One of my joyous discoveries in life is that I can learn from almost everything if I open my eyes and my heart and pay attention. I was in too much panic to absorb much learning for most of my life.
My garden beds have taught me a lot. As many of you know, I knew absolutely nothing about gardening until I met Maria, and even then, I mostly watched and ooohed and aaahed from a distance. It wasn’t until I started taking photos of flowers that I got hungry to plant and raise my own.
Gardening was always Maria’s thing, not my thing. Now it’s something we can really share with one another. I have a long way to go but I’m catching up, learning from my many mistakes.
I’m very much a novice regarding gardens, but now that these are the flowers in my garden, it’s a different story. I’m learning and remembering the names of the flowers (mostly) and understanding the difference between annuals and perennials, the dangers of overwatering and too much sun, and the life cycles of flowers.
My first round has been a great success, but I see the gladiolas, one of my favorite photo subjects, are dying out, and so are the poppies. After work, I’ve been scrambling all over the place for new and exciting annuals to replace the millennials, who don’t flower the whole summer.
I’m not going to get caught short without beautiful flowers to see, care for and take pictures of. The flowers had sparked a significant change in my knowledge of light and focus. I know which flowers I want, and my idea of handing out bouquets to everyone I know has also been a great success.
I ran out to Country Power Products today to see my friend Jon and pick up a couple of new annuals. It is a pleasure to go there and talk to John, Millie, Heidi, and Casey. This place is the best of rural life; the feeling of welcome and community there is palpable and worth a trip on its own. I am grateful never to set foot in Tractor Supply’s cold and barren corridors ever again.
I always feel welcome there and will always go there when I need anything relating to the farm, my gardens, and our animals.
John’s place reeks of the best of the country; the opposition reeks of corporatism and indifference.
People love getting flowers, and I love giving them.
I saw a whole case of Mason jars in a yard sale and grabbed them. I didn’t know how satisfying it is to deadhead and trim bushes and plants and ensure the sun (but not too much) falls equally.
I have a lot more to learn as I enter the second chapter of My Garden Beds 2022. I hope your garden people stay with me; you are great friends and a source of great support. You have saved me from a hundred mistakes. Thanks.
I love all of your beautiful photos! I live in a high plains desert so all of the flowers that love humidity and soft rain don’t do well here. We do have a beauty here too as I believe all landscapes do. This year the yellow yarrow is stunning and the moss roses are in constant bloom. I grew up in the Midwest and I miss some of the annuals like petunias and begonias. I’m happy to say the zinnias and marigolds seem to be able to take hold just about anywhere. Thank you for all of the thoughtful pictures, they’re a great way to start the day!
Canning jars are hard to come by ever since novice gardener’s planted gardens in 2020 and they needed a way to preserve their harvest. That started a run on Canning supplies, jars,rings, lids, and canners. With snarled supply chains, everything was in short supply. Even 2 years later, Canning jars command a premium price at Goodwill where I live in Central Connecticut. Since you live out in the country, I imagine that you have access to lots of mason jars. Farming women put up food, many still do. A new generation of people are learning the skills of our great grandparents because of the pandemic.
Your flower photos are stunning, they often take my breath away ?