May Gardens

 

A few beautiful days have been wonderful garden time. 

Cool temps and no humidity and yes we will take that!

 Planted 2 red, white and blue planters for the 250th.

                      Time to see what came back and made it 

through an extra long frozen spell here in January.

The spirea and clematis are showing off.

The David Austen Rose is pretty happy right now also.

                         There are a few new spaces for seating 

and it is easier to get to now that the grass 

has filled in and covered the red clay dirt.

We added some garden edging (Bueta) 

with trying to keep upkeep a bit easier.

Some containers over wintered in the house

                                                  and some outside survived.

Some containers have perennials planted to fill in.

Red hot poker,  acanthus, yarrow and phlox.

Plantings in the slip scoop from the farm, golden huechera,

hostas in a pot, (they do better here with the slugs)

 and popcorn drift roses.

This clematis was planted last year 

and bloomed beautifully this year already.

Sweet William always reminds me of my grandfather.

This rose smells so wonderful.

That's the May gardens.

On to June!!!

Spring View

 

Just marking the journey of spring time

 in our yard in Virginia.

Vibrant colors and mixups of 

amazing jewels in God's creation.

Spring is the march of new life in the world. 

What a beautiful story of God's creation.

Praise and thanksgiving to our God for 

giving us such a blessing for our time here on earth.

Until we gain the gift of heavenly joy 

with beauty beyond description, we are assured of 

His touch in this temporal world.

Resurrection Tulips

 

About 2 months ago I found a large container

of dirt in the carport storage room.

At first I didn't know what it was from,

 and then I remembered a beautiful tulip gift last spring.

Unfortunately, I also remembered that I was going

 to plant the bulbs last fall.

That didn't happen.

So I know that bulbs need a time of cold storage

 or cold in the ground to bloom.

So, I decided to do the experiment of pulling

 them out and setting them in the sun 

and began to water them.

Nothing for a couple of weeks.

  Then I begin to see green sprouts emerging.

I kept watering the container and large buds appeared.

We were gone the first part of this week for a conference

 and came back to these gorgeous large blooms. 

What had seemed dead was certainly alive now.

Such an appropriate story for this Easter season.

I had almost thrown the container out 

since it looked like there was no life.

What a wonderful reminder of what our own life 

looks like when we are separated 

from the life of the Son

 and being feed by Living Water.

Sister Gardening

 

I have been blessed to visit the gardens 

of my two sisters here in later September.

What a blessing to "walk the grounds" 

like we use to do on the farm 

when we came home to visit.

Something connects us 

about digging in the dirt.

Waiting for the growth, and blooms

 and maturing of flowers.

Seeing if the combinations end up 

looking like what you had "in your mind's eye."

Making decisions for next year- yes, this!

And not, that!

We also lament together the upcoming frost 

that will take things that we just don't have room 

to "overwinter" in the house. 

Where could we find shelter for just one more pot?

Maybe saving some seed or a few cuttings

 to pamper through the dark months.

But, we KNOW, that "Lord willing" 

we will be back to finding the things next year, 

that bring us so much pleasure for the summer months.

And secretly, we all admit, 

maybe we are also just tired of watering for this year.

August in Vintage Grace Gardens

 

The neighborhood is turning

 into a brilliant display of pinks, reds, 

and lavender. 

Every year I am surprised by the display.

 How do I forget from one year to another?

On the front porch there is blooming

 a bromeliad that I have been watching for 5 years.

Hot red is the color of this sun impatient- 

just setting fire to a pot of blooms.

So many pretty flowers 

to view in the garden in August.

I deadheaded the phlox 

and it is back again.

The hydrangea are showing off.

But, I know by the night sounds 

that summer is waning.

That is a bit sad, of course.

Bloom well dear plants, bloom well.

The days are getting shorter.

Vintage Grace Gardens in May

 

Something happens in May that is pretty 

breathtaking in the flower department.

 Pinkladies- Oenothera speciosa pops up

 all over a corner of the garden.

Top right and Around- peonies join dianthus

 and soapwort and late season azaleas.

The delicate petals of the peonies 

launch the memory-filled fragrance.

Deutzia and late lilacs 

and peonies embrace in a bouquet.

Top right and around- Deutzia, roses, rugosa rose

 and columbine dance in the breeze.

I especially love to be home in May

 and not miss a day of the blooms.

They come inside and move through

 the day right with me.

The season is too short and the beauty 

too fragile and fleeting to miss a moment.

Thank you God for all the beauty of May.

Matthaei Botanical Gardens

 

Just a spot to sit in the grove of trees

at Matthaei Botanical Gardens

 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Some very pretty zinnias, a double cosmos

 and a Rose of Sharon greeted in the late summer gardens.

Fun exploring with the Schu crew

 for the morning.

All sorts of tropicals hang out in the conservatory.

A funky cacti is full 

of many intricacies.

A  LIVE wall is an interesting

 greeting on a shadier side.

A fun wind whirly 

adds lots of movement.

Light and shadow is a foreshadowing reminder

 of the changing seasons of the days as we move to fall.

Natural rhythm moving toward the end of growth.

The slide to shorter days and the slow times coming.

Even if our days seem to move so quickly forward-

 a morning in the gardens resets our clock

 to know it is time to adjust. 

Breathing in a deep summer pulse one more time.

When the Roots Wither

                                                                                      

Tritoma in full bloom.

A welcome herald in the garden these days.

It has been a bit of a struggle in the yard this year.

A "misapplication" of weed killer by our 

lawn service company has taken out about 

1/2 of our perennial beds.

This is the gooseneck loosestrife bed.

It would normally be in full bloom soon.

The white yarrow would be in full bloom.

30 years of digging, planting 

and watering and weeding.

This would have been the Clara Barlow columbine.

It was challenging at first

 to see the beginning of the dying.

I couldn't really walk in the yard.

One day it looked like a plant had survived

 and then a 90 degree day arrived 

and it just disintegrated.

So I am working in pots these days.

Blooming colorful blossoms.

When I had to walk by my Fairy Rose bush here...

I went straight to the Rugosa Rose.

Survivor.

That is the code word for what

 has made it in the garden this year.

The Lawn Service manager has been here twice

 and we are working things out. 

Too hot to plant now- so planning on Fall for that.

Hard, yes.

But, in this week with the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas,

 there was also a family from our church

 who had their house burn down. 

Withered roots and dead plants 

 becomes at most- an inconvenience.

Not life altering.

I have asked God to calm my heart, 

move me through the challenge.

I have asked for resilience.

There is so much beauty everywhere.

In spite. 

Just have to keep looking.

My heart hurts for so many people

 these days.

Things beyond my control- or theirs.

The oneothera survived in the 

old slip scoop from my growing up farm.

I will work to pull up the dead plants.

(the horrid ground cover I have tried

 for years to get rid of--of course it survived)

I will stroll the yard and call plants by name-

Hello- Blue Veronica.

I will give thanks for all 

the things that are still alive.

I will sing praise for all my blessings.

I will rearrange "the farm"

 in the empty spots for now.

I will find JOY in the tiny snippets

 that enhance each day.

I won't have Astilbe this year- 

but a reminder- there is HOPE.

 There is always HOPE.

It is Still Good.

He is Still Good.

You can always follow along

 on Instagram with 

#vintagegracegardens