A Beautiful Garden

I had the privilege of growing up with a garden full of flowers always bringing joy into my life. My grandmother Elizabeth had the “green thumb”, a very special talent to cultivate plants. When she came to Brazil, in 1907, things were very different and people had to know how to do almost everything, as it was not always easy to find someone to help. However, she was a farmer's daughter and really enjoyed to grow things.

The garden of my grandmother's house always had many flowers, orchids on a wall, a beautiful lawn and many trees. Right outside the kitchen door there was a beautiful lemon tree, with big yellow lemons that she used to make lemonade and delicious lemon pies. She had brought the seedling from the US, when this was still allowed. Unfortunately, the house was rented for a while and the tenant soon cut down the lemon tree. How sad!

Grandmother also liked to plant vegetables, that she would serve at lunchtime, as a good vegetarian. I still remember how tasty the food she prepared was. At the back of the house she planted grapes, took care of the vines, picked the fruit with which she made jelly and juice. The juice was carefully prepared and served at Communion, at the Methodist Church where my grandfather was the pastor. She always reserved a few bottles of grape juice for the grandchildren, though, who would drink it with the cookies that were always found in the gray enamel pot decorated with gold and white lines.

Beside the house she planted agapanthus, beautiful purple flowers. I don't have agapanthus in my garden anymore, but I still have rose bushes and irises that my mother planted. She also had the famous “green thumb” that I unfortunately have not inherited... But the yellow ipê tree (Tabebuia or Golden Trumpet) is still here and every year it presents a wonderful bouquet to us, as well as a rose bush with beautiful red roses that I managed to reproduce from one of the old ones planted by my mother and that is no longer here.