At Bok Tower Gardens, hydrangeas reminded me of Kyle, gardenias of Angela, Spanish moss of matching pink bathing suits with Dad. Each plant held a memory. Then I realized: West Virginia boy with the missing tooth is just Firebush—lots of personality, but wrong colors for my garden.
Author: Laura Joy Palma
Why I Refuse to Settle: Garden Lessons About Love and Standards
My shade garden taught me about compromise, but when it comes to choosing a husband, I won't settle for pretty ground cover. Here's why being 'picky' in love is actually wise—and why I'm waiting for the flowers.
My 76-Year-Old Neighbor Gardens with a Walker—And Finally Said What I Couldn’t
Mrs. Washington balances her hose in one hand, walker in the other, tending gardens for sixteen years. When she caught my neighbor dumping his yard waste in front of my house, she gave him the riot act I'd been too polite to deliver. Now her marigolds thrive in shade where they shouldn't—maybe there's a lesson there about taking risks on things that don't look perfect on paper.
Grammy’s Morning Glories Opened at Dawn—My Evening Glories Bloom for First Dates
Kneeling in my garden with moonflower seeds, I became my grandmother thirty years later. The packet said 'evening glory,' and suddenly I was watching Grammy's morning glories from her kitchen window. Three days of rain made me lose faith in tiny seeds—but nature was just pre-soaking them the way I couldn't.
Planting Seeds of Hope: What My Garden Taught Me About Dating After Divorce
A friend helped me redesign my failing garden, and suddenly I understood what it really takes to cultivate new love after everything has died.
My Creative Writing Teacher Called Every Poem a MADAM—She Was Really Teaching Me About Life
Mrs. Shelton taught me that every poem is a MADAM: the Most Acceptable Draft At the Moment. "Never fall in love with a first draft, Laura Joy," she'd say. Turns out she wasn't just teaching me about poetry—she was teaching me how to revise my entire life after divorce.
Burying Dead Roses: How My Garden Taught Me About Betrayal
He confessed to cheating just as my first garden taught me about variables you can't anticipate. Sometimes the best thing you can do with dead flowers is bury them and let them feed new growth.
Why I Ignored the Warning Signs: Learning to Read Life’s Tags
My hanging plants came with clear instructions I ignored, just like the red flags in my marriage. Sometimes love means paying attention to what someone actually needs to thrive.
Two Hanging Plants, Twin Nieces, and the Teenager Buying Boobs for Graduation
One plant thrives, one dies. One twin crawls, one raises her arms. One teenager begs to grow up too fast. I sing 'In The Garden' to my nieces and wonder: am I the dying plant or the late-blooming azalea?
Breaking Up in My Azalea Garden: When Love Means Letting Someone Grow
A bird flew from my wreath and knocked me off balance. Days later, sitting beside my boyfriend on the porch, I realized I'd outgrown our pot while he still needed time for his roots to develop. Some transplants come too early.
Writer's Growth 