God is in the Details

I just love looking at the details of flowers.  In fact, on the morning I took the nasturtium picture, I remember just sitting there and staring at them.  Part of that may have also had to do with the fact that I was only just starting on my morning coffee.  :)  But I'm entranced the intricate details in the middle of a flower, the designs, the similarities and differences.

Nasturtium

Dahlia

Amaryllis

Lily

If God cares for the details in these transient plants, we can be sure He cares about the details in our lives.  In fact, Jesus used the lilies of the field to illustrate God's care for us in Matthew 6, beginning in verse 28:

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are the first flowers I remember planting as a child.  My mom made an area for us to plant them in the garden.  Looking back, this was probably a big deal because we ate everything that came out of that garden.  None the less, I remember the orange flowers growing under a huge Douglas fir tree on the edge of our garden.

These darker colors are so pretty.

Nasturtiums are great for kids to grow.  The seeds are large and easy to plant.  And the plants produce lots of seeds for the kids to gather and save for next year, thus teaching kids about plants (free home school tip) and their life cycles.

I did a little reading about them in preparation for this posting, and although I knew that the flowers are edible, I also discovered that the leaves and seeds are also edible, as long as they are not sprayed with any chemicals.  The seeds can be pickled when still green and are comparable to capers.  Who knew??

One of the things I like about them is that they are easy to grow, even in poor soil.  I also love the vining habit of some varieties, and the colors are amazing.  They are also nice with other plants, adding those oranges and yellows that complement pinks and purples.

My Friend's Yard, Part 1

I promised a tour through my friend's yard a few weeks ago, and finally (!) here is Part 1.

When you walk out her back patio slider, there is a covered patio with lots of plants in pots.  We'll save that for later.  Just beyond the patio, the yard opens up into a flower wonderland.  And there's even a great little vegetable garden.  Beyond the yard is a pool.

Today, we'll look at the flowers in the main part of the yard, going around the yard right to left.

Bougainvillea that behaves

Riot of colors

Roses, nasturtiums, geraniums

Pink ti tree in the corner, more roses and nasturtiums, the vine is a jessamine

The garden is tucked in the corner behind this fence.

Here are a few close ups of some of the flowers in these pictures:

Next time, we'll look at her veggie garden.