How does your garden grow?

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Before starting this post I would like to highlight a very special friend, Derrick, who along with his wonderful wife Jackie tend to one amazing garden! This is one of my favorite bloggers who has a garden that is expansive, varied and gorgeous!

If You Weren’t The Head Gardener

 

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Around five years ago we made our usual late Spring visit to the lake. Mom was busy digging, weeding and moving plants. At that time she offered me “starts” of many of her hearty favorites, some having been there for over 20 years! I hemmed and hawed as the saying goes, until she grabbed the shovel and loosened the soil.

Hours later we backed up the gravel drive and headed home, complete with numerous specimens that wilted in the scorching heat. I have to admit I was iffy and irritated at the thought of digging up grass, finding an area to place these plants and was not looking forward to gardening.

I went through the motions and did the hard work and felt a bit better but still wondered why she had pushed me to take these pieces of her garden. At first it looked like a wasted effort as each plant lay drooping on a scattered makeshift bed. That summer it was all about keeping everything watered and alive. Lake roses looked to be rigid, brittle and brown, and yet something compelled me to keep watering and watching.

The following Spring plants were green and some even bloomed! Eventually more space was needed as roses started to flourish infringing on neighboring plants. Rocks and bark were added along with special items from the recently vacated wood house.

One year garden

A brick from the brickyard where Daddy ( my grandpa Adolph) had worked for years was given to me to place near the purple Iris. This was his favorite plant and when he retired he was given three bricks, one for each of his daughters. img_9840.jpg

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The bird bath that stood in the “dream garden” for many years was now placed lovingly alongside Lilies and Columbine. Each year there were new additions, taking plants from Mom’s garden, moving some to other locations if they were not doing well. I learned which ones needed more or less water, sun or shade and was careful when cleaning up debris. It is fun to look back and to see that hard work and patience paid off.

Mom says I have a green thumb and while I am not convinced of that, what I do know is that gardening reminds me in many ways of tending to my family. Patience, room to grow and plenty of care.

Garden now

 

 

50 thoughts on “How does your garden grow?”

  5. Derrick and Jackie’s garden is heavenly and you are right to have linked to his blog for it turns out that your own garden is also an absolute delight. I echo what you say about gardening and rearing children. When I was bringing mine up I didn’t have much time for a garden – we did a little together … a veggie patch and growing annuals from seed but we moved so often that it was not viable to make a garden. But now that they are grown and flown I find myself really enjoying gardening – it is nurturing just the same. And when they visit, well then they get the joy (!) of helping me too xoxo

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    • I never thought anything would come back to life haha and the roses were literally these hard sticks. My son kept asking me to dig them up and toss them out. Each year they have gotten bigger and now there is no stopping them. xo Thanks Diana

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  17. A wise mom and reminds me of my mom. She would nudge me into projects, such as your garden, and when the plants and flowers flourished, she told me I should be proud of my accomplishments, which I was.

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  22. Beautiful work in the garden Lyn!! I am waiting patiently for my block to be ready so I can get on there and start planting. I have plants that will have to bide their time in pots, until our next winter before I can get them in the ground. At least it will give me time to prepare the soil and try them out in different spots before selecting the final positions.
    That Iris is spectacular!!! And the hot pink flower is gorgeous!!

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