Magnolias were my mother's flower.
 |
| Scotty Joe riding my bike in front of the magnolia tree on Luelda Ave |
Our first house with a yard in Parma, OH, on Luelda Avenue came with a large pink magnolia shrub in the front yard. It had long narrow blooms that reminded me of candles. My mother loved its exuberant and excessive celebration of spring flowers, which are never hidden by leaves.
 |
| Pink magnolia in bloom |
Unfortunately, when that type of magnolia shed its blooms, they were sticky. Perhaps this is why Google Earth reveals that the bush has not survived remodels with new landscaping.
 |
| My sister, Colleen, standing by Mom's PA white magnolia on First Communion |
However, my mother took her love of magnolias with us- there was always one in the yard where she lived. We had a white magnolia in Pennsylvania.
 |
| Wendell August Forge Magnolia pattern coaster |
While she worked at Wendell August Forge, my mom gave me a metal spoon rest with magnolias on it.
 |
| Mom's NC magnolia in the background of the Christmas cut-outs she made and painted. She was so talented, but appreciated a good laugh, so we teased her by calling this her "Touchdown Joseph." |
When they retired to North Carolina, I think it was her sister-in-law, Tami who bought her another white magnolia as a housewarming present, which did very well in the south.
 |
| In my yard, "Dancing Butterflies" |
 |
| "Dancing Butterflies" opened |
I found my own, a yellow magnolia called "Dancing Butterflies." It started as a small shrub that is now about 10 feet tall. My mother enjoyed that she had passed her love of them down to me. While mom was being treated at Duke University hospital, our walks revealed the campus is full of huge southern magnolias. Those full trees were comforting to see at that stressful time.
 |
| Southern Magnolias on the campus of Duke University and Hospital |
I still think of my mother every time I see a magnolia.
