REMEMBERING MY FAVORITE FLOWER

HOLLYHOCKS are well past their best now and I equate it to seeing old friends fading away, sadly a little more each year. Very few gardens today include the husky, multi-colored giants. The hollyhock is truly a garden friend of mine, so much so that I re-produced this sentimental soliloquy a number of years ago as a tribute to my parents and marking the last time I was able to grow hollyhocks successfully in my back yard on Rowe Court in Brampton, circa 1990. Hope some of my friends can relate, including Joyce Shular of Southampton who, along with husband Harry, still grows them beautifully.