Friday, June 19, 2009

Garden Chatter

A big thanks goes to Rhiannon for helping me with the pictures for the last post. I hope you enjoyed seeing Miss Emma who is eye-high to a daisy! Looks like she was enjoying picking one of them in one of the pictures.



As you can see from the pictures, the paths are narrow in some places. They were not planned that way. This garden kind of evolved from literally three trees that we planted when the lawn was first seeded. I placed them in somewhat of a triangle and then after the lawn grew up I decided it was needing a flower garden out there. This is the wrong way to go about making a garden by the way, and that accounts for my ongoing battles with grass. I took the tiller and just drove it around in curving shapes between those first three trees and this is what resulted. Of course, in between there was alot of digging up of sod, re-forming the inner and outer beds and etc. Also I went to alot of trouble amending the soil in the inner beds. They were literally lawn that was cut away and tilled deeply, filled with all kinds of organic material and originally intended to be "raised." At first they were slightly raised with all the stuff I had used (straw, wood chips, and lots and lots of composted dirt) but gradually they settled.



I was just out in the garden tonight after supper doing the deadheading of millions of daisies and a few stray irises and much as I wanted to be careful, I'm afraid some late bloomers went along with the old. It made a great difference in the look of the garden, but still there is more to be done. The weeds are almost out of control. The profusion of daisies hid many small weeds for a time and now they are visible. I am convinced that me and ten gardeners together could not get the upper hand with it. I did my best until the darkness and thunder threatened. We got alot of rain today and are forecast to have more. I knew I needed to quit and get in to clean up in case the power went off robbing me of water.



I didn't notice anything new blooming, but some things are nearly ready to pop open. My tall delphiniums withstood last night's storms fairly well, one was leaned over and not having a proper stake, I leaned it against, you guessed it, a bed of daisies! I'll have to do better for it tomorrow. After the cutting of so many daisies, the garden definitely lost the light that all that white provided. It's amazing how flowers can create light or darkness in an area. Now the vivid purples and darker colors come to the forefront. It's very interesting.



Picked another huge bowl of strawberries this evening. I regret that many are going to waste right on the plants. I don't use straw as diligently as I should and with the rain they got too wet. Also many were not ripening correctly without enough sunshine.

I was pondering how we can learn a lesson from the daisies. There were so many of them and nearly every one looks exactly alike. Yet, if they stood alone and not in profusion, they wouldn't be as lovely or effective. Isn't that how it sometimes is with us? We are part of a bigger picture. We as Christians should be who God wants us to be as individuals, but still we have a responsibility to fit into the larger picture, for instance, to be a part of a local church. The local church is then part of the church worldwide. Together we make a great difference and impact. Few of us do lots of great things alone. How many people do you know who have done big important things all by themselves? I trust they are few. But together we bloom very well and create a lovely landscape in the world just like the daisies created in my garden. So today if you are discouraged at your success or lack thereof, remember that the little things you do really matter. You are part of a bigger picture. The church needs everyone, not just a few famous visible preachers or evangelists. Paul told this to the Corinthians and described the church as a body. No part of the body does well without the other. We all "look" better when we work together to accomplish Christ's commission. Blessings, LORI

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