Hollyhocks

When I think of my grandma's house, I can almost smell marigolds; she always had them growing beside the front porch.  If I imagine myself sitting on that porch, I can look across the yard and see a row of hollyhocks beside the fence.  

I've been reading a blog called Ramblings from a Desert Garden lately.  No, I don't live in the desert, and no I'm not very good at growing beautiful plants.  But I enjoy her writing, pictures, and blog style.  When I came to this post about hollyhocks, it triggered a happy memory.

My mother once showed me how she and her sisters used to use the hollyhocks in their yard to make dolls.  She turned a big flower upside down to become the doll's dress.  The green part that holds the flower together (which I'm certain the AZ Plant Lady from the blog would know the name of) became the doll's body or shirt.  Then she picked a bud to become the doll's head and used a straight pin to hold it on.   My favorite combination... simple elegance.   

I kept thinking about that memory and Googled hollyhock dolls to see if anyone else had ever done such a creative thing.  Sure enough I found this precious little photo on a blog called Botanical Interests. It's much fancier than my mom's was with the little blossom for a hat and even a toothpick for arms. But I love thinking about how my mother and aunts would have played with these lovely ladies in pink, red, and white dresses.

(It's for sale in my Etsy shop, but my husband said, "I really do like this one.  I hope no one buys it." 😉We'll just enjoy it on our own wall until someone gives it a forever home.)

Original Oil Painting on 24"x. 12" Wrapped Canvas.
[SOLD]