I WENT TO THE GARDEN ALONE

There is something of mystery in the early morning freshness of soft light and verdant growth while walking through a garden that has received sustenance and care from one's hands.  The feeling is akin to the intimate nurturing of a delicate seed relegated to the waiting soil, or a young baby held in a mother's arms as she dreams of what that child may grow to be.  Mothering or gardening, both require God's grace and watch care while seeds are planted, watered, tended, knowing the increase can only come from Him.  

Won't you walk with me now, and I'll show you what I found earlier amidst bird song while gentle breezes rustled the plants, giving the impression that I was not alone after all…

Claud has taken up gardening, and last year

he planted a nice peony in the front garden...

and an Iceberg rose from Heirloom Roses*

in the back.  These are the first offerings from

those two plants, which thrilled him.  I see him

several times a day leaning and smelling the

heady fragrance...

A pause here: Speaking of mystery, who would have 

thought that these pods set by last year's

leeks would have feelings for each other?

The Iceberg rose, pulsating with life,

leans against the garden wall.  I noticed it

has now set blooms in every stage imaginable on

a single stem.

Oh joy!  My Louise Clements, also from 

Heirloom Roses, reaches up to me with her

first bloom.  Mr. Clements, now deceased, 

bred and named this for his wife.  A lovely,

fragrant, legacy.

 Small, but fragrant and full of flavor, I find

a handful of strawberries from the 

long row of plants just beginning to burst

with red deliciousness.  Future berries will be nice 

with cream and sugar or in 

honey-sweetened yogurt!

Her lovely red limbs supporting finely-

textured and graceful leaves, this Japanese 

Maple, aka shigitatsu sawa, is a new 

favorite in the back garden.  We love to 

watch her rise and fall when the winds

pass through and ruffle her "hair".

You may have heard the phrase to 

"borrow the view"; here, we have "borrowed"

this lovely clematis vine as she leapt over 

the fence and attached herself to our 

heavenly bamboo.  She brings just the right

color and form to a bare spot, as if she "knew".

I can't help but notice the affinity these plants

have for one another; one reaching up, the

other down.  Don't you wonder what 

secrets they share?  (I know, you're wondering

if I have completely lost it !)

Few vines are more beautiful than this 

porcelain vine, reaching for the

morning sun.

I love this unnamed blowzy, delicate,

pink rose waiting in the shadows

for her time in the sun.

This is my dream-come-true: Digitalis purpurea

 foxgloves and Bee Delphinium, with the "cherry on top", a "Dark Towers" penstemon in the background.

  As close as I will ever get to an 
English cottage garden...

The Smoke Tree all aflame.

Our walk ends with a combination that 

makes me happy whenever I glance at it

(which is often), the Gartenmeister fushia, 

 ablaze over the grey furry Mexican sage below,

with solar shooting stars sprinkling
light at night.

We love to eat our meals at the foot of 

our fairy garden,complete with Mr. Toad, 

and crowned by  "Purple Petticoats" coral bells.  

Let's sit down with them and have an ice cold

peppermint tea and a crunchy salad, 
both freshly picked!  

This sharing of the garden was enjoyed in duplicate by having your company today.  SUMMER IS HERE!  Enjoy every moment for too quickly it's gone…you know it's true.  But right now, "June is bustin' out all over!"
(James Whitcomb Riley).

*Heirloom Roses grows and sells a huge selection

of vigorous plants on their own roots.

St. Paul, Oregon