's maid of honor, but that doesn't mean she has to follow the bride's example and fall in love. Battle-scarred and weary from previous relationships, she has no desire to take a chance on another--no matter how many hints her little sister drops about the best man. Devastating life events have taken a toll on Eric Matthews. After losing his wife and unborn daughter, he's come home to heal. Serving as best man at his kid brother's wedding is the only relationship he cares to contemplate--no matter how attractive the maid of honor. Thrown together again and again by wedding duties, Elyse and Eric reluctantly agree to explore a possible relationship--only to have their casual date turn into a glorious night of passion. Can two hearts, convinced a happily ever after will never happen, recognize love when it finds them?

The final chapter takes place at the ceremony. What's a wedding without flowers? In order to accurately describe the flowers brought to the church, I took to the internet for help.

The sweet aroma of fresh cut flowers filled the anteroom of the small neighborhood church where Chris and Angela would become husband and wife. Elyse stood off to one side of the bustle and activity as boxes containing bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages were laid out on two long tables. Mostly roses with some chrysanthemums in soft pinks, bright reds, deep purples and pale yellows, the flowers were cushioned by tissue paper and arranged on backgrounds of green fronds of lily grass and dainty white baby’s breath.
Up at the altar twin arrangements of elegant white gladiolus holding red, pink, and yellow roses flanked a simple candelabra graced with white satin bows.

Beautiful blooms conjured up from my imagination. That's one way to 'grow' flowers, I suppose.

My days to blog here are the 11th and 23rd of each month.
 
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6 comments:

Jannine Gallant said...

I, too, am challenged when it comes to flowers. That's why I posted about wildflowers on the 2nd. There isn't a single bloom in my yard - just thimbleberry bushes! My mom and grandma and probably every woman before them has or had a green thumb. Haven't a clue why the gene skipped me either, but don't feel alone!

Barbara Edwards said...

I hate to brag, but my plants grow. In fact, my son sends over the plants his wife tries to kill by touching. LOL
I do have a trick. If I plant a flower and it dies, I try something else until I get one that grows.
Anything that works. It took me three years to get my garden blooming.

Margo Hoornstra said...

Hey Jannine, It's frustrating to say the least. I'm just grateful for the Day Lilies. At least it looks like I'm growing something.

Margo Hoornstra said...

Barbara, I envy you! Guess I don't have the patience, or the will, to subject more than one unfortunate plant to my lack of talent. All is no lost. My daughter and I each took identical plants to care for over the winter for a cousin. Mine was gone in a month. Hers is flourishing and tall ten years later.

Diane Burton said...

I love flowers. I've taken plants from each house I've lived in to the next. My irises & lilies of the valley came from my grandmother's garden to my mother's to mine. I love the continuity.

Leah St. James said...

Margo, I'm with you. I joke that giving me a plant is consigning it to a (usually) quick death. I bought a patio tomato plant this year (because I LOVE fresh tomatoes...Jersey girl that I am), and this poor plant is the sickliest looking plant I've seen still producing fruit. I haven't done anything that I know of, other than water it...probably a bit too much! :-)Luckily it's on my patio where the general public can't see the abuse its suffered at my hand! Your flowers are lovely!