Summer Blossoms

And It Was Good

"I think this is what hooks one to gardening:  It is the closest one can become to being present at creation"
- Phyllis Theroux

 When I began to garden I intensely researched and studied as much as I possibly could.  The more I dug in the dirt and became hands on, gardening became less of a challenging chore and more of a relaxing, rewarding hobby.  Watching a seedling form into a beautiful plant is an exciting event.  However, in my opinion, it cannot compare to the births of my children.  If you are a parent, you are a witness of this great joy.  Both events are similarly breathtaking and beautifully display Creation all the same.

Cleome and Knock-Out Roses 

 Verbena and Rose of Sharon

 

All Things Bright and Beautiful

 - Cecil Frances Alexander

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

 He gave us eyes to see them,
   And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
 Who has made all things well.

Cleome (an annual in Michigan that happily reseeded itself)

Asiatic Lilies

  Shasta Daisies



 Yellow Sundrops

  Perennial Garden (Part Shade) - Sundrops, Spirea, Iris, Ferns, Moon Flower, Stella De Oro Day Lilies, Dianthus, and Hens and Chicks

 Entrapment Lily, New Guinea Impatiens, Geraniums

 

 Day lilies, Purple Catmint, Peonies 

 Knock-out Roses and Spider Wart

Small mailbox flower garden added 

 

 

 Knock-out Roses

 

Perennial Garden

 Bright pink Dianthus, Lt. Purple Balloon Flower, Knockout roses, Daylily and Sundrops, Hosta, Blue Salvia, Knock-out Roses 

Hydrangea (Purple flowers turned from pink after blending spent coffee grounds into the soil to change the acidity  It started out the same color as the pink hydrangea shown)

Huge Hydrangea - This is one flower in a large vase

Dianthus (typically an annual, but happily reseeded & were gorgeous this year) 

 

Annual August pictures of my girls in front of the Rose of Sharon 

 

Pansies lasted well into Summer

 Marigold

Cana

Shade perennial garden (Astibe, Sedum, Hosta, Columbine, Heuchera

Neon Flash Spirea Shrub

Coleus and Creeping Jenny trailed out of this old wheel barrow and added color, height and character to the shade garden this year.

 

Looking through Spring & Summer pictures has me excited about watching it all over again a few months from now.  First we will be busy raking and watching as the gardens become covered in blankets of snow. 

 

Stay cozy as we anticipate another season. my friends!

~Thanks for stopping by~


 

Spring Blooms

"Leave room in the garden for the fairies to dance"
 

 

Perennial garden success is evident when your yard becomes an ever-changing canvas bringing joy and beauty throughout all seasons.  To achieve success begin with a plan drawn to scale, a variety of plants, rich soil, mulch, fertilizer, water, sun and a bit of Tender Loving Care. 

 

Planning a Michigan perennial garden - Make 3 distinct layers on a drawing to create equal areas of interest throughout each season.  One layer mapping out Spring bulbs & plantings, one highlighting Summer bloomers, and finally an Autumn layer showing a burst of color before the snow puts the garden to sleep.  A design plan allows you to visualize your garden all while considering plant textures, heights, colors, spacing, and lighting requirements before a shovel even graces the soil.  When I plan my own gardens I draw very simple plans because most of the layout is already configured in my mind.  When designing for a client the plans are very detailed and often done in color so the homeowner can visualize and understand the design.

In early Spring this flowerbed has hot pink creeping phlox, dark purple and coral hyacinth, double yellow daffodils, pink and white daffodils, giant allium, bleeding hearts, a dwarf magnolia, and a hot pink blossoming crabapple tree.  Shortly after they appear the purple irises, lupine, columbine, weigela, peonies, and cranesbill geranium burst open.   This was the first Spring for these bulbs.  Each year the bulbs should  multiply making larger and more colorful plants.  See pictures below: 

 

 Double Daffodil

Coral Hyacinth & Pink and White Daffodil

              Bleeding Heart

 Giant Allium

 Hot Pink Creeping Phlox

  Daffodils

 Clusters of Daffodils

Blooming Crabapple tree

 

 Lupine

 Dwarf Magnolia

Big Root Cranesbill Geranium

Irises

Weigela
 

One lesson I have learned about gardening - no matter how much planning and perfectionist work you put into a garden, the results will never be exactly how you imagine it to be because when you garden, your companion gardener is God and he has the final layout in mind before any plan is drawn up.  This is so very true in life as in a garden!  He will sow the seeds and adjust your layout according to His taste.  In this garden and my life His plan has greatly surpassed anything I could have ever imagined. Watching this garden grow and change has me continually awestruck and grateful for the blessing of overseeing such a colorful canvas.  From him and through him all things are made.  To him be the glory Forever! Romans 11:33-36

 

 

"One is nearer God's heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth" -Dorthy Frances Gurney

 

 

Gardens are for all ages to enjoy! 
 
Summer garden post is coming soon & you won't want to miss it!  

    Designing Dreams on a Dime