God's Gardening

Wild flowers have been a passion of mine for years, and about 7 years ago I had the side yard where grass has never grown well tilled up and went to the local farm store for seeds that were normal for the wild flowers found in the West Michigan area.  The first spring of my new garden I had a bevy of annuals and the beginnings of a few cone flowers which are perennials wildflowers known here along the roadsides and highways.  Each year, I attempted to plant more seeds.  And each fall after that I especially gathered along the wooded areas two of my favorites, the milkweed and Queen Anne's Lace, and each spring after that I looked for any signs of either flower in the beginnings of each new spring.  Nothing happened.  Needless to say I was frustrated and repeated the action each fall.   It seemed like each spring though the garden grew and throve with each new wild flower I found and added the two I longed for never seemed to set foot among the the others in this garden.

And then last summer two plants I did not recognize surfaced among the many cone flowers and yellow daisies.  As I watched they slowly grew into milkweed and flowered profusely and that year my special garden's aroma was heavenly because of those two additions.

Of course I was please to have the milkweed, but I kept trying with the seeding and this spring was finally rewarded in abundance with the stately Queen Anne's Lace.  They started slowly, and I really needed to water there to keep this dry summer from taking these prizes to help establish these beauties, as well as keep the rest blooming.

In July the flowers bloomed, and are blooming still.  Though the milkweed isn't right now I did have them doing so in early July and now have the most glorious crop of milkweed pods that I hope to share with some of my friends for their gardens.  My special addition to the yard has had a bonus as well.  All kinds of birds from the surrounding neighborhoods come here to ride the long flower stalks, and I also have the monarch caterpillars here and the butterflies, too.


I really feel quite blessed to have been able to watch this small piece of earth develop like this, and though the efforts may have seemed to be all mine, I know that these wonders we call wildflowers are not of my making in this small space I call my wildflower garden.  This summer despite everything it has become a little miracle in our urban setting for me.

How Long Till Springtime Momma?

Three days of glorious sunshine have lifted everyone's spirits around here! our temperatures have remained in the forties during the day for the past few days which means people are getting out and enjoying this lovely weather.

I have daffodil leaves up about three inches peeking through the crusty snow by my back door (I've measure them!) and I am ready to play in the dirt once more, which makes it hard not to go to my shed and get out my garden tools.

But I have really have to wait and so I am somewhat content in digging through the multitude of seed and plant catalogs that are magically finding their way into my mailbox these days. I did dig through my frozen and crusty compost heap which was quite a job! So, here I sit drooling over the catalogs look out my kitchen window with a mug of tea watching carefully for those first real signs that proclaim to the world that the seasons are finally changing.

Something's Comin', Something Good!

The winter is still haunting us here, but I'm feeling a change of seasons pushing against us here in Michigan each day now so I'm not too worried. Hey even the last snow storm was more water than snow! I feel like Spring is really breathing down winter's neck and since Even the ground has the softness that means the time for digging in the earth and creating my flowery beauty is coming.

I actually walked around the garden today and through the snow piles and stalks of last year’s flowers and in my imagination I saw images of the layers of flowers in the garden taking shape. I have huge lists of new flowers and plants that I hope to plant in all the areas of my little triangle garden. I am going to give a real piece of beauty here on our little plot on five lanes of fast.

I’m getting ready to start gardening see that winter season turn to spring time. I’ve had an amaryllis bulb that has pushed itself to the max this year and with intensely green leaves. They haven’t had too many flowers, but they’ve given me a touch of the outdoors in the depths of winter this year. They’ve been wonderful, but I am ready for those daffodils to bloom and everything to turn green around the yard. Is anyone else ready for springtime?

A Report of Fall

Michigan is on the upside of a warming trend again this week. We've been in the cold and damp for a while, but it's suppose to hit 60 degrees this weekend - woo hoo! It will give me the chance to do some tiding up on my garden which looks very rough right now. The frosts we've had has left so many of the plants dead and brown, or dying.

My sweet autumn clematis will remain until spring as a hiding place and momentary safe haven for the birds from the hawks that haunt our grouping of houses. We have quite a number from this avian family that swoop and dive 'round our feeders throughout the year.

The goldfinches are still visiting the remnants of my sun flowers and cone flowers despite the brown stalks and flower heads. Those finches seem to ride the stems in the wind and they bob and weave through the air on those slender stalks. I've had many varieties of birds at the feeders around the yard, many more than we've had in previous autumns. I've had three kinds of woodpeckers, and a bevy of sparrows!

I had a sad moment yesterday when I lifted the lid to my squirrel feeder and found a dead red squirrel all curled up inside on the hulls of the sunflower seeds. Death is not an unusual thing this time of year, but I am never prepared for it. I still have two tiny reds dipping in and out of the trees so I'm still enjoying those tiny comedians of the squirrel family.

Our flying squirrels visited off and on most of the summer but are now back in force to beef up before the cold hits. I turn off all the lights in the kitchen to be able to catch these little flyers. They're great to watch gliding to the seed or suet during the evenings.

We also have rabbits back under our shed in the back yard, which means I will have to put mothballs under there to shoo them away. There are plenty of other places of hiding places for them to escape to in the neighborhood thank goodness. My dogs go crazy chasing their smells all around the shed and dig like crazy to get at those darn cotton tail critters.

You know, there are many other wild critters that frequent our part of the world here, but as I clean and sweep the yard in preparation for the onslaught of the snows of winter these are the little wild things that I've watched passing through lately - and all are enjoyed, photoed or simply observed as they sail the skies or wander the grasses near our home.

It's finally fall, and I'm getting into the season by enjoying all the things wild here in my world.

Springtime Problems

I actually did a bit more than putter in my garden tonight!! I divided and transplanted a couple of perennials that bloom at the end of summer since they probably wouldn't bloom unless I split them any way. It sure is nice to have plants multiply!

This was another lovely day in a row of so many cool and lovely ones. Tomorrow I'll walk again with my fuzzy friend and I am really looking forward to it!!!

The birds were out again today too. Lots of grackles - yucky, greedy birds eating all the suet and seed from my feeders. I let the dogs drive them away quite a few times today. They never catch any but they keep them from coming back right away. They usually pass on after a few days if I stop putting the food out...but I hate to not give my woodpeckers and all the other birds food. They move on and then I spend weeks with nothing but sparrows! Quite a decision to make - lose bags and bags of seeds to the grackles over the summer, or lose all the birds...

Back - Continued!

I am doing so much better since I went to the chiropractor! (No meds today at all either!) I have to let things heal a bit, but I think I will be back to walking tomorrow. Since I have a family inherited back problems I have these nasty episodes every once in a while, but because I garden and walk I am blessed with fewer problems than others in my family.

I sat in the glider today on our patio and enjoyed the humming birds. They are truly a wonder to watch! Our yard is often filled with all sorts of birds and critters. I actually had one digging at the edge of the garden last night. Part of my asters were dug up and I believe I know why. I added some bagged compost to my own that has sea kelp and shellfish in it and it does tend to draw the night time marauders.

If the weather is good tomorrow, I will probably be back to scratching away at the garden weeds tomorrow - and I cannot wait to get my hands in the soil!

Garden Gifts

Thursday July 3rd. It's the beginning of a cool July here and we have all the windows closed. It was 65 degrees today and is a cool 55 tonight. Life has been nice this summer for those of us who like cooler weather.

The garden is simply beautiful this year too. I have a multitude of colors there that bloom again and again. I don't follow any plan so it's more a cottage garden and from our patio it's a wonderful picture, and a really grand view.