I don’t know if any of you followed Barb Beacham’s blog “Life in the Foothills,” but I got to know her a little bit through her posts. Way back, more than ten years ago, she sent me seeds of these hollyhocks from plants in her yard in California, which I planted in my garden here on Vancouver Island.  Sadly, Barb died of cancer in November of 2015, but her hollyhocks live on and I think of her each year as I watch her flowers bloom. She had a great sense of humour and I admired her creative writing. I still miss her.

The hollyhocks are strong and fine,

They bloom so straight and tall,

They like to stand up in a line,

And stay until it’s fall.

 

The flowers are like megaphones,

But silently they stand,

They like a group, but standalones

Do fine and look so grand.