I fell in love with gardenia’s after seeing the film Lady Sings the Blues. The singer, Billie Holiday (played by Diana Ross in the movie) wore gardenias in her hair when performing. I remember a conversation I had with my father once where he said he met Ms. Holiday at a club once… met being relative as she just happened to get on the same elevator he was in.
Dad’s cool level went up in my eyes!
Ever since, I’ve loved these flowers but hardly ever see them until one day in the local metro gardens. A wave of fond memories flowed over me as I looked at the gardenias and smiled. Is there a specific flower that sends you back down memory lane?
Teri 📷
Gardenia
Images by T.Dashfield Photography 
We are lucky enough to have a bush in our yard. Absolutely love the smell, but they are so strong I can’t have them in the house. My mom told me years ago they were always a favorite flower when she was young for corsages.
How wonderful you have one in your yard! And that is great memory as well.
We have one in our frontyard. My parents bought this old house we’re living in now, so there were ” unfamiliar ” plants planted by the former owners. Then, one spring day, my mother smelled something very, very familiar to her, the same scent she used to smell in the Philippines .. lo and behold, it was gardenia ! ( In the Philippines, it’s called Rosal ). Here in the US, it blooms in spring, then flowers die out in summer. In the Philippines, it blooms all year long. ( Surprisingly, our gardenia here at home is still blooming )
I am sure that made your mother very happy. I would love to have one in my yard. Hope all if going well and safe with you.
This is stunning.
Thank you! I know it’s not a covered bridge but……… 🙂
😂
I had gardenias around my house in Liberia when I worked in West Africa. I’d never come across the flower before that, but the fragrance was so wonderful. Now, the only ones I know of are in front of my dentist’s office. Talk about approach/avoidance conflicts!
That is one sneaky dentist you have there! Luring patients in like that 😉
Oh the scent of a gardenia! And this capture is gorgeous! Absolutely stunning!
Good Tuesday to you my dear!
Thank you. Wonder if it’s something I can try to grow?
Nice B&W! My mother loved the smell of gardenias … very strong but pleasant. I like cut zinnias a lot … my father-in-law used to grow them as well as asters and give me bouquets in the summer. Lilacs are another flower that reminds me of him.
Thank you and I love lilacs (wonderful fragrance) and lavender. I grow lavender every year and then dry the cuttings.