How My Garden Grows: One

My Front-Porch Garden:

From front to back and from short to tall:

foliage of “Lamb’s Ear,” yellow blooms of Rudbeckia “Herbstonne,” “Indigo Spires Sage” — all under a bower of Crape Myrtles [Natchez].

Dear Readers,

[Note: After you read this entry, click How My Garden Grows: Part Two.]

I have previously written about Places of Enchantment.  Creating a garden, small or large, is like creating a place of enchantment.

At first, I began gardening for my enjoyment and exercise.  Over the years, however, I turned to the garden — for solace, beauty, and quiet — during various difficult stages of my life:  the empty nest, the topsy-turvy chaos of restoring a 65-year old home, the death of my parents, and my bout with breast cancer.

Immersing myself in the pursuit of gardening is, in itself, a healing process:  I receive, from the bounty of Creation, the warmth of the sun, the cool refreshment of the nourishing water, the touch and smell of the earth, the fragrance and color of the blooms, the various shades of the foliage, and the sound of birdsong.  I choose to think of nothing, except the task at hand, while I suspend worries and anxieties for a few hours of welcome respite.

However, I am a very practical gardener:  I have developed “Margot’s Get-Real Gardening Tips” that I will share with you so that you may spend more time delighting in — and less time toiling in — your garden.

In the near future, I will share these tips.  Here are some photos from my gardens, to inspire you.

Proviso:  My “Garden Tips” are for the Southern gardener:  specifically, North West Florida!  Over the years, I have battled the heat and humidity and have, finally, submitted to it — and I know the best plants to withstand our Southern climate.  

My Front Porch Containers:  mostly annuals.

My two sisters, Susan and Amy, designed these lovely combinations.

Container Pot of either Portulaca or Purslane:  A truly “bullet-proof” bloom for the summer.

My Kitchen Porch:  A shady respite.

Front Porch Container

Another View of My Front Porch Garden:  from left to right:

blooms and buds of “Purple Coneflower,” “Indigo Sage,” “Lily of the Nile” — all under the shade of Crape Myrtle [Natchez]

Amaryllis [from bulb]

Coram Deo,

Margot