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.

Hummingbirds

Let me say it flat out:  I LOVE hummingbirds!   I love having them buzz my head on their way to the feeder, I love that they're tough, and I even admire their territorial tendencies. 

I am awed when they fight, zipping around like fighter pilots out of a science fiction movie.  Only no real fighter pilot ever had that speed and agility.  They are amazing.

We had been without a feeder for more than a year, our neighbor with all the hibiscus was getting all the hummer action.  Finally, I found a good feeder that we could afford, and away we go.  They were sipping on this feeder within a few hours of it going up.

I feel blessed to have hummingbirds in my yard.

The Entrance (Part 3)

Here's another installment on my friend's yard and garden.  This time, we'll look at the front.

Mexican primrose, jasmine, miniature roses
and geraniums fill the corner bed.

Lovely place to sit near the front door.

Now for some close ups ...

Lobelia and Columbine

I love the contrasting colors with the yellow columbine, blue lobelia, and pretty pink geraniums.

Just very sweet with the little pansies.

I love the colors in these columbine.

Finally, these horsetails are a lovely border and soften the fence.

Thank you, Linda, for sharing your yard and garden with us.

The Garden

I promised pictures of my friend's garden ...  It's all about saving space (as in Square Foot Gardening) and the soil, as in worms are one of her secrets.

Overall view of most of the garden. 

Beets ready to harvest.

Yum, fresh beets.

For the past several years, my friend has had critters that came in and dug up her beds, pulled out plants, overturned bricks and generally caused havoc in the garden looking for grubs.  The culprit:  raccoons.  But not this year ...

This netting finally worked to keep the critters out.

Itty bitty squash on the vine.

Blueberries in the flower bed.  Notice they also have the netting. 

Asparagus that has ferned.  Fresh, raw aparagus out of the garden is wonderful!

I hope you enjoyed this little sample of the garden.

And when you read this, please pray for her family, a dear member went to be with the Lord yesterday.  We grieve, but we have hope.

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.

Bees

I looked for Scriptures on bees to go along with this post, but didn't find many.  I wonder why.

The Promised Land was also called a land flowing with milk and honey (and there are lots of references to honey).  And bees make honey, they are very busy.  But God's people are told to look to the ant, a creature I detest.  They over-run my kitchen counters on a regular basis, looking for water or food, depending on who knows what trigger.  Ugh.

In the mock orange.

But we're talking about bees.  They're very busy, flying here and there, pollinating plants and making honey.

Oxallis

 

I'm glad there are bees in our yard, the garden and flowers need them.  A large hive on property behind us was destroyed last summer when the property was prepared for reconstruction of a huge house and back house.  So I'm very glad to see bees in my yard.

We weren't so glad to see this a few summers ago, outside the kids' window, but obviously, nothing could come of it and we didn't really worry about it.

None the less, I'm always glad to see bees.  And I still wonder why they barely receive a mention in Scripture.

Flowers

Enjoy ...

"Volunteer" flower (better known as a weed)

Day lily

Geranium -- our garden

Easter Lily