~ A Stroll Through My Garden ~

clematiscoleushydrangeaAchilleaclematisAstilbeSweet WilliamHostaIrisPansyIris budIrisCoralBells/Blue Spruce

Annabelle Hydrangea

Elderberrygarden shots

Now to recap…first we have one of my three Clematis’, then coleus which is planted in a  mixed pot on my deck, a blue Hydrangea, Achillea (I call this Yarrow), another Chematis, Astilbe, Sweet William, one of my many Hosta (not sure but maybe September Sun), I think this next one is in the Iris family (I have three colors, I’ve had them for years so I can’t remember the name), then  pansy, an Iris bud and the same Iris open, Coral Bells and Blue Spruce, Stella de Oro Daylily, AnnaBelle Hydrangea, and Elderberry.  Whew….that made me have to think!  Hope I got them right, or at least close.  I’ll do some more another day.   I have a separate Hosta garden that I try to hide from the deer (Not always with great success, sadly!).  If you’re a Hosta lover like me, check out this great book my sister gave me after I did some gardening at her house for my niece’s graduation party, The Color Encyclopedia of Hostas.
 Happy gardening!

~ Spring In New York ~

 

spring

spring

spring

spring

Welcome Spring

spring 2013

spring

spring

spring

 

Spring has finally come to Upstate New York, this could explain why I haven’t had a post up in so long….enjoying the sunshine!

~ Focus ~

pine treeFocus:  noun-1. a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity

                verb-8.  to concentrate: to focus one’s thoughts

garden gatedogwood tree with honeybeesducklingflower gardenHoney Beespansieswild blueberries

fish

I was looking through some pictures this morning and the thought came to me that  some of the things I was looking at seemed nicer, prettier, more colorful, etc. in a picture than how I remembered them in real life.  Why is this?  They seem to just jump out at me, saying “Hey, look at me, I’m exquisite!  Look at my shape, my colors, I stand out in a crowd”.  And yes, it was all true, I was noticing their shape, their colors were beautiful, they did stand out. I would love to think it was my “mad skills” at photography,  more likely my beloved Nikon!  But, No!  It’s more than that. I think that zooming in on something, taking it out of all of its surrounding, to focus on just the beauty it holds on its own, magnifies what was there all along.  It isn’t that it became more extraordinary in the photo, but by capturing its beauty and viewing it later, out of its element, we can see its “stand alone”  delightfulness.   Appreciating each asset it holds.

         Life is like this.  We can tend to get so caught up in the big picture of every day life and where we’re going, what we’re doing , that we miss the beauty of the here and now. We look at the whole garden and its beauty altogether, or we see the weeds and miss the overall charm.  But regardless, we rarely take notice of the individual uniqueness of each flower.  Each moment.  Each person in our lives.  What they add, what they give, how they add to our bigger picture, our garden.

          I pray for the ability to remember to savor each moment, each relationship and not gulp my way through life missing the small but most precious gifts of life.

           If  beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, let us not forget to “behold”!

Garden Dreams…..

I know it’s just the beginning of January…… but the seed catalogs have been arriving in the mail and my thoughts are turning to dirt, or what I will plant in it this year anyway.

seed catalogs

Where to begin!

I was thinking of my garden the other day and a song popped in my head from my childhood, that I can’t stop singing.  My grandmother, whose house we now live in, would play her piano and sing this song called,  “I Come To The Garden Alone”.  This has stayed such a strong memory that as I write this it’s as though her and her pink piano are still in this living room with me.  So for those of you who don’t know this song, I went searching for it.  I’ve found a slightly different rendition than my “Gram’s”, but nonetheless a good one.  So enjoy some tunes while you browse some of my last year’s garden shots…..

Patricias gardenblueberriesConeflowerSunflowerSunflower and Beesold garden sinkHostapoppies patricias garden (2)patricias garden (6)patricias garden (3)patricias garden (4)patricias garden (5)patricias garden (8)patricia garden smpatricias garden
creeping phlox  patricia garden  patricias garden (7)