Favorite Plants in my Garden, 2021
Inside: Dear Reader, let me take you on a tour of favorite plants in my garden, 2021 style. Join me in my garden, won’t you?
There are garden years I remember distinctly, and other past gardens that fade from memory. While this year was not a banner year, to be sure, I find much beauty in my pots and beds. Come along with me for a tour of favorite plants in my garden, 2021.
Something Old
Mom always says begonias look their best in August, and I couldn’t agree more. They are a staple in both her garden and mine. I can’t imagine a summer without them! Obviously I like the red ones the best.
Something New
I have a confession to make: I pilfered a cutting from Mom’s garden when I took care of her flowers while she was on vacation. I had never seen a coleus like this before and knew she wouldn’t mind. I love the gold and red leaves, don’t you agree? It’s really taken off in my old compost bucket.
Something Borrowed
I used to spot dusty miller in flats of various plants Mom had waiting on the back patio to be planted in her garden, and I never saw the point. It always looked odd to me, and it wasn’t until she gave me some extra that I decided to plant it. (I hate wasting plants.) Well, it didn’t take long before it “grew” on me. (I couldn’t help myself.) Oddly, dusty miller reminds me of Christmas. The leaves make me think of antlers, and the white color, snow. And mine nearly lasted that long outside! Here I have it paired with pink impatiens. And like that first time I put plant into soil, she gave me some this year, too.
Something Blue
I love the pretty color of this purple salvia. And I love how it comes back every year from seed. No fuss, no muss, just beautiful tiny bluish-purple delicate flowers for most of the growing season. Each year I eagerly search the flower bed for signs of purple salvia pushing its way through the soil. The daisies in front of it get most of the attention, but when those quickly come and go, my little purple salvia keeps right on blooming along. Lovely!
From a Friend
Moss roses have been a favorite of mine over the years, but these particular flowers have special meaning to me. They’re offspring from originals that came from my friend Joy when she moved to Georgia. Though the long plastic planter that housed them finally crumbled this year, I transferred the soil into a few containers so I’d still have them. The beauty of moss roses is that they reseed themselves every year, which is nearly as good as a perennial!
Trailing
Every year, without fail, you’ll find some kind of ornamental sweet potato vine in my garden. This year I’ve actually planted both ornamental and regular edible sweet potato vines. I have fallen in love with this deep purple color. These heart-shaped leaves can actually appear bronze, and when wet, they really shine–literally. Very pretty!
A Little Bit of Whimsy
Wire grass is one of those plants that just makes me smile–its out-of-control blades reaching for the sky in all directions. At times I run my hands through it like unkempt hair or gather the grass together to give it a new ‘do. It’s fun–really fun–to watch it grow in my container garden around the steps.
Colorful Leaves
How could I forget my regular coleus, planted in the old Weber barbecue pit? Every year I station my large black kettle pot in my line of sight out the kitchen window. The colors are so lovely and uplifting, particularly once it gets going in early summer. By August and September, while still attractive, my coleus becomes very thirsty, and I have to make it a point to water it almost daily, depending on wind and heat. But all that extra work is still worth it to me!
Reliable Beauty
If you’ve been around this website for a while, you know that I love zinnias. This year I actually planted them in a pot, positioned near a window. What I hadn’t planned on is how tall they’d grow, and that I’d be able to see them out the window from where I sit in the living room. The flowers, one by one, bloomed to form a sort of flower candelabra. And the neatest part? Almost daily I’ve had hummingbirds stop by for lunch!
End of Tour
This concludes my tour. Thank you for stopping by my garden and watch your step as you exit.
Come back again soon!
(Next stop: Stump Garden 2021.)
Resources and Related Posts:
Results of my Late Summer Garden
Our Top 10 Favorite Gardening Tips
Gardening Advice from a Thirty-year Greenhouse Veteran
This Day in Past Posts:
Starting the Long and Sentimental Project (2017)
Farm Summer Days, Zinnia Field, and Other News Fresh From the Farm (2020)
Peaceful Easy Season, Waiting on Green, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
Inside: Peaceful easy season of summer, waiting on green fields, and all the “little foxes.” Check out all the latest fresh from the farm.
Peaceful, Easy Season of Summer
Seemed like I entered this year with an unsettled feeling, but as winter dwindled away and I finished the last of my editing projects, I was led down an entirely different path. In the early part of March, my birth month, the Lord spoke to my heart and told me to take the month off. No commitments–aside from dinner and dishes, groceries and laundry. My agenda was rest and reading. And, of course, television watching, which helps me relax. So I thought April would be busy.
It wasn’t.
The only thing that changed the rhythm of my life was the addition of listening to my unedited novel being read to me by my word program. I did several chapters per week, which took me to the end of May and a visit from family. (Yay! Meeting my new nephew Asa!) June brought Mike’s first week of staycation and Mom’s out-of-state visit to my brother’s home for a couple of weeks, which added chicken- and cat-feeding duties and flower watering at her house–though the rain did nearly all of that! Still not very busy as we moved into July and Mike received a welcome surprise of five days following the Fourth.
Now we come to the end of July. Still in rest mode. No new projects.
Interestingly, during this time I’ve been drawn to short devotionals on rest. Obviously something I needed. It amazes me how we can know so little about ourselves sometimes. . .
But our Father knows. And He continues to lead me beside still waters, right when I need it most.
Waiting on Green Fields
And what of those green pastures? I’ve been on a watch. Since February. Remember that really two-week cold snap followed by warming trends? That warmth made the world start coming alive with the very first signs of spring, and as I often do during my prayer time, I found myself staring out the window, looking out over fields in the distance. I’d been talking to the Lord about waiting for a situation to change, and He directed my gaze to the fields in the distance. I noticed that the ground looked sort of gray with barely–and I mean barely–a tinge of green. You’d have to push to see it–or be an optimist. I heard His voice in my head.
When will this field be the most green?
August, I thought. The bean field would be at its deepest green in August.
Watch and wait.
And wait I did. Through very light gray-green, to light sage, to sage, then weeds of little yellow and white flowers as well as purple, to brown when the field was worked, to light green, medium green, and, finally, a deep and satisfying green. Meanwhile days and weeks passed, calendar pages turned. Seasons came and went. Some of the things I’ve prayed for have happened, yet I wait, still.
Sometimes what we pray and hope for takes many seasons. Years.
But change does happens. Tiny, barely perceivable bits of change, until, at some point, it overtakes us.
Or, rather, we overcome.
All the Little Foxes
Perhaps you’ve heard the term “little foxes.” The little difficulties, things that go wrong, harsh words, frustrating moments, draining situations (and people). Unmet expectations, delays, disappointments. It’s not always the big ordeals in life that can chip away at our soul. These little foxes can accumulate. Steal joy. Distract. Cause stress. Bring gloom. Avoiding these can be exhausting, particularly when they seem to be coming from all directions. Kind of reminds me of all these Olympic hurdle jumpers I’ve been watching lately on tv.
So how to deal with these little foxes? Be aware of them. Give yourself grace and rest. See the humor–if you can. Last week when Mike was on a bike ride, the catalytic converter was stolen from our car. (I won’t tell you how much that one cost to replace!) While we were able to fix the car the next day, it took a few more days to get in the right frame of mind–including prayers for God to help whoever stole the part.
This morning I met Mike out by the car after another bike ride.
“Still got our catalytic converter?” I said, smiling, joking.
“Yes,” he answered.
“All right,” I said and gave him two thumbs up and a grin.
Thankfully, there are also such things as little miracles. The ability to see humor in this situation was one of them!
Resources and related posts:
Is Perfectionism Holding You Back?
Farm Summer Days, Zinnia Field, and Other News Fresh From the Farm
This day in past posts:
Stay Cool with Water Infusions
A Simple Guacamole Recipe
Inside: What’s nutritious and filling, quick and easy to make, and has only four ingredients to prepare? My simple guacamole recipe! Check it out.
My Simple Guacamole Recipe
Admittedly I took up eating avocados later in life. Somewhere around my mid-forties I tried the superfood fruit, and I haven’t looked back. So many great things packed into this little green ovoid. (That’s a three-dimensional oval shaped thing, don’t you know.) Try vitamins C, E, K, and B-6 as well as niacin, folate, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. And don’t leave out the minerals potassium and magnesium. Add to that list omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, and lutein. All that goodness translates to heart health, weight loss, and better digestion. Avocados are also good for your skin and help balance hormones naturally.
On to more practical reasons, this recipe is easy to make, doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, and is a perfect addition to backyard barbecues or other summer celebrations. I’m thinking red and blue tortilla chips served alongside the guacamole for a simple side served on your Fourth of July picnic table. For best results, make it up fresh right before serving it.
So let’s get to the recipe.
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 tablespoons of fresh finely minced onion
- 3 tablespoons of sour cream
- 2 - 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice (can use lime if you prefer)
- salt and pepper to taste
- In a bowl, mash the avocados, leaving them a little chunky.
- Add the other ingredients and mix well.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy!
Give this healthy, delicious recipe a try at your next backyard barbecue!
Resources and related posts:
A Simple Fruit Dip for Strawberries, Plus 5 Ways to Use Up the Harvest
Make Some Summer Simmering Potpourri
Stay Cool with Water Infusions
This week in past posts:
Gardening Advice from a Thirty-year Greenhouse Veteran 2017
Lily Days, Pickup Talk, and Other News Fresh From the Farm 2018
The Tender Heart of God
Inside: What does a man, a brand-new chainsaw, and a nest of birds have to do with the tender heart of God? Read on to find out.
The Man
One day Mike and I were talking, and I told him that we really needed to invest in a decent chainsaw. So many trees had taken root over the last couple of years, plus dead limbs on our Chinese elms that had to be reckoned with in the near future. So Mike dutifully researched the best deals until he found just the right one–an Echo CS-590 Timber Wolf.
The Chainsaw
After purchasing said power tool from the local Farm & Home Supply store, he brought that beauty home and began to saw things–small trees and limbs–until he moved to the front yard to lop off that dead limb we’d been staring at for a couple of years. Skillfully he cut wedges into the wood, and, little by little, it started to move before finally falling into the hackberry tree beside it. Gently, carefully he tugged on the limb until it landed on the ground.
The Nest
Right away he began sawing the large dead limb into smaller chunks for future burning in Mom’s woodstove. I went back to my comfy seat on the couch, listening to the loud grinding noise of our new chainsaw when all of a sudden I heard, “Come out here, quick!”
Now, the last thing you want to hear when your loved one is using a high-powered saw are the words, “Come out here, quick.” Needless to say, I ran out the door. To my surprise he held up a piece of the limb with a nest containing three little birds, mouths open, eyes shut. Despite everything, they’d escaped harm.
He felt terrible! I felt terrible! We racked our brain for some solution to how in the world these baby birds would get fed. My fear was that the bird mom wouldn’t want to come back to the nest with all that sawing and dismantling of the house she’d so carefully crafted for her babies.
Mike set the partially hollowed log where he’d severed the limb from the tree until we could come up with something. I went back inside and did what I do when I have no idea what else to do–prayed! I asked God to take care of these little babies and to bring their momma back to the nest.
I’ll take care of them, I heard Him say.
The Tender Heart of God
As the day wore on, I worried about that little nest, worried that they’d be abandoned. As I watched from the house, I noticed a little chickadee approaching the nest with something in her beak. Next I saw another chickadee, as if tag teaming with the first, to feed these little hungry birds. A daddy bird, too!
God had answered my prayer about that little nest of birds!
Over the next several days, rain was forecasted, locally heavy bouts at times. Mike and I wondered if we needed to supply some kind of overhead tarp to protect them yet wondered if we’d spook them if we did. The canopy above seemed to provide decent cover, but what about rain coming sideways? Again, I went to the Lord about it.
If I need you to do something, I’ll tell you, He said.
“But what about. . . ”
Don’t you think I know how to take care of a few birds?
So we stood by and watched the little miracle, through rains and sun, day by day. Me by the window with binoculars, Mike peering into the nest to check on them when he’d come in from work. Several times he’d seen them, but upon viewing them a full week later, they were gone. We checked for any evidence that a cat might have gotten them, but the nest was intact. Later, after doing some research, we discovered that the period from hatchling to leaving the nest is very short–around 14 to 18 days. The babies had simply grownup and flown away.
__________
I shared this story with my sister-in-law the other day, and she thanked me for it–for reminding her about the tender heart of God.
“I thought about writing a post,” I said.
“You should write it,” she encouraged.
And so you have it–the story of a man, a chainsaw, a nest of baby birds, and a God who cares about the seemingly insignificant details of our very lives.
Resources and related posts:
Neighborly Encouragement and the Power of Flowers
Today in past posts:
Turn Sprouted Sweet Potatoes into Plants (2018)