Gardenia Therapy
Every summer I treat myself to some "gardenia therapy." It's just something I love to do.
As long as I can remember, my grandmother had a beautiful gardenia growing near her dining room window. When it bloomed, it's scent was heavenly. She always picked a few stems for a vase and just those few blooms made her entire house smell like a flower shop. It was also nice to sit on her porch surrounded by that special scent. She called the gardenia Cape Jasmine.
My grandmother has been gone for some time now, but that gardenia bush remains. A few years ago I took some cuttings to root and now have many gardenias in my yard. Every summer I root new ones from those. It's easy to do, and and gives me some time to think of my grandmother, and the simplicity of life when I was a child. She taught me many things back then, my grandmother.
What do I do with all of those "new" gardenias? I give them away to friends and family. It's just something I love to do. I think my grandmother would approve.