5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 Growing a Garden

5 flowers/plants/bushes I love:

*  Bougainvillea! - that grow so beautifully in Florida. The bougainvillea in Portofino, Italy left me breathless.

*  Peonies – that I first discovered at a friend’s wedding. I then planted them in my front yard – and bursts of pink, white and magenta sparkle every May.

*  Coneflowers – they just exude happiness, and I’ve planted them near the peonies. They usually bloom a bit later.

*  Crepe Myrtle bushes and trees – I have a tree in front of my house and recently planted a gorgeous magenta Crepe Myrtle bush in the back. They never used to be around these parts, but now they’re everywhere and bring vibrancy to August landscapes.

*  Vincas! – Last, but not least at all, I love vincas! I plant them in May, and they adorn my garden all season long. They are joyful and love hot weather.

4 Quotes on Gardening:

*  "To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves. "  – Mahatma Gandhi

*  "My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece." – Claude Monet

*  “Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts.” – Sigmund Freud

*  “All my hurts my garden spade can heal.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

3 Things I Gain from Gardening:

*  Peace and solitude

*  A time for my thoughts to run freely

*  A love of the earth and all things nature

2 things I’ve added to my garden:

*  Outdoor teak trolley (from Terrain) – I love this trolley plant stand. I’ve been filling it with Vincas, Verbena and Dipladenia, and it just enhances the look of my garden since it repeats the plants that are in the ground. 

*  A sprinkler system – I have been watering with sprinklers that you hook up to a hose that you have to move around constantly. Last year we put in in-ground sprinklers, and it was much needed and appreciated, especially since it was one of the driest summers ever.

1 Gardening Tip: 

*  Just get out there. Nothing is better than the feeling of getting down and dirty with the earth. Nothing is more exhilarating than seeing those gorgeous blooms make an entrance.

               What are your thoughts on growing a garden?