juneSCENE IN OUR GARDEN: June 2012

Monday Meanderings

The weather was nigh PERfect all day Monday.

In the evening, I prevailed upon The Husband

to hang this little banner I'd found in the FREE box at a garage sale over the weekend!

I was camera ready to capture the flag....

so when my eyes were WOWED by the emergence of new color combinations

in our various flower beds,

I started snapping away!

The Husband mowed the yard, after which

we puttered some more...trimming some branches here and there

and removing some volunteer trees taking root in undesirable places.

This American flag was also a "freebie".

We chose this spot on our front porch to hang it.

I wonder how soon we'll enjoy such a mild and wonderful

day such as this again?

(If you missed my previous post showing the bouquet I assembled

from weeds growing on the vacant property next door,

I invite you to take a peek!)

Wild and Free

The property next door to us is vacant and not so very well maintained.

Weekly mowing doesn't put a dent in the weeds!

Today as I walked past it to go to the post office,

I noticed a variety of wild flowers growing enthusiastically!

When I returned home, I got a scissors and snipped me

a bouquet--placing it in one of the pair of vases I retrieved

over the weekend from a pile of free garage-sale leftovers!
(There are 6 varieties of "wild and free" in this bouquet!)

Lake Walk

I took advantage of the cool of the morning yesterday

to stroll in the neighborhood

surrounding the quiet lake

where I had "overnighted" with friends.

In spite of the dryness and heat of the past several weeks,

my eyes found much to marvel about!

This log cabin especially has drawn me in every time I visit McClish Lake--

a perfect destination and turn-around point for my strolls.

(Need I say that I prefer a little bit of wildness in my landscape?)

The pinks here were PERFECT in their placement.

I wish I could have captured the path a bit better

in the photo below....

There were a few more out-buildings or sheds I should have photographed,

but the colors of this one were striking!

If you're interested in seeing some of the more unique mailboxes along the route,

I featured them on one of my other blogs....

Touring Wildwood Park

We enjoyed a hot afternoon tour yesterday--
interiors and exteriors.

For me, only 3 of the 12 homes had landscapes of interest.

To be fair, it has been VERY dry here.

And people are busy, busy, busy...

Behind the Cabin

I'd forgotten how the sun reflecting on the bottle

duplicates the colors of the day lilies that are just now beginning to bloom...

(For more views of our cabin through the years,

you can click on the label/link below this post.)

Thanks, Joan!

Variegated sedum

a red bud tree

Bee balm

Solomon's seal

and Yucca.

All these (and a huge clump of lilies) were dug up

on Monday from yard of a generous friend

and transplanted the same morning.

Thanks, Joan!

Extreme Makeover

Tonight we were sitting in our yard reading.

I was on the list to get this book when it became available at our public library.

It became available, and I was delighting in it

when...

I looked up and saw this bush as it IS

and as it COULD be.

I couldn't rest until it was done!

Of course that meant that neither could my husband.

It's done now.

What a difference!

Dare I call it an Extreme Makeover?

(In my next post, I'll introduce you to our newest plants

transplanted from a friend's beautiful back yard earlier today.)

What's Wrong with this Picture?

Today I retrieved some plants from

the yard of a friend who was putting a few of her beds back to "pasture".

I've tucked them in to the rare vacant spots in my own,

but on the way to do so, I saw to my astonishment that my mums are blooming!

What's WRONG with this picture?

In spite of my cutting them back a couple of weeks ago

(also way ahead of time)

there are buds on a few and THESE are opening.

What's left for July? August? September? October?

Rose...Garden

Today I deadheaded the white rose bushes that hug our backyard cabin.

The morning was cool and conducive to such things...

I wandered about a bit to assess some yard art

I had placed here and there in the flower beds a day or two ago.

I just can't help myself!

I like rust!

I'm trying to figure out what to place in the circle (below)

remaining from a cracked humming bird feeder...

Stay tuned!

To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony. William Henry Channing 1810-1884

Irises come in many forms, shapes, colors and sizes and the sword-like foliage is attractive when the plant is not in bloom. The genus Iris is a large genus of bulbous and rhizomatous perennials.

The Iris was named after the goddess of the rainbow because of its many colors.
A flower on the Sphinx is considered to be an Iris, and another appears on a bas-relief of the 18th Egyptian dynasty.
Pliny also knew the Iris and praised its medicinal virtues.
The Iris was also a favourite flower of the Moslems, who took it to Spain after their conquest in the 8th century.

Bought at a local plant sale, Spring of 2009 Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium; syn. Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Pers., Pyrethrum parthenium Sm.) is a traditional medicinal herb which is found in many old gardens, and is also occasionally grown for ornament. The plant grows into a small bush up to around 18 inches high, with citrus-scented leaves and is covered by flowers reminiscent of daisies. It spreads rapidly, and they will cover a wide area after a few years. It is also commonly seen in the literature by its synonyms, Chrysanthemum parthenium (L.) Bernh. and Pyrethrum parthenium (L.) Sm.

I'D PICK MORE DAISIES
If I could live my life again
I'd be a little lazy
I'd stop this rushing to and fro
And stop and pick more daisies
Through all the lovely summer months
Though days be clear or hazy
No more to fret over tasks undone,
I'd stop to pick a daisy
Not so important what I did
This fact time now discloses
While running through life's garden green
I'd stop to smell the roses
If I could hold my little ones
The children in my care
I'd scold them less and love them more
With so much love to share
If I could pass this way again
Though folks might think I'm crazy
I'd work and worry less, but I'd
Take time to pick a daisy
The rush of life has passed me by
Now I have leisure hours
But time has taken such a toll
It's too late to pick the flowers.

Mildred F. Rowe

MEASURE YOUR HEALTH...by your sympathy with morning and spring. If there is no response in you to the awakening of nature, if the prospect of an early morning walk does not banish sleep, if the warble of the first bluebird does not thrill you--know that the morning and the spring of your life are past. Thus may you feel your pulse. (Thoreau)

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on the trees and flowers and clouds and stars." (Martin Luther)

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

The soul of a child is the loveliest flower
That grows in the garden of God
It's climb is from weakness to knowledge and power,
To the sky from the clay to the clod.
To beauty and sweetness it grows under care
Neglected, 'tis ragged and wild.
'Tis a plant that is tender, but wondrously rare,
The sweet wistfull soul of a child.

Be tender, O Gardener, and give it it's share
Of moisture, of warmth and of light,
And let it not lack for th painstaking care
To protect it from frost and from blight.
A glad day will come when it's bloom shall unfold,
It will seem that an angel has smiled,
Reflecting a beauty and sweetness untold
In the sensitive soul of a child.

...Author Unknown

Thy Word is like a garden, Lord,
With flowers bright and fair;
And every one who seeks may pluck
A lovely cluster there.
Thy Word is like a deep, deep mine,
And jewels rich and rare
Are hidden in its mighty depths
For every searcher there.

Thy Word is like a starry host:
A thousand rays of light
Are seen to guard the traveler,
And make his pathway bright.
Thy Word is like an armory,
Where soldiers may repair,
And find, for life's long battle-day,
All needful weapons there.

Oh, may I love Thy precious Word,
May I explore the mine,
May I its fragrant flowers glen,
May light upon me shine!
Oh, may I find my armor there!
Thy Word my trusty sword,
I'll learn to fight with every foe
The battle of the Lord.

(Edwin Hodder, Thy Word Is Like a Garden, Lord)