God’s other book: Summer flowers

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For several summer seasons, one of my favorite meditation activities has been walking through my backyard and gazing upon God’s handiwork.

This year we had extensive landscaping work done in the spring. I planted lots of native perennials, as well as an abundance of annuals. I’ve found gardening to be therapeutic, and the yard is looking beautiful! 

So, as the summer draws to a close, I thought I’d share some photos.

What I love about astilbe is its outrageous showiness. Those plumes! I like to think of them as God showing off…

I’ve been slowly but surely adding native plants to my beds. Not only do they attract pollinators, but once they get established, they require next to no watering or other care, since they’re suited to our local climate. Among my favorites are purple coneflowers and black-eyed susans.

Besides being wonderfully showy, the bee balm that grows along the south side of our house attracts hummingbirds. I just love those tiny creatures! I still haven’t gotten my camera to focus fast enough to catch one flitting from blossom to blossom, but I’m working on it.

Our resident rabbits love the white clover that covers our lawn. And they don’t have to worry about ingesting chemicals along with the yummy clover flowers. Our lawn has been chemical-free for as long as we’ve lived here.

Some welcome visitors have been gorging on our milkweed. I planted lots of it this year, so there’s enough to feed some very hungry caterpillars, along with the bees and butterflies. Since both the monarch and bee populations are dwindling, I’ve encouraged everyone I know to let this “weed” grow in their yards.

While not considered native flowers, my day lilies are so easy to grow and come in so many pretty colors that I now have lots and LOTS of them scattered around both my back and front yards. The good news is, they aren’t invasive, so it’s safe for me to plant them anywhere.

I like to scatter a few annuals throughout my flower beds, so that something is always blooming from mid-spring until frost. Petunias, begonias and lantana are among my favorites.

I have always gotten a kick out of the way I can make my hydrangeas change color just by pouring some leftover coffee around the base of the bush. These blooms started out blue, but some have turned pink after I started the coffee treatment.

What is even prettier (and tastier!) than these blossoms? The vine-ripened tomatoes I’ve just now begun to harvest! And the cayenne pepper will be yummy cooked with a pot of greens.

We also planted a Rose of Sharon tree in memory of our beautiful Olaf da Vinci.

We wanted something with blossoms as flamboyant as our sweet kitty’s personality, and I think we found the perfect little tree to honor him. From mid-summer until frost the Rose of Sharon puts forth an abundance of showy white blossoms with red centers.

31 thoughts on “God’s other book: Summer flowers”

  1. Your flowers are delightful! I make stained glass and I am starting to use dried flowers now in my glass creations. It is coming out so pretty. I am going to have to try to grow some Rose of Sharon. It is stunning. GOD BLESS

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  4. Beautiful pictures, Debi. Thanks for sharing the splash of colors before things around us get mostly yellow and red, then more mellow with golds and browns, and finally white and silver, which is beautiful in itself. I do enjoy the seasons and way each one has it’s own kind of beauty.

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  5. Pingback: God’s other book: Summer flowers — Seriously Seeking Answers – QuietMomentsWithGod

  8. Oh, Debi, these are wonderful photos of your most beautiful flowering plants as well as the precious rabbit, bees, butterflies, etc. The photos along with your awesome comments make an enticing story. Yes, indeed! “God’s other book: Summer Flowers!” Thanks for sharing, for promoting ecological responsibility. Are the sisters from Jubilee Farm on your post? They would be so encouraged to receive this. Greetings to Pete! Love and prayers, Sr. Bernice.

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  14. All beautiful shots of the natural beauty in God’s creation! Nicely done and I love the butterfly! I love the wild foliage around my home, so I allow quite a lot of wild growth in some areas almost a mini jungle here! Enjoy and keep it shining!

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