A Garden to End All Gardens By Evelyn Taylor

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