July 4th Garden Update

 This has to be my favorite month of the year in the garden!  The flowers are blooming, some vegetables are ready to eat (with more to come) and everything looks good!  

When I am cooking or doing dishes in the kitchen I love to look out and see the garden. Especially now with the Zinnias and Sunflowers starting to bloom in the 2 front beneficial flower beds.  Zinnias are great flowers to grow and they come in an array of beautiful bright colors. This year I tried several different kinds (more details below).

Beneficial flowers starting to bloom!  

The beneficial flower beds are not just for looks.  They bring good bugs to the garden (especially bees).  Check out a previous post of mine called:Attracting Beneficial Insects for more tips on this!

Zinnia- Senora

Zinnia Senora: Eye-catching 3" double blooms feature the unique color of salmon pink. 

Blooms all season 
(summer to fall)

36" height

Zinnia- Envy

Zinnia Envy:
Vigorous plants produce spectacular 2-3 flowers in the rarest of colors, chartreuse. 

Many bright 2-3" blooms

30" height

Zinnia- Purple Prince

Zinnia Purple Prince:
Intense, rosy purple, large flowers. 

Blooms for 10 weeks

36" height

Sunflower- Italian White

Sunflower Italian White: An abundance of 4" creamy white to yellow blooms form on multi-branching plants.

Blooms all season 
(summer to fall)
5' height






We also added a new flower bed around our Red Bud tree.  Next year we hope to make the bed even bigger (back to the tree line).  The more flowers you have the more bees will come to your garden!  I should add that I started both the Coleus and some of the Inpatients from seed indoors. 

Red Bud tree with Inpatients, Coleus, Ferns & Hostas

PESTS: Every year there are bad bugs in the garden!  We garden organically so I don't spray our plants with pesticides. I expect that some plants are going to be a loss and we do our best to get the plants as healthy as possible before we remove our row covers (which protect them from bugs) until they need to be pollinated.  So far this season we have been battling 3 different types of Beetles:

May 27th Update (with Okra & Garlic info)

Everything is finally planted in the garden!  This is the best time of year to get a little break and enjoy the warm weather.  Over Memorial Day weekend we were able to put the finishing touch on the garden by laying down weed block and adding mulch between the beds. (Pictured below)

Before mulch & weed block

After mulch & weed block

Its amazing how much better it looks! We have also enjoyed relaxing and sitting out on the deck with the little one playing in the baby pool. 

The Deck with flowers, tomatoes & raspberry bush

(2) Tomatoes, Petunias & Gerbera Daisy

(3) Tomatoes & Raspberry (new addition this year)

Relinquishing Control

He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.  He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. 

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of man; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.   

Psalm 147:10 & 11

There are so many times when I attempt to control things in my life.  I have recognized this tendency and everyday I am working to give my day and schedule up to God.  I read the verse above today at lunch and it reminded me of how I still have areas that I need to remember to trust God with.

Gardening has really taught me this life lesson in a tangible way.  Everyday when I walk out into the garden I see how things have grown and changed and how little I can ultimately do to control the plants outcome.  Yes my family and I take care of the plants to the best of our ability but there are so many other things that we just can't control.  

Growing plants is also work.  One can't expect to just put a seed in the ground and walk away.  You have to take care of the plants and monitor them.  You could read all the gardening books in the world and you would still learn that its the actual daily experience of working with the garden that teaches you the most.   It is the same with our lives.

If you are reading these posts my hope is that you would be encouraged.  I have very little actual experience up to this point in the garden.  My goal is to share with you our successes and also our failures so that you can learn along with us.  Along the way I will share truth that has transformed my life.   May you find it to be authentic.