When I see the police officer directing traffic at Meadow View Farms in Southwick, I’m always amazed that so many people, like me, love flowers!
My father was a gardener/chauffeur on a big estate in Greenwich, and our tiny, little yard in Byram had flowers that were equal in beauty to the ones on the estate.
In our front garden, the first to bloom in spring were the flowering bulbs — yellow daffodils, white narcissus with orange faces, blue, pink, and white hyacinths, grape hyacinths, and a myriad of colorful tulips. Neighbors would walk down the lane just to look at them.
Then came the roses and hollyhocks in summer. We bought our rose bushes at the five-and-dime and nourished then with banana peels! They were magnificent in color and fragrance! The hollyhocks grew so tall that they seemed to peek in the living room windows!
My favorite flower, though, has always been the light purple iris that blossoms around Memorial Day.
We took them to the cemetery to decorate the graves.
When I drive around Granby and see the wonderful displays of colorful flowers in the yards, I feel the uniqueness of each one and the joy of them all.
Thank you for planting flowers. You make the world more beautiful for everyone.
—Bernadette Gentry, 2019