Most of you are probably like me and in the midst of a heat wave making mornings so very important to us! To spend time in the garden we have to beat the heat!
My favorite way to start the day is with coffee in the garden doing my devotions. My devotions this time of year are centered around the garden. Time began in a garden. Jesus went to a garden before the cross. Jesus said I am the vine you are the branches. There’s a flood. There’s drought. There’s rocky soil. There’s the mustard seed. You can’t go very far in the Bible without bumping into a garden or garden illustration. It’s very gardeny.
I was recently asked for recommendations for gardeny devotional books, so here is a list of the ones I have, they’re all a bit different. Several I bought many years ago but they may still be available through Amazon or other online outlets.
- Garden Mercies by Laurie Ostby Kehler
- Devotions from the Garden from Thomas Nelson Books
- A Gardener’s Little Devotional Book by Worthy Publishing
- Meditations on a Rose Garden by Carolyn Huffman
- Down a Garden Path by Karla Dornacher
- A Well-Watered Garden by Harriet Crosby
- NIV Gardeners Bible
POTTING SHED PUTTERINGS
In the potting shed, I have Foxglove seeds started for next year’s garden. As biennials, in my garden, they make leaves the first year and winter over and bloom the second year. They also are known to be prolific self-seeders and that has worked for me lately but there were many years when we’ve had colder winters that did not happen. Last year I bought a lovely pot of peach foxgloves. This year in that same area I have 4 peach foxgloves! Self-seeding at its best. Always good to note about this plant ALL PARTS ARE POISONOUS.
The seeds I planted are Carousel Mix from Renee’s Garden. They will be a mix of pastel shades.
BLOOM THYME THIS WEEK
Many of the roses are laying low, hiding from the heat and the Japanese Beetles. Since my open garden on June 12, we’ve had NO rain! NONE. The only upside to the lack of rain is that the barrage of Japanese Beetles has been stymied due to the hard ground. Only a few brave souls have emerged. We are looking forward to a drenching rain but so far none is in the forecast.
This time of year it is great to take note of those things that are doing very well. There are some roses and many perennials and annuals that don’t seem to mind the hot dry condition. Here are my BFFs right now – coreopsis, daylilies, coneflowers, daisies, veronica, and phlox. So far my dahlias are doing okay too. I’d not say they are thriving but growing and I’m still hopeful they will be spectacular. The big exception there is Creme de Cognac… I started the tuber inside and it did well and now it is blooming like crazy – way ahead of the others.
YOU ARE IN GOOD COMPANY IN THE GARDEN
Never forget you are in good company in the garden.
And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8 He is the Master Gardener.
Thank you for posting this list of devotionals! I have the one by Karla Dornacher and was blessed to meet her last year when she visited me on an RV trip. I also have Devotions from the Garden and enjoy it. I’ll have to check out the others! It has been quite hot here too, I agree that morning are precious!
Hello Teresa, I came upon your blog and am so thankful I did! I live in the Seattle area and we have had an extremely rainy spring, but the sun is out now and I am working in my rose garden, hoping to see improvement with the warmer weather. I just purchased a number of English Lavender plants to add to my rose garden. Do you have favorite companion plants for your roses? Thank you for your blog.
Welcome! I do have several favorite companions!
Here are some of them: Phlox, yarrow, salvia, alliumns, asters, snapdragons. Foxglove, Veronica. All the best with your garden! 🌹🌺🌼🐝
So very nice to read your blog and see your flowers in bloom today. I love the mornings, too, and have my coffee outdoors in the shade of my Japanese Cherry tree and watch the beautiful cloud formations, hear the songbirds and see them eat. One can certainly commune with nature as it is good for our souls. I have had a lot of beautiful day lilies in bloom and my gladioluses have bloomed in addition to my yellow dahlia. But the Japanese Beetles have now invaded, and there are so many of them. They like my dahlias in addition to my roses. I hand pick them several times a day, but there are just so many that you wouldn’t believe. My fragrant miniature gardenias have exploded, and I have really enjoyed them. Loving my tomatoes! A tip for you re: ripening of tomatoes: Take a large brown grocery bag and put some green tomatoes in the bag along with a whole apple, and close the bag. Soon the tomatoes will ripen red, and they are delicious! Some of my tomatoes were so large that I picked them as I felt they were taking the energy away from the tomato plant itself. We have had some rain, but I still water in the mornings.
Glad you’ve had some rain. Still no rain here … so few JBs so far. I’ve never had miniature gardenias. Sounds lovely.