Wednesday, August 8, 2007

about my hollyhocks


i love all things old. old objects seem to carry their history, to retain their experience. to have a soul. i work with old fabrics - recycled jersey in my hooked mats, and in my baby clothes i use vintage chenille bedspreads that are too worn to fulfill their original purpose. these clothes are lined with fabric mostly from the 193's-1950's and fastened with old buttons.

ever since i moved to newfoundland over 30 years ago, i've wanted old-fashioned hollyhocks in my garden - not the modern doubles that look more like carnations - but the simple stately ones. nothing reminds me more of old ontario farmhouses. one year i brought seeds back from ontario, but during their first year of growth, the plants developed rust and i had to get rid of them. last year i found these plants at george's in steadybrook. they're all i've ever wanted.

brenda tells me you can gather the spent flowers and use them for a magnificant dye. i'll try that.

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