Bouquet Of The Week: Yiayia’s Garden

As part of our recurring Bouquet of the Week series, Garden Collage continues to present a weekly inspirational bouquet that incorporates intriguing new elements into the traditional practice of flower arranging. This week, Garden Collage Photo Editor Andreana Bitsis styles a bouquet to honor the bond she had with her Yiayia. 

There’s no denying that the beautiful form and divine scent of a rose makes it one of the most popular flowers in the world. But for me a rose evokes some of my most cherished childhood memories, and when I saw the bright pink and orange miniature roses in Casey’s Flower Studio, I was immediately transported back to my Yiayia’s garden.

Yiayia’s English wasn’t great, and for a five year old, my Greek was especially limited, but somehow it never really mattered. We had a language all our own, and we both knew that when the smell of spring blew in the wind, it meant one thing… flowers!

I couldn’t tear my young eyes away from the vivid pinks and corals of the blooming roses that graced the side of our garage. While she carefully tended to her garden, I would diligently search for the most perfect rose on the bush. As soon as I’d make my pick, she’d put on her gloves, cut the stem, shave off the thorns, and hand it to me with the most genuine of smiles. This was our thing, and it continued to be our thing until the day she passed.

It only seemed right to dedicate my first Bouquet of the Week to the woman who first brought the beauty of flowers into my life. Although she’s been gone for almost twenty years, her memory lives on in every rose I see, and for that, I’ll forever be grateful.