Foxglove

I'm waiting for these beauties to climb the stalks with those velvety leaves and pop out with those glorious pink bells! So many of my perennials did not survive this past winter and I feel these holes in my garden, severely. I've filled in many of the holes with annuals, and they're ones I've not used ever before. Sweet Peas, African Daisies and Calendulas. Mostly through seeding an area since the cost of the plants are too much so the seeds will have to do. I'm impressed with the lovely green leaves that are surfacing from those seeds now. The sunflowers look rather a lovely, sturdy green already too.

I actually counted the perennials that I lost and it is over 15 different plants! But the annuals are filling the voids rather well and that is thrilling for me.

So despite the tough times, my garden truly holds a special hope for a beautiful plot of petals and leaves by mid-summer.

The Hawk on "Dive!"

Have you ever watched a hawk in flight? To watch the grace and the speed they exhibit flying or hunting is wonderful and I got a really breathless view of one sitting on my patio this morning. The weather was cool and I took a cup of coffee out to enjoy watching the birds flocking all over my backyard, and to enjoy the antics of our two humming birds as they dove after each other through the morning glories and black eyed susan vines. Suddenly there was a swoop and the biggest Cooper's hawk I've seen simply ridding the wind into our yard diving down from above. But those little birds were faster and dove into the various plants and bushes in the yard and out of site - this time.

Many feel that the hawk is an intruder in the garden but for me it is a sign of the power found in God's creation, and it's beautiful to watch. I sat long after the hawk had moved on and watching the birds dashing below the leaves of plants and back out to rest a moment on the spent stalks of flowers or the stems of the sunflowers. If anything is heaven for me, it has to be here. There are no arguments nor any anger...simply beauty and peace. I love it.

Fall in My Garden

This cooler weather is inspiring for me. I often sit on the patio and enjoy most mornings, now. The birds are flocking and along the fence every morning there is a line of sparrows waiting their turn to dip and drink from our bird bath. It reminds me of kids waiting for the bathroom.

Though the garden isn't as pretty as in the spring and early summer some flowers are still blossoming. The cosmos look great, and the asters are beginning to bloom. But I must admit there is much in the garden that looks quite ragged. But that too gives a beauty of its own. The tall brown stems of long dead lilies are now the perches for the goldfinches and sparrows.

The sweet autumn clematis is beginning at the very top to break out in lovely small white blossoms. It covers the trellis at the back of the garden and has often been called the garden "ice cream cone" by neighbors because the blossoms seem to balloon from the top down. There the littlest of my garden birds congregate under the leaves and flowers safe from the local cooper's hawk as it makes its daily pass over the yard.

The fall can be so restive and quiet here in my garden world. It's truly a place to escape as the days speed by. Here I can almost stop my world and take time to inhale the garden that nature creates all around me.

All Creatures Great and....

From a chair on my patio today I sat and watched a mail humming bird literally scaring away all who approached my humming bird feeder today. This has been happening for at least a month and it is quite an extraordinary site to see. The little fellow has three or four pieces where he hides to watch for intruders, sometimes he even sits on the hook that holds the feeder unwilling to let any approach.

I put another feeder seven feet away in hopes of giving the other hummers a chance, but he has become even more vigilant diving between and keeping most of the other neighborhood hummers away. He's really quite territorial!

I think this summer I have really enjoyed watched all the new creatures that inhabit my yard. From humming birds, to humming bird moths, to toads I've really been enjoying each as they pass over my little piece of ground. That's the part of summer I really love. My flower garden, and critters that frequent it, and my yard as well.

Pennies from Heaven...

"It's raining, it's pouring..." We haven't had rain in over 3 months and yesterday it rained most of the day. As I splashed through my day I watched others grumble, though because they hadn't expected it - or horror of horrors they got wet. But of course I was thrilled, well me and my garden were! I felt like I was walking on air in my excitement, and like a kid splashed through every puddle I came across. I even offered my umbrella to many who needed a bit of a covering from the rain in my meanderings down our main street.

"Perfect" weather may seem perfect but it always takes something from the world. We all need a bit of rain in our lives to keep the balance. Watching Gene Kelly dance in the rain can be completely understandable. Rejoicing in that gift from the clouds does make some of us just a bit exuberant!