A Prairie Garden
Good Afternoon! Oh my, it seems as if it has been so long since we got together! Ooooooh! I have to have a hug! I know it really hasn't been as long as it seems. The past week or so has been so full it truly feels like ages since we got together. This afternoon is the perfect time for gathering too. The children have been acting like weather is coming all day long. I was going to work upstairs on some sewing but a visit will be so much better. Thank you for coming over!
For a couple of years I have been collecting seeds from various wildflowers with the intention of eventually creating a cottage style garden using native wildflowers with similar appearance to those found in traditional cottage gardens. The idea came to me after a number of unsuccessful attempts at growing cottage style plants purchased from the nursery. Giving up on my cottage garden never crossed my mind, but I did spend many hours wondering how I could get my favorite cottage garden plants to grow in my extremely wind yard.
One day while driving through the pasture with My Beloved the thought of how much a certain wildflower resembled a larkspur plant I had unsuccessfully planted more than once crossed my mind. My thoughts rapidly began to gather at this point. Before the drive through the cattle was over, the idea of using seed gathered from wildflowers instead of purchased plants from the nursery took root.
Being a family of romantics at heart, noticing, gathering, and identifying wildflowers has not been a chore but delightful fun. There are still a few flowers yet to be identified. but we have a very good start. Just the names of the wildflowers I hope to use in my future garden get me excited. Prairie larkspur, wild begonia, bush morning glory, asters, coneflowers, liatris/blazing star, beebalm, milkweed, yarrow, hoary vervain verbena, penstemon, wild roses, and white poppies will all be joined with one final attempt at establishing hollyhocks. I know those things grow in this area. I just have to figure out a location in my yard they will grow. My tiger lilies will love the company and some sweet little Johnny jump ups may also show up along the outside border. You just never know who will join the party. Of course no flower garden of mine will ever be complete without at least a few iris. Also...along the north side of the house, in a sweet little shady spot, some lily of the valley ought to move in. Don't you think?
I think the little wildflower garden that has gotten started down by the lake ought to enjoy having an intentionally planned neighbor. Don't you? The sweet morsels of gossip the bees and butterflies will share as they flit between gardens will surely cement the relationships between all plants involved. Just think of the humming and buzzing that will occur! I'm smiling big; aren't you? Oh! Did I tell you? Some cardinals have made themselves at home in the cedar trees! I am so excited!!! Cardinals! How I have missed having their red shine out.
It might end up being a bit like the salad plot down in my new veggie garden this year, a little bit of this and that all tossed into the ground together in one big happy salad growing square. Planning is well and fine. As a matter of fact, it is absolutely necessary in many areas. However, if a person is not naturally inclined towards plotting every little detail down the nth degree, perhaps they ought to occasionally go with the natural bent God put in them and plan to be unplanned - in some things - like flower gardens and salad greens. Finances are of course NOT one of the areas a person will want to be unplanned in. But flowers...and salad greens...these are delightful when purposely random.
Hmmm? Yes, talking about flowers and bees does make me think of honey. Uh huh, honey makes me think of tea and scones. Oh, scones definitely makes me think of devonshire cream and lemon curd, strawberry preserves too. Speaking of preserves, Not of This World has already been at the jelly making this summer. Mulberry jelly is absolutely beautiful in color! It's ever so yummy too! Maybe I can talk her into coming over for one of our visits to share her jelly recipes. Wouldn't that be fun?
Our time at the bench has been delightful this afternoon dear friend. Thank you so much for coming over. Here, take a jar of jelly with you when you go. It will be lovely on biscuits with supper. I'm going to go see if I can't whip out at least one sundress for Giggles before supper fixing time. And yes, we're definitely having biscuits with jelly on them! Thanks again for coming! Come again soon! Love you!
Abundantly Blessed @ Abundance House
For a couple of years I have been collecting seeds from various wildflowers with the intention of eventually creating a cottage style garden using native wildflowers with similar appearance to those found in traditional cottage gardens. The idea came to me after a number of unsuccessful attempts at growing cottage style plants purchased from the nursery. Giving up on my cottage garden never crossed my mind, but I did spend many hours wondering how I could get my favorite cottage garden plants to grow in my extremely wind yard.
One day while driving through the pasture with My Beloved the thought of how much a certain wildflower resembled a larkspur plant I had unsuccessfully planted more than once crossed my mind. My thoughts rapidly began to gather at this point. Before the drive through the cattle was over, the idea of using seed gathered from wildflowers instead of purchased plants from the nursery took root.
Being a family of romantics at heart, noticing, gathering, and identifying wildflowers has not been a chore but delightful fun. There are still a few flowers yet to be identified. but we have a very good start. Just the names of the wildflowers I hope to use in my future garden get me excited. Prairie larkspur, wild begonia, bush morning glory, asters, coneflowers, liatris/blazing star, beebalm, milkweed, yarrow, hoary vervain verbena, penstemon, wild roses, and white poppies will all be joined with one final attempt at establishing hollyhocks. I know those things grow in this area. I just have to figure out a location in my yard they will grow. My tiger lilies will love the company and some sweet little Johnny jump ups may also show up along the outside border. You just never know who will join the party. Of course no flower garden of mine will ever be complete without at least a few iris. Also...along the north side of the house, in a sweet little shady spot, some lily of the valley ought to move in. Don't you think?
I think the little wildflower garden that has gotten started down by the lake ought to enjoy having an intentionally planned neighbor. Don't you? The sweet morsels of gossip the bees and butterflies will share as they flit between gardens will surely cement the relationships between all plants involved. Just think of the humming and buzzing that will occur! I'm smiling big; aren't you? Oh! Did I tell you? Some cardinals have made themselves at home in the cedar trees! I am so excited!!! Cardinals! How I have missed having their red shine out.
It might end up being a bit like the salad plot down in my new veggie garden this year, a little bit of this and that all tossed into the ground together in one big happy salad growing square. Planning is well and fine. As a matter of fact, it is absolutely necessary in many areas. However, if a person is not naturally inclined towards plotting every little detail down the nth degree, perhaps they ought to occasionally go with the natural bent God put in them and plan to be unplanned - in some things - like flower gardens and salad greens. Finances are of course NOT one of the areas a person will want to be unplanned in. But flowers...and salad greens...these are delightful when purposely random.
Hmmm? Yes, talking about flowers and bees does make me think of honey. Uh huh, honey makes me think of tea and scones. Oh, scones definitely makes me think of devonshire cream and lemon curd, strawberry preserves too. Speaking of preserves, Not of This World has already been at the jelly making this summer. Mulberry jelly is absolutely beautiful in color! It's ever so yummy too! Maybe I can talk her into coming over for one of our visits to share her jelly recipes. Wouldn't that be fun?
Our time at the bench has been delightful this afternoon dear friend. Thank you so much for coming over. Here, take a jar of jelly with you when you go. It will be lovely on biscuits with supper. I'm going to go see if I can't whip out at least one sundress for Giggles before supper fixing time. And yes, we're definitely having biscuits with jelly on them! Thanks again for coming! Come again soon! Love you!
Abundantly Blessed @ Abundance House