Anyone have a special flower, tree, or bush that brings back childhood memories?

[Upsy Daisy]

London Pride, it always reminds me of the house/ garden we lived in when I was 4 -16 yrs old. My Mum loved gardening and spent all her free time outside, After they made the pond ( every garden my parents created had to have a pond) my Mun planted out the back rockery and the pond's surrounding borders and for some reason the plant I most remember was all the London Pride...not sure why!. I always remember the first time I saw the house we are in now, although it was old and needed lots of work done to it and the very overgrown and out of control garden, the first thing I saw peeking out through the weeds and bracken was a little LP plant. 35yrs later and sadly Mum is no longer with us but through much dividing we now have London Pride in many places through out our garden

 

[Tetters]

It is the humble grape hyacinth that brings most memories of childhood for me. My paternal grandparents were desperately poor. Grandad said they must only grow food. The grape hyacinths escaped through the fence from next door and Grannie tended them with such care.

 

[alp]

I'd better be respectful to grape hyacinth ...

 

[Beverly]

@alp we used to suck the nectar from nasturtiums and we also made sweet peas have conversations with one another in the same manner described and photographed earlier in the thread.

 

[alp]

Nasturtiums have nectars???!!! Must have a go if I have room to grow them.

 

[treeguy]

As a child, I failed second grade because I was such a poor reader. A Principal took me aside and introduced me to the Freddy the Pig series of books which piqued my interest in reading with complex, actually interesting story lines instead of Dick and Jane. I read voraciously as a kid and sometime around my mid-teens I had to stop buying science fiction because I had read all of them. Early on I read, "A Secret Garden" which gave me a fascination with crowded gardens, -jumbles and as much stuff as I can stuff into a yard within a theme, sort of the American version of an English Garden with lawn as a place to walk as opposed to a wide open vista. Both of my houses have reflected that. My credo is, "No soil visible, or unused, and use the whole space on as many levels as possible." A dozen varieties of Periwinkle and Packysandra as ground-covers, then Hosta above that, with lilies, azaleas, roses, Columbine, Delphinium, Caladium, Calla Lily, tall Coleus and Phlox, and Crocosmia interspersed above the Hosta, and many dwarf trees above that, including all different special varieties as; 9 Dogwoods, 11 Japanese Maples, 20 other unusual trees, a dozen pleasant shrubs and a couple dozen azaleas, and a large bed of Prickly Pear cactus under a grove of 'Tiger Eye' Sumac.

My first home...

 

[treeguy]

My second home continues my unresolved childhood issues with The Secret GardenLife has been grand.

 

[Tetters]

Beautiful gardens @treeguy ...Well done

 

[CanadianLori]

@treeguy absolutely beautiful. I don't know how you manage that in only a zone better than what I have. Astounded.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Carolina Sweet Shrub and Mock Orange Bush. Of the later, have three. Still have not gotten the first one.

 

[alp]

Carolina Sweet Shrub and Mock Orange Bush. Of the later, have three. Still have not gotten the first one.

First time I have ever heard or seen one. Googled on youtube. Quite a nice plant.

This is very evocative of my childhood. I lived in a detached little brick house a staircase up the main house and this firecracker vine covered the top of my room. It just reminds me of the real firecrackers we lit during festivals and new years, wedding and what nots

 

[Esther Knapicius]

IT is @alp, comes in red and yellow. the flower is very woody, good for inside vases. and if you crush them they smell like strawberries.

 

[alp]

IT is @alp, comes in red and yellow. the flower is very woody, good for inside vases. and if you crush them they smell like strawberries.

The smells lovely. I love to crush hypericum leaves. So handsome and should be used in Men's perfume. So does pine. The fragrances of these two are just incredible. Don't think I have space for this though. But thank you for mentioning it. Will look at more videos just to know more.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

The smells lovely. I love to crush hypericum leaves. So handsome and should be used in Men's perfume. So does pine. The fragrances of these two are just incredible. Don't think I have space for this though. But thank you for mentioning it. Will look at more videos just to know more.

Yep, I have been figuring out the right spot for one, off and on for years. The one my mom had was in direct sun. I don't have many areas that are that, so I am frugal with what I place in those areas.

 

[alp]

Yep, I have been figuring out the right spot for one, off and on for years. The one my mom had was in direct sun. I don't have many areas that are that, so I am frugal with what I place in those areas.

I am sure hellebores, pieris, snowdrops will do well in your area.