juneSCENE IN OUR GARDEN: July 2012

What a Difference a Day Makes...

There's less humidity in our air this morning...

the temperature is cooler, too.

SO different from yesterday when picking a small bouquet

for a luncheon table was all I could handle outside!
My husband is out mowing the lawn for the second time this week!

Outside IN

It's just been too muggy and too hot to spend much time outdoors.

Except for a quick check on my Surprise Lilies and lamenting the weeds that

proliferated thanks to the most recent rain,

I've pretty much stayed inside.

This morning, the ladies who gathered at my table for our

"Home Connection" agreed that the summer has been about

as bad as winter -- as far as not being nice to be outside!

It didn't stop me from bringing a little of the outside inside though.

Here, Rose of Sharon, Russian sage and some black-eyed Susans.

Exciting Times!

After an enthusiastic rain this morning,

my husband went out to mow the lawn this afternoon.

Its growth had been rapidly accelerated by the recent

(and desperately needed) rains.

He came into the house to announce the sprouting

of several "surprise lilies"!

I went out to take these pictures of some of my favorite flowers!

Very soon, they will have popped up

(and I mean as much as 3' up)

all over several of our flower beds.

Exciting times!!!!

Copy Cat

If you saw the post before THIS one,

you'll understand the title, "Copy Cat".

I couldn't help myself!

It's too hot to get anything going in the flower beds at this point...

but perfect weather for paint-curing!

So here's what I did yesterday.

It's all hanging or setting on one side of our shed.

And I'm thoroughly pleased with our Copy Cat Yard Art!

Garage Sale turns Garden Walk

We saw a garage sale sign

and followed it to Linda's home.

That would be Linda of Landscapes by Linda.

Her landscape art was for sale,

and she generously let us roam her incredible cottage-style yard and gardens.

She told us that much of her For Sale items

sold yesterday.

We hope to get a "heads up" about her next one!

Of course, I asked before I took all these pictures...

I was flabbergasted!

I chattered all the way home.

I was amazed at how much she packed into a relatively small space.

Needless to say, I returned home with ideas to incorporate into OUR yard.

For right now, though, all I can think about is Linda's talent,

friendliness, generosity,

and creativity!

My wheels are spinning!

A Season on the Brink

Exactly WHAT season

and what brink

I'm not sure...

But this IS the scene in our garden as we begin the

fourth straight day of four-digit-temperatures.

(I've accidentally deleted pictures of the storm damage

from last week. Don't have the energy to go back

and re-enter them.)

Meanwhile, only the strong survive!

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)