“The mountain house where my grandparents live is called “Sheeran’s Glen,” both on the giant metal sign that my dad made, and on the deed itself. When I was little, my family would all go up and visit for the weekend, and in the summer we would run around the mountain, jumping in pine needles, playing in the river, making mud pies, and when they were in bloom, I would pick flowers for my Nana. Then, as I got older, I began to take an interest in wildflowers and other plans. Bouquet from the Glen revisits three wildflowers that I would pick to put in these little bouquets.

I. Fanfare (Red Penstemon)
Red Penstemon, or Beardtongue, is a bright hummingbird attractor that has bell-like flowers and grows fairly tall. For this flower, I found a fanfare appropriate, both for the color and the quick bird that it attracts, which are one of my Nana’s favorite things about where she lives. She used to have three or four hummingbird feeders right outside her window and you could see them zipping around all day.

II. Dance (Wild Geranium)
Wild Geranium, or Cranesbill, is a low-growing plant with pale purple, pink, or white flowers. With its tendency to grow a little leggy and “out of control,” I thought a fast dance would be a good fit. The mountains were always a place of play and adventure for me, so this movement is wild and joyous.

III. Romance (White Yarrow)
White Yarrow, or Achillea, with its folklore in healing and everlasting love, was certainly meant for a romance. In this movement, the drone and the melody weave around each other, creating intimacy through counterpoint. The silence is just as important as the sound, and the play in tension and release are reminders that with strive there will still be comfort. There is a quote from the folk song “Wild Mountain Thyme,” which is one of the few Celtic folk songs to talk about moving on after losing a loved one, something that the plant’s namesake never achieved. It is something that I know in time, perhaps sooner than I am ready, will have to do. Yarrow has always been one of my favorite flowers. It is both soft and delicate, with its feathery leaves and tiny flowers, and strong and hardy, resistant to heat, drought, frost, and the harsh soil of the mountains. This movement, without contest, is the one I hold the most dear. It reminds me to love long and fierce; to appreciate the time we have with our loved ones. To slow down. To be present. To hold tight, then let go. To breathe.”

(Notes by Amber Sheeran)