When my youngest of three sisters passed away of breast cancer, she was 44 years old. She was too young, beautiful and talented, with so much life ahead of her. Sherry was also one of the kindest people you’d ever meet and my best friend. I still miss her every day.
I had driven to Tennessee to visit her in the hospital shortly before she left us. I knew then her days on earth were numbered. When I got the call that she had passed, I spent the rest of the day working in my yard.
I was equipped with a hedge trimmer and spent hours aggressively trimming some overgrown vines and shrubs and pulling weeds. It was a release of anger and frustration, all the while realizing her suffering was finally over and that she was with Heaven’s angels.
That was June 2007. The following years as I was finalizing my spring flower planting, I began to think about how I could plant something special that would always remind me of Sherry when in bloom.
I considered my favorite David Austin roses, but most all of them already have names, either from memorable members of the Austin family or of those in England who have made significant contributions to history or the arts. It didn’t seem right to rename one of their roses.
I turned to one of my other favorite flowers clematis, “the Queen of the Garden.” Perfect! Visits to numerous garden centers didn’t produce that “Aha” moment. I came home and flipped through several of my garden catalogs.
And there she was, a Ruutel clematis, a stunning, compact, prolific bloomer in shades of a deep red, almost burgundy, color. I had just the spot for her too, a large beautifully detailed urn and a heart shaped trellis for support. I was thrilled to tears!
Of course, this Queen, is now my “Sherry” clematis. Like her namesake, she never lets me down and always produces a second flush of blooms in September, most appropriate since my sister’s birthday was September 5. Happy Heavenly Birthday Sherry! You are always close in my heart.
Do you have a plant that reminds you of someone you loved and lost? Please share your story and pictures with us by email, [email protected] or on our Green Thumb Gardening post on Now Habersham’s Facebook or Instagram page.
