Monday, June 22, 2015

Fond Farewells

A last look before the rain knocks most of the peony petals to the ground.



Dry brown edges only serve to accentuate the beauty in a sort of "forgotten bouquet" sort of way. You know the bouquet from a special occasion that you just hang onto a little longer than you should. You just can't let the day go. In this case it's a saying goodbye to the lushness of Spring, the flowers that won't hold up to the harsh temperatures and unrelenting sunshine of summer.
When they say, "Take time to smell the roses," it's not only a call to daily quietude but an acknowledgement that days are fleeting and can't be retrieved from the dust and dirt of the earth below. Appreciate what you've got now for it will be different, changed before you know it. Smell the roses. Like memories, pressed roses petals and photographs cannot replace the actual thing. Live in the present and take it all in.


And don't despair, another day is dawning and it may look the same as the last but it's different. As one petal falls, a new blossom is getting ready to open. As the wind shakes the bow, yes, the petals fly, but the stem, the branch are strengthened. The rain brings down the old and dried and creates new life with it. The tinge of color is there in the green, promising new and vibrant fullness of life. You can practically watch it happen before your eyes.

Rainy days and Mondays are days for fond farewells and promised tomorrows. 

Let it rain, let it pour. It's all good.
 Sure enough, the wind and rain took out the peonies and brought down some old branches.

It wreaked havoc with many tall stems but all in all rejuvenated the garden!






***Ready for the heat? These tough guys can take it!***
                                                 

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Words Cannot Express

The fun I've had in the garden this week:

The fairies accessorized their porch area in the Fairy Garden! That, in turn, motivated me to freshen up the wood chips on the path and enrich the soil with some nice dark compost. 
 I stopped to admire the garden path and tried hard not to be overwhelmed by the amount of work waiting for me in this garden. A dear friend reminded me that I don't actually want to be done with garden work. This is what I like to do. Luckily there will always be plenty of work/fun to keep me out of trouble.
 I took my cue from this young lady who enjoyed a rest in the cool shade. Instead of rushing out to get to work I drank my coffee and waited until she was ready to move on.
 I took time to smell the roses, my Mom's favorites, wild ones that the bees goes nuts over!
 Then I got to work on tying and staking all the wonderful plants that have grown by leaps and bounds lately. It's always nice to get a jump on this rather than trying to cajole them into standing position later.
 Rain was in the forecast  and I knew these peonies would be face down in the mulch if didn't prop them with some branches with lots of, well... branching.
 I gave the butterflies a drink. I remember being amazed when I learned that butterflies don't have mouths for eating, that they receive all their nutrients from drinking. So I make sure there is some soil in their saucer. I just didn't want you to think I was a bad hostess, offering muddy water and all that.







In addition to mulching the paths through the fairy garden I also did the vegetable garden. I stuck some leeks and onions in where the radishes had been.





After that I played some hopscotch on my double duty path. Yup, I really did, before the rain started.
 And every so often a friend came to visit. This friend of mine likes to help with the pruning. She's not very good at it, but what she lacks in talent, she makes up for in beguiling cuteness.

It really has been wonderful week to garden. I am appreciating every moment, knowing that all too soon we'll be dealing with mosquitoes, heat and humidity, pests in the vegetables... oh please, don't get me started!