Dad’s back yard was his pride and joy.  Actually, his whole garden was good reason for him to be proud.  I’m referring now to the garden of the prefab house that I associate with my young childhood – age five through eleven years.

There was a concrete walkway that crossed the full width of the back of the house.  This was then bordered by a tall trellis fence with an archway set midway.  Both the fence and the archway were painted white and were covered by thickly growing rambling roses.  The delicate perfume of these roses when they were in bloom floated on the warm summer air.

Three worn red brick steps under the archway of fragrant pink roses led down to a lush green rectangle measuring about twenty yards by fifteen yards.  In the springtime bright yellow buttercups dotted here and there in the grass reflected back the sun’s golden rays.  Later on in the summer dainty white daisies danced across the carefully trimmed lawn.  Sprinkled throughout the grass patches of sweet smelling clover attracted the buzzing bumble bees.

An upward sloping flower bed completely bordered the lawn, and from early spring through late autumn it was a constant changing riot of colors and perfumes.  Large plump pincushions of blue and white alyssum grew close to the grass, their musky perfume hanging heavily in the air.  Intermingled with the alyssum, yellow and purple Pansies nodded their pretty painted faces, while delicate sprays of deep pink London Pride swayed gently in the breeze behind them.

Jostling for room and vying for attention was a profusion of red, yellow, pink, purple, orange and burgundy dahlias of the single, double, and pom-pom varieties. Pungent smelling French Marigolds and gaily colored Anemones (my mother’s favorite flowers) somehow managed to find some space.  Along the top edge of the flower bed stood majestic spikes of pink, blue, and violet Lupines interspersed with tall stems of blossom-laden antirrhinums (we called them “bunny rabbits”). 

Beyond the lawn Dad had created  an area dedicated to rambling raspberry, currant, and gooseberry bushes as well as some pear and apple trees.  To one side of this area cabbage and cauliflower, carrots and celery, potatoes and peas and beans grew, as well as a variety of lettuces and tomatoes.  It was always a garden of plentiful bounty.

Coming up the steps from the lawn and going under the archway, I could turn either left or right to get to the vegetable patch.  It all depended on how brave I was feeling!  To the left was a long line of “dreaded” larkspurs.  These tall graceful plants had clusters of vivid deep blue flowers growing all the way up lengthy stems.  In the center of each bloom nestled a fuzzy black thing with a bright yellow mark that looked just like a bee!

However, going to the right I passed the rockery which ran the full length of the garden connecting the front and back yards.  The rockery was a magical place full of hundreds of small and most unusual plants with minute yellow, white, pink, and blue flowers that clambered over and around a fascinating collection of white crystal, gray and pink marble, and speckled granite rocks.  I was sure that faeries, elves and gnomes lived there!

What a wondrous place this garden was, full of color, perfume and adventure.  I felt like a queen as I played there and all the flowers were my subjects.  How lucky I was to have had a father who dedicated so much time, energy, and love to create and maintain “my kingdom”.