Here are some firepits I would love in our garden:
And just to help your summer firepit really come into it's own ....
Showing posts with label the garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the garden. Show all posts
Saturday, 8 August 2015
Saturday Digest: Firepits
We've a great yard at our new home - we christened it with a small party last Tuesday night and it was awesome! Not long now until summer eases into fall and I'm dreaming of a firepit and s'mores already!
Here are some firepits I would love in our garden:
And just to help your summer firepit really come into it's own ....
Here are some firepits I would love in our garden:
And just to help your summer firepit really come into it's own ....
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Life starts in the garden
Friends from church are moving to Canada for 3 years and have entrusted their precious community garden plot (or allotment as we call it at home!) to our church family. We are very excited!!
There are tomatoes, basil, lemongrass and poblano peppers and the raspberry canes, freed from the weeds are promising tasty berries now they can see the sun. I'm intrigued by our watermelon plants & I marvel at the variety and quality of produce and flowers the other gardeners have in the plots. The Beloved, Miss O and I headed there early yesterday morning to put in some marigolds and a miniature pumpkin plant. Despite thunder storms being forecast for this week, we are yet to see any rain. So after her first wheelbarrow ride, helping Daddy tie-in the raspberry canes and turn over some earth, Miss O helped me water herself and the plot.
I've always loved gardening, ever since I was a little girl and my Great Uncle Jim taught me to dig, prune, water and nurture flowers and veg. The garden has come to mean a great deal to me as a space where God teaches me about Himself, myself, and this adventurous life.
Below is an extract from a blog-post I wrote in April 2012 - it's as true today as it was then!
" There's something captivating about watching a seed or a bulb bring forth a plant with fruit or veg or flowers. All the potential for growth resides in these little pods just waiting for just the right conditions and time. Brilliant.
I've been thinking about how there are seeds of dreams, desires and talent in us. We've dreams that imperceptible - we don't even know they're there yet, and these can spring up where we least expect them. You just have to watch that they're flowers and not weeds! Other desires are bigger, we probably can't remember a time when they weren't part of us and some of these have already brought forth beautiful blooms and tender fruit. We've talents that are foundational to who we are but like bulbs we have seasons when they're on show and seasons when they turn ugly and go into hiding.
Some seeds are dormant because it's not yet time.
It dawned on me recently that I've spent a lot of time worrying about when the dormant ones will appear; concerned that perhaps those seeds are defective and dead. While the whole time there has been a beautiful garden full of character, strength, compassion and grace, being lovingly tended by The Gardener. He has rained mercy on me, feed me in goodness and kindness, pruned me when needed and delighted over the glorious floral displays.
He is making beautiful things out of the dust and ALL things will bear blooms and an abundant harvest at exactly the right time. So, The Gardener invites us to wander with Him in the cool of the day, as He shows us what He has planted and uprooted in our lives. And He implores us to celebrate the Garden that we are now and rest in the assurance that He brings all things to completion. "
I've always loved gardening, ever since I was a little girl and my Great Uncle Jim taught me to dig, prune, water and nurture flowers and veg. The garden has come to mean a great deal to me as a space where God teaches me about Himself, myself, and this adventurous life.
Below is an extract from a blog-post I wrote in April 2012 - it's as true today as it was then!
" There's something captivating about watching a seed or a bulb bring forth a plant with fruit or veg or flowers. All the potential for growth resides in these little pods just waiting for just the right conditions and time. Brilliant.
I've been thinking about how there are seeds of dreams, desires and talent in us. We've dreams that imperceptible - we don't even know they're there yet, and these can spring up where we least expect them. You just have to watch that they're flowers and not weeds! Other desires are bigger, we probably can't remember a time when they weren't part of us and some of these have already brought forth beautiful blooms and tender fruit. We've talents that are foundational to who we are but like bulbs we have seasons when they're on show and seasons when they turn ugly and go into hiding.
Some seeds are dormant because it's not yet time.
It dawned on me recently that I've spent a lot of time worrying about when the dormant ones will appear; concerned that perhaps those seeds are defective and dead. While the whole time there has been a beautiful garden full of character, strength, compassion and grace, being lovingly tended by The Gardener. He has rained mercy on me, feed me in goodness and kindness, pruned me when needed and delighted over the glorious floral displays.
He is making beautiful things out of the dust and ALL things will bear blooms and an abundant harvest at exactly the right time. So, The Gardener invites us to wander with Him in the cool of the day, as He shows us what He has planted and uprooted in our lives. And He implores us to celebrate the Garden that we are now and rest in the assurance that He brings all things to completion. "
Monday, 8 June 2015
Clematis
I love flowers. Bright, pastel ones, demur, showy, short, tall, prickly, flouncy, I'll take them all. The Chelsea Flower Show, the Philadelphia Flower Show, and Floriade (the World Horticultural Expo that takes place every 10 years in the Netherlands) are all on my bucketlist.
My Great Uncle Jim taught me how to grow flowers when I was a little girl. He had a long back garden in his house in Belfast and we'd spend hours weeding and tying, looking and cutting the flowers and veg. He passed on his passion for the garden and his green thumb!
I shared some photos from our current garden in last week's Saturday Digest - it's great growing plants here that would find Northern Irish summers chilly and wet and dull. But it's equally thrilling to grow flowers here that I used to have in our garden in Northern Ireland.
This clematis was already well established when we bought the Hillsborough house in 2005. It took little intervention from me to provide this stunning display year on year - just the odd bit of pruning so it didn't get too wild!
This clematis appeared in our rented Virginia home this spring. There was no sign of it when we moved in last July, so when I spotted it peeking through the soil in April I was delighted. It has put on a great show and although we're moving out of this house at the end of July, I'll leave the trellising in place to give it a chance to grow strong.
I learn a lot about myself through the garden. It takes time for roots to grow deep and even then, with weathered time, I need to be pruned so I don't get too out of shape. Regardless of what I've already seen there are hidden gems planted within me that will flourish and delight at the right time, in the right context, with people around who know how to support and care for me.
So wherever you call home, seek out the light, food, pruning and trellis that you need to flourish where you are planted!
My Great Uncle Jim taught me how to grow flowers when I was a little girl. He had a long back garden in his house in Belfast and we'd spend hours weeding and tying, looking and cutting the flowers and veg. He passed on his passion for the garden and his green thumb!
I shared some photos from our current garden in last week's Saturday Digest - it's great growing plants here that would find Northern Irish summers chilly and wet and dull. But it's equally thrilling to grow flowers here that I used to have in our garden in Northern Ireland.
This clematis was already well established when we bought the Hillsborough house in 2005. It took little intervention from me to provide this stunning display year on year - just the odd bit of pruning so it didn't get too wild!
So wherever you call home, seek out the light, food, pruning and trellis that you need to flourish where you are planted!
Saturday, 6 June 2015
Saturday Digest- June 6th
(A) The Beloved is on a silent retreat this weekend so it's me and Miss O against the world - there will be little silence for me!
We'll be rocking out to:
> Here comes the girls - watch out boys.
> Me and My Shadow - a Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr classic.
> I really love to dance - egg shaker, tambourine and drum will be in full use.
Have a great weekend friends! Dream big, dance freely and don't forget to stop and smell the roses.
We'll be rocking out to:
> Here comes the girls - watch out boys.
> Me and My Shadow - a Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr classic.
> I really love to dance - egg shaker, tambourine and drum will be in full use.
(B) In a proud moment this week, Forbes highlighted that our dear friends
Matt and Laura Davis continue to play their part in the transformation
of Ethiopia:
(C) Our garden is showing off so I'm looking forward to spending some time enjoying the fruit of my labor.
Wednesday, 3 June 2015
Steel in the Garden
One of my favorite movies of all time is Steel Magnolias. A stellar cast of big hitting stars takes you on a ride through Louisiana wit, loyalty and the circle of life. I'd never seen a magnolia flower or tree before we moved to Virginia. There are several trees in our neighborhood and they are amazing!
It's a primitive flower - "Magnolia fossils have been found dating to between 36 and 58 million years ago, making this family one of the oldest angiosperms still living." It has stood the test of time, adapting to changing climates and contexts, but still loving rich, moist soil and plenty of sunlight for the best show of flowers.
Like the Southern heroes in the movie, the magnolia flowers have strength and beauty, adaptability and steadfastness. Each time I see one of these magnificent creations I am reminded of who I am. A resilient, grounded, beautiful women who can put on one hell of a show when I drink deep from the water of life and keep my eyes on the Son.
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