Heirloom gardens bring you closer to your roots. Get a green thumb for growing memories with these tips.
When 18th-century british scholar thomas fuller wrote, "Many things grow in the garden that were never sown there," I doubt he included memories in his harvest. But memories grow as deep as family roots — particularly in gardens that preserve our ancestors' plants and flowers.
Memory, or "heirloom," gardens are an undercultivated branch of genealogy, Though family preservationists focus on faded photos, delicate wedding dresses and tarnished medals of honor, flowers planted by your ancestors' hands can yield equally sweet memories.
My first foray into memory gardening came after I found the graves of my great-great-grandparents. I discovered the plots in a stand of timber, buried under fallen limbs and waist-high weeds. Violets and asters grew near the toppled tombstones, along with wild irises and day lilies. I picked a violet for pressing, and uprooted a lily that would become the first of my heirloom plants. Was the lily I took planted by a relative? I'll never know for sure — but it's now a tangible reminder of my ancestors' lives. You can honor your family's horticultural heritage, too, whether or not you have a green thumb. Look to these tips and ideas for inspiration.