A Much Needed Garden Walk

Appreciating The Beauty Around Me ..

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon.. we just got back from spending some time with my in-laws for Father's Day. The weather was still decent and the humidity low so we decided to sit out on the patio for a few hours in the evening before we headed indoors and off the bed. I began looking around and saw all the different flowers we had planted this spring and springs passed. I decided to get up and take a picture of every flower I could find and post it here. I thought it would make a good spring post depicting the beauty that surrounds us that we often take for granted.

Let's Take A Stroll ..

First up are Day Lilies.. These lilies I transplanted from our old house (our fist home) approximately 17 years ago. I had purchased them an additional three or four years before that so these plants are about 20 to 21 years old. A little piece of our past brought to our new home. It is hard to imagine that much time has passed since we purchased our first home together. Our first house, new beginnings, and many challenges ahead; We've come along way and grown quite a bit together since then. These lilies are sort of as symbol of that new love.. our everlasting love and strong bonds that have carried us for the last 18 years since we left that first home.

I dug out several pieces of those lilies and brought them over to this new house. We still have those lilies in a pure yellow and a maroon color with a yellow center. Both Beautiful!

The Gentlemen Buttons .. This purchase was unfortunately a disappointment. Everything we read told us these would do well in the area they are planted; full sun, well drained, but potentially a hot location. They haven't done as well as we thought and continually wilt and dry up and die. Hate to put it bluntly like that but that's the way it is. Sometimes we think plants will do well and they eventually prove that they have a mind of their own. We purchased about 12 of these and I think three have survived thus far. I have them all planted at the end of our side garden. I told my wife if they don't survive this final transplant and summer then they will be history. Money poorly spent I suppose. Oh well the promise was worth it, but it just didn't pay off.

Our beloved Hibiscus tree! .. The one we thought would not make it through the winter, overwintering in our basement. Did it ever surprise us. It came back and looks better than ever. I still need to transplant it into a new pot. The old one was cracking as I was moving it around the other day. I don't want to stress it out this year, and it's in its place for the summer, so I will make sure that I repot it before I place it back into the basement to overwinter it yet again. For now though it's a beautiful flower to have so close to our outdoor living area.

My wife and I got married then we took our honeymoon in Hawaii. As you may know Hawaii's known for their beautiful hibiscus. Every time I look at these hibiscus flowers it's a reminder of our honeymoon, our marriage, our life has we have built it. No better memories than that!

This is a Clematis vine .. We planted this vine a couple of years after we moved in. So it's probably about 12 to 13 years old at this point. Every year it's a little bit different in the intensity of it's vigor. Some years it grows insanely and produces an abundant amount of flowers. Other years I think it's dead and won't come back... Then it surprises me and does. What can I say, it's our unpredictable comeback child! It produces flowers primarily in the spring and early summer then once the brutal heat of July and August set in, it's just a green plant that surrounds my mailbox. I don't care. It's nice to see the bright vibrant purple flowers regardless of how long they last or how many are there. It's something I enjoy every time I pick up my mail; Once a day! All bills I must say (Sad face).

A purple Iris .. Dwarf species and definitely purple. The white ones are done blooming for the season, otherwise I would have a photo of them as well. They both bloom at the same time but one purple iris is all I found during my walk around my home. After they are done they serve a purpose, they fill in and just create a nice green grassy feeling in the garden. I hope that makes sense. Not all plants need flowers to be showy. These are showy for about two weeks and then they are just a green plant. I kind of like them because they are grass-like and remind me of the tropics and some sort of weird way. I like that they are the dwarf variety. They grow about a foot to a foot and a half tall Don't take up much space. They spread out so I occasionally have to thin them out or transplant to a new area. Free plants! Complain when you can have free plants?

Gerber Daises .. A beautiful bright yellow. I've always liked the Gerber daisies, but I've always been reluctant to buy them for some reason. This year we made a quick trip up to support our friends in the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania. She spent plenty of time creating planter gardens out of pots that surround their deck area and other living outdoor spaces. It felt very homely and relaxing. I knew when I got home I wanted to replicate this on a smaller scale. I had a bunch of pots in my shed so I got them out and assed how much I would be spending in the next couple of hours (hehehe sigh sigh). I made a trip to the local garden center and picked up several plants to plant inside of these pots. The Gerber daisies were one of those! I'm happy with my choice. I picked yellow because it reminded me of a new day and new beginnings. Bright colors mean bright fuzzy feelings. lol. I sound like a sap but I'm looking for more positive in my life. The Gerber daisies fit that bill so they can stay. Unfortunately they will not survive the winter and I will have to replant them next year.

Pink Canna Plant .. We have other canna plants surrounding our patio; some red and white and also yellow flowering plants. They are a very tropical backdrop to our other plantings. We wanted to create a more tropical feel to our patio area. We often spend some time hanging out with friends or in our blowup pool. Don't laugh. Walmart sells a $20 pool and it's well worth the money. We fill it, Chill out in it, grill, hang out in the shade on the patio, and enjoy ourselves. Nothing to be ashamed of there. And on top of that no large electric bills and maintenance fees for having a big pool.

The canna plants help pull that tropical feeling into the patio area and help relieve some of the stress from our day-to-day lives. I guess that's the essence of creating an outdoor space. Thank you canna plants!

Mexican Petunias .. These were a new purchase for me. I saw them, liked them, purchased them. Simple as that. I needed them to fill in around an elephant leaf plant since I created another planter with it and these Mexican petunias and some eucalyptus.. Also very tropical! Love it!!!

Tritoma .. Now these flowers are pretty neat. I love how they are very pyramidal or cone like. They remind me of little, flaming torches. I love the yellow but they also come in other colors like red, but the yellow seem to appeal to me more. The gentleman at the garden center said they would spread, so after a couple of years I should be able to transplant some or just let them grow into a larger grouping. They are also grass-like and have that relaxing tropical feel I was after. They are rather small right now but I'm assuming by the end of the summer they will have grown into a more substantial planting.

Yellow and red Canna .. We are back to the Canna plants. We planted these last spring. We thought we purchased all the same kind, Red with a slight touch of yellow at the edges. Surprise surprise! They were a couple of pure yellow plants mixed in with the bunch. No harm though, we enjoy a surprise every now and then. Like I mentioned above, canna plants are very tropical. They have rather large leaves and very brightly colored and pronounced flowers. Again it reminds us of our trips to Hawaii, those memories, and the good times we shared together. Anything that brings a little piece of that back to our every day lives is good in my book.

Pincushion .. Another new addition to our landscape this year. I don't have much to say about these plants other than I liked how their flowers were situated on a very long stalk. When the wind blows they sort of gently sway in the breeze. I rather like that because it makes me feel relaxed.. as well as the shade of purple they are; Very light purple in color and tone. These perennials will die back every year and regrow next spring.

Yellow Canna .. Like I mentioned above, we did purchase these yellow flowers unintentionally.. they were a surprise. Surprise surprise surprise… Yellow flowers when you thought you were getting red flowers. Oh well. There are worse things in life than buying a plant, expecting it to bloom one color, and getting another. We are not complaining.

Hydrangea .. We picked these hydrangea plants up on a whim a couple of years ago. We were buying other plants and decided to purchase three of these and plant them in the front of our home. I guess they don't like the front of our house, the soil conditions, the dry conditions, whatever is going on out there because they haven't performed well. They're still the same size they were when we purchased them.
Bright side of things .. They bloomed this year! That's more than I could say for the last two. They didn't bloom and I was sure they were going to die, and I would have to rip them out of the ground. When I put it like that that sounds sort of brutal. I guess I would gently cut them out with a shovel and place them up on the mulch pile. That sounds much better. Anyhow, I thought they were gone. They proved me wrong this year. Maybe it was the light dressing of fertilizer I placed on them and the occasional watering by hand of course. We'll see what happens from here.

I Have No Clue Flower In a Hanging Basket .. I picked up a couple of hanging baskets from the garden center. Neither one had labels. I didn't bother asking and really didn't care. I know they're going to die at the end of the season, and won't survive till next year, but they will give us plenty of enjoyment while they are here with us throughout the summer. The red one is for out front and this purple one hangs at the back of our home near our patio. It was slim Pickens at the garden center since most people purchased their hanging baskets around Mother's Day. I was a little late because I wasn't quite ready for them yet. I lucked out. These two baskets look awesome to us!

Last but certainly not least ..

Ice Plant .. The baby flowers of the group. They spend their time close to the ground but don't go unnoticed. These plants are a mire 2 inches from the soils surface. A low lying plant but it packs a nice visual punch. The flowers close up every evening and reopen in the morning. When they close, and their petals are tight, the appear red but when they are fully open they almost appear orange. Very strange. But we like them. We needed something low to the ground and this fit the bill. This is also a new plant to us this season, so don't really know what to expect. Hopefully they survived the winter, which I think they will. They are also supposed to spread out and cover the ground nicely. Hopefully that happens. If it doesn't oh well. We'll find something else in a few years and change them out. So far so good though. It's been hot and dry, but they're still looking good and have grown a few inches wider. I water them every other day and they seem to be quite content.

I'm sorry this post has gone on so long. I just realized that we're over 2000 words at this point. I won't pass judgment if you skim read and just looked at the pictures. That's probably what I would've done. Lol.

In Conclusion ..

I needed this moment of appreciation .. Occasionally we all need to take a moment and reflect on our past, see how it has affected our present, and where the future could be headed. Obviously this wasn't a major philosophical moment, but it's funny how I look around my everyday surroundings, including the plants I purchased, and I realize how much of an influence my past has had on my present. I needed this moment. I needed to take a moment and appreciate all that has occurred in my life and where I am at this point in it. I often think about retirement; have I saved enough, did I make the right investment decisions to get me to where I need to be in the final years… I don't know about that. Time will tell.

But damn, those flowers! They are truly beautiful and a reminder of where I have been and where I want to be. I am thankful and blessed.

See you all again soon!

Don't just appreciate your surrounding's.. Immerse yourself in them!

“Why are we afraid of the silence that ensues after our death? Wasn’t it the same silence we endured before birth? Isn’t it the same silence we revel in when we are completely immersed in the present moment? Let us not be afraid.”
**― Kamand Kojouri **

Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

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