Warm today--almost sixty degrees! Perhaps spring is around the corner, and that got me thinking of flowers and gardening....
Rex and Bryant Taylor were sons of Floyd Taylor, twin of Lloyd Taylor. Once again, Evelyn Laufer Taylor--married to Bryant--writes a story from their past:
When Rex Taylor and Bryant Taylor came home from service in
WW II, the two couples--Rex and Dene, Bryant and Evelyn-- lived at The Greystone, which was a house made into two
apartments. These were owned by Floyd Taylor.
The previous owner had had a business of raising and selling gladioli
flowers. He offered to sell them to Dene
and me. So, naïve as we were, we bought them. We had 3000 glad bulbs which we planted in
rows in a patch behind and at the side of the house. As they grew, the weeds grew, and we found it
very difficult to keep up with them.
Floyd, who was a perfectionist, watched our progress and finally gave us
an ultimatum that if we couldn’t keep the patch weeded, we could not have it.
Dene, Eve Taylor
One hot Saturday my dad came down from Rochester to
help. He worked so hard and long in the
heat and sun that he got heatstroke and ended up in bed upstairs. The fellows had their new jobs to learn and
work at ( both under their dad as boss), so they did not have much time to help
us.
Well, we managed to squeak through that first planting and
sold a lot of gorgeous flowers for 50 cents a dozen. As winter approached, we learned that all the
bulbs had to be dug up and stored in the basement to dry. What a relief when
that was done! But another stage was to
come. After all were dry, the little
corms ( baby bulbs) had to be rubbed off, saved, and planted in a separate area
in the spring to grow large and increase our number. We had Dene’s father help us with this phase
when he was here on a visit.
Front Row--Rex and Bryant
Back Row--Floyd and B.W. Taylor
Spring rolled around again, but we had still another
operation to do. This time we had to
soak the bulbs in a big galvanized tub of a solution to prevent thrips (
insects that attack glads). Then on to
the planting, weeding, etc. cycle once again!
When we both became pregnant, our flower business had to
end. I cannot say that we were sorry to
get out from under that load. We never
made any money, as we had to pay for them.
All this was a learning experience for us. So many
money-making ideas just don’t pan out. I
don’t think Rex and Dene had any more, but Bryant and I had many through the
years. No, they didn’t pan out, so it
really wasn’t a learning experience for Bryant and me.
Evelyn, Dene and Rex Taylor, 2010
3 comments:
Eve,
Thank you so much! I always love your stories. We are going to try a small garden this year, but I think I will skip gladiolas!
Love,
Mom, I am worn out. I cannot imagine planting 3000 bulbs, let alone the care needed to help them thrive and multiply! And you did this for more than one growing season!!? I'm going outside right now to watch the 12 Spring bulbs I planted last Fall grow, and thank them for their beauty and ease of care. Love, Pam
Bryant and Eve were an unusual couple! Always ready to try something new! And they were fun to be with!! I am so glad that we are related! Can't even begin to imagine the work this bit entailed tho!!
Post a Comment