Gardening - What is Your Style?

 Howdy-ho my friends.  Hoping you and your families are good.

It is a sunny, cooler, beautiful morning here.  Going to be a dry day again, so a good day to be outside.  I have been out and fed everyone and have the windows open, and just enjoying the quiet of the morning.

Boy is this true!  Just walk and look.  Keep those eyes open.  There are critters, buggers, and things growing.  It is all part of a circle that takes care of something else.  Pretty darn miraculous.  I just love walking and listening and looking.

Today I want to ask - what is your gardening style? 

For me, the food garden and the flower gardens are very different.  I keep the veggie garden nice and neat and spaced and weed free.  It has order.

My flower gardens are what I guess some now call CHAOS gardening!  I just call it natural.  I let the flowers grow and thrive where they chose!  Yep!

Everything in the ground is perennial and just decides where it wants to be.  I do not believe I have ever dug a plant and thrown it out.  I have shared - yes.

Now do I have the variety that others have? - not always.  I do have variety and color, but it just happens naturally, no real order.

I will show examples.

Years ago, this was the front garden on the right side of the walk going up to the porch.  Orderly and neat, lots of bark - clean.  It has changed many times over the years - with flowers hanging from the heart, and stumps gone and use of tables, chairs, etc.

NOW!  The area to the left was actually where the wheelchair ramp was for many, many years.  It covered the entire way from my drive (where I am standing taking pic) to the other end of the porch.  Now you see all those flowers?  I didn't plant a one of them.  The lamb's ear started years ago on the other side and now there is none on the right.  There is lots of lemon balm - also used to be on the right, and now very little there.  Spider wart and echinacea is on both sides - used to be just on right.  Things have grown under the walk, and things have been replanted by birds.  Some would not like it - but I LOVE it!  It is just natural and that is what I want.  I get a lot of compliments.

Years ago, when the backyard bed was first made and planted.  Lots of individual plants - annuals and perennials.  Even had room for odds and ends.

It has changed drastically now.  Lots of poppies and lilies and there is N.E. aster, coreopsis, phlox and echinacea.  But it all grows where it wants and has filled the entire bed, in some places you almost do not see the border.  The only weeding that truly gets done there, is pulling out poison ivy, which grows prolifically around here.  I can't really use any weed killer without harming plants.

A version of now.  It does its thing!!  I always have color from something, and the hardiest have survived.

The only annuals I have now, are in pots and baskets here and there.  It does save money.  I used to buy a ton of plants - boy, even back in the day it was expensive.

Like I said, my veggie garden is different.  It has order.  I have leaf mulch in the garden and I have a weed fabric down in my rows.  But in between rows is just leaf mulch. 

I saw a meme the other day that was appropriate for veggie gardens.

Even if the rows are crooked - you get veggies.  Even if you have some weeds - you get veggies.  Don't be super OCD about it.  

I guess my style has changed a lot over the years.  From orderly and neat - to natural and survival of the fittest!  Survival for me as well - I guess I like it so much, as I get older, because I sure do dislike weeding.

I have always admired natural flower gardens and wildflowers and just the way God has let it grow.

I mean there is no real order in the woods and it is beautiful - so why not my flowers.

Now I am crazy about mowing and trimming - I do not like weeds in the fence rows and long grass - but love the variety of flowers.

What do you do, if you have flowers?  Do you just let your garden grow or are you an orderly person?

Kind of curious to hear other viewpoints.

Have a lovely day and take some time to enjoy all nature has to offer.

 

Just Dance - Doing Your Best

 Happy June to you all!  Goodness, how last month flew by. Here we are another new month, another chance to start again if you need.  Not everything happens the first time we try!

Hope you are all good today.

It is a sunny morning in the upper 50's at the moment.  The moon was huge and bright before dawn this morning.  Going to the 70's and breezy today.  It is a little dewy right now, so once it dries some, back out in the yard to finish mowing I will go.  The widows are open and fresh air coming in.  Yesterday was gorgeous as well.

We sure can't choose the music - can we?  We just have to do the best we can, with what we get and DANCE the best dance you can.

Life sure isn't always fair.  Things happen, bad things to good people.  We don't always understand why.  I am sure that someday, it may all be understood.  Lessons in life (I believe that is what a lot is) can teach us things and how to be stronger.

It can be anything from illness, to accidents, to inflation, to jobs, to just daily life.  We cannot always choose the happenings, but we can choose how we react.  That is huge!  

Life gets us ALL down now and then - but I try my darndest to make something positive from it.  To go out and do something good, or be extra nice to someone, or to just help in some way.  It just makes me feel better inside, and I know it helps someone else.  Win-win!!!

Sometimes, we are just lucky!  Although I think it is more than luck, I think we experience God moments.  Yesterday I was going out early to run to the store.  I was heading out the door, then stopped and turned around and came back in to give Bitsy a squeeze and a kiss.  Left and got to the end of the street and there was a terrible accident - right where I would turn onto main road.  It had JUST happened, as people were jumping out of cars to go see if anyone needed assistance.  Someone pulling out from our street got t-boned!  

I just saw that as a moment, that I stopped and my schedule changed by a scant few seconds - could that have been me?  I don't know - but I sure stopped and thanked God and prayed for those involved.

Listen to THAT voice when you hear it!!!!!!

Even things as simple as going to the store - can be moments that you just have to DANCE and do your best.  Prices are up, YOU have to be vigilant and look and hunt for bargains.  You can make your own dance to the current music.  I noticed yesterday that Kroger has lowered a lot of prices, and more and more people were looking for clearance and deals.  I even had a woman say, 'excuse me for stopping, I was just looking at the clearance'.  I told her that is what I do and basically all I buy!  I totally understood. 

Just do what you can where you are and with what you are given.

We lose people in our lives, and we are so sad and lonely.  But I think God was maybe saving that person from worse things.  Or their job here was done - now it is our turn, to do what we must to keep that person 'alive' in hearts and minds.  To learn.  It is all part of the story of life, and we need to make good from it.  It only seems right.

So whatever life throws at you - make the best of it.  I know easy to say and hard to do sometimes!  Been there and done that - but I really do feel this way.

Get out there and DANCE and SHINE and give LOVE out in this world.  It sure needs it.  You need it.  We all need it.

I wish you each the best day.  God loves you!

Thank you for being here and being my friends!