Stop & Smell ALL the Flowers!

It's official!! I'm a Perennial Gardener!

When I first visited Mrs. Ginger Angone's home in 1999, I fell in absolute LOVE with flower gardening. She has THE MOST BEAUTIFUL flower garden that I, and many others, have ever seen. She is an incredible teacher and has learned so many life and spiritual lessons from gardening that she weaved them into a teaching series called The Garden Talks. We had Garden Talks weekly, and monthly over the course of a couple of Summers and I learned so very much from her.

Two Summers ago, she gave me some starters for my garden from hers. Phlox, Creeping Phlox, Chives, Daisies, and Day Lilies. This Spring, they are all coming in so strongly that I am giving some away! I've given away two chive plants and multiple daisies just this week!

After a few years of consistent planting and tending, my garden is POPPING! Multiple flowers are in bloom, and I'm in love with them all. I make bouquets all Summer long from the garden. It brings me so much joy to see the same plants come back each year, and even more joy when I get to share them with others through bouquets!

With all the blossoms popping right now, and a multitude of plants coming in strong, I feel as though I can finally say - I'm a Perennial Gardener! Yay! Goal Achieved. Thank you for the inspiration, Ginger!

Here are a few peeks of what's blooming this morning:

Some of the first blooms of the Shasta Daisies are popping up



Not sure of the type, but these are the most wonderful smelling pink roses that have lived on our lot for at least 16 years (according to the neighbors). Right now, I have bouquets of these in almost every room in the house.



I really like Salvia. I have a couple purple ones in bloom as well, but they were in the shade this morning, so you only get a peek at the white...



Fresh Lavender, mmmmmmm, the Lavender plant is really blooming right now. The fragrance is so pungent, you almost slip into sheer peace and calm simply by clipping a few flowers for a bouquet...



I have no idea what these are - never seen them before, but they are welcome nonetheless! Pretty cute little fellas! The ball of flowers below is about 4 inches in diameter!



Shasta Daisies - Snow Lady - shorter and stalkier than the other Shastas, and they don't continuously bloom throughout the Summer. They are still pretty glorious, though!



Ahhh, Columbine. Our State Flower. Most of them have already bloomed in my garden, these are some of the last blooms hanging on. There's nothing like a Columbine.



Last, but most certainly not least...

While I was taking pictures of my flowers this morning, a couple of squirrels were chasing each other up our Mulberry tree. One jumped from the tree to the roof of the house, so I figured the next one would follow accordingly... I was right and caught the shot:



It's just too bad I had my short lens on instead of my big zoomer! Oh well, it's still pretty cute!

Have a GREAT day! Be sure to stop and smell the flowers!