Thursday, May 6, 2021

It's the Simple Things

 


Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.  He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness. ~Psalm 96:13

One of my greatest joys in springtime, one that I missed last year due to the pandemic, is choosing and potting plants and flowers for our deck.  We have to be careful about our selections as there isn't an overabundance of sun in our wooded environs, but I'm pleased with what we are able to find at our local Home Depot.

As always, we go with some shade-tolerant impatiens, a large one with pinky-purple blooms, and a smaller with darker blossoms.



These have a track record for success!

Not as flashy, but suited to the task, are two ground-cover plants, the Virginia Creeper


and Lemon Coral sedum.


The good news is, these two will grow long past the summer months.  The Virginia Creeper develops red and orange hues in the fall, and with any luck, we will eventually see blooms on the sedum!

Several years ago, we did purchase a hydrangea.


We plant it in our yard in the fall, knowing it is a perennial.  The drawback?  We have a plethora of deer in our neighborhood, and we find out the hard way that deer consider hydrangeas a delicacy.  Who knew?  Anyway, this plant will live on our deck permanently, provided we can find a pot large enough in which to transplant it when the time comes.  But one question remains:  Will the blooms be pink or blue?  We'll have to wait until the actual gender reveal!

And what's this little Christmas fir doing here?


No, we don't buy it from Home Depot.  It's a Christmas gift from son, Nicco, last December.  We leave it in its original pot in the yard through the winter, and are pleased and surprised to see new needle growth this past spring.  It simply made good sense to repot it; we hope to plant it in the yard in the fall.

Here's the flashy superstar of the show, the Petunia Amore.


What's not to love?  Yet, this plant could prove to be problematic if it needs more sun than what shines on our deck.  And our recent heavy rains (think six inches!) have wreaked havoc with the flowers, but we have faith that this beauty will make a comeback.


Needless to say, I'm rejoicing in my tiny spring garden, and looking forward to enjoying the plants all summer long and beyond.  I've come to realize that it's the simplest of life's pleasures that bring the most joy and contentment to me.

I pray you've discovered that very same thing to be true for you.

Amen!

37 comments:

  1. You are very successful with your planting. Here it is still too cold to work in the garden. WE bought two Christmas trees a few years back, and planted them in large pots. They seem to be doing OK. Especially with lights at Christmas.

    God bless.

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    1. It's good to hear that your Christmas trees, even in their pots, are still thriving, Victor. I'll bet they look lovely at the holidays with all the lights on them. Spring has certainly sprung here in Georgia, and I'm sure it will soon in the U.K.
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Oh, you are so talented! All God's creatures, large and small ... they realize how very much they're loved.

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    1. Thank you, Myra! We all need to realize how much we are loved by our Father in heaven.
      Love and blessings!

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  3. They are all so beautiful Martha and you're right it is the simplest of life's pleasures that bring the most happiness. I agree with that 100%!

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    1. Yep! The simplest pleasures can't be beat, Martha. Glad you liked the plants!
      Love and blessings!

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  4. Spring is my favorite season. Love your photo and your hope!

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    1. Glad you liked the photos, Jean, and share with me in the joy of spring.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. Your deck is beautiful and the potted plants and flowers will thrive with your good care! Thanks for sharing!! xo

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    1. Thanks, Terri! Yes, my hope is that all the plants will flourish.
      Love and blessings!

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  6. Such lovely plants on your beautiful deck! We do not have an abundance of shady places here for plants, and the sun gets SO hot in the summer, so I don't do well will potted plants. They need watering so often. But I do love colorful flowering plants and want to try to get a few more going. Thank you for sharing your "beauties" with us. Happy Mother's Day!!

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    1. I can certainly understand why potted plants would have some tough going in Florida, Pamela. The general shade on our deck offers protection for ours, so I'm not frazzled by having to water them every other day or so. Glad you enjoyed the post, and Happy Mother's Day!
      Love and blessings!

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  7. Dearest Martha Jane,
    Looks lovely and you do the very same as we're doing. Big pots with mainly perennials for on our patios.
    So many shrubs we've lost as well. All sorts of critters eat them.
    We went to Lowe's for some double white cascading petunias but even as they said on line; NONE were available. We drove one hour and went to 2 different stores. Came home with lovely double white impatience and they look good in the window boxes as well.
    Why is it so hard after ten years to find a previous DREAM: https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2011/05/our-fiberglass-window-boxes-double.html
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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    1. Impatiens are some of my favorites, Mariette. They truly do well in our climate and produce lovely blooms all summer long. We've had the white ones in the past, but didn't see any at Home Depot this time around. I'm sure your patio is lovely with all your potted gems.
      Love and blessings!

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  8. I do love a little garden, Martha!

    Very serendipitous, very simple, just enough.

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    1. Yes, Linda, it's just enough, and it makes me so happy to see these beauties every day.
      Love and blessings!

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  9. Amen! We can always find beauty in God's natural world can't we Ms. Martha Jane? Loved your photos; and appreciate how you take the time to find, select, and care for those things that have the best opportunity to bring joy in your shaded part of the world. God's blessings my friends.

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    1. Oh, yes, J. D., God's natural world holds so much beauty and delight. We simply have to take time to notice and appreciate all of His marvelous works.
      Love and blessings!

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  10. Martha, your flowers/plants are beautiful and I love your deck. My husband would love that you are in a wooded area. I enjoy nurturing and watching plants and flowers in our courtyard and garden blossom.

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    1. Thank you, Karen! There are times I wish we had more sun so that I could have a garden in the yard, but I'm happy to say that I'll enjoy blooming where I'm planted.
      Love and blessings!

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  11. Oh, the beautiful bloom of your Petunia Amore flower ..., you are very kind to care for it. I have tried to plant it, it's just that unfortunately it doesn't flower well.

    God bless you.

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    1. The Petunia Amore IS gorgeous, Himawan. Here's hoping it will make a strong comeback after those heavy rains.
      Love and blessings!

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  12. Beautiful, Martha. :) Those simple pleasures give me refreshment, too. We are longing for warmer days to stay. Hopefully soon! I have heard more people say it is their custom to plant flowers on Mother's Day, but they will need to wait this year. Have a Happy Mother's Day surrounded by your flowers! Love and blessings to you!

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    1. Yes, Trudy, it definitely depends on where you live as to the right time to plant spring plants and flowers. Traditionally, we would do so in April, but we've had a cooler than usual spring, so waiting seemed to make sense. I do love the concept of planting on Mother's Day - that's a great milestone to keep in mind, for sure. Let's continue to enjoy those simple pleasures!
      Love and blessings!

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  13. I love spring planting too. The flowers make everything so beautiful. About the gender of the hydrangea, the color of the bloom depends on the acidity of the soul. You can actually determine the color of your plant. I like mine natural; it is many colors - blue, pink, cream and some white. They are colorful and enjoyable to look at. Enjoy your patio plants, I know I enjoy mine. Love and blessings

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    1. Oh, by the way, ask your beautician to save you a bag of hair clippings and sprinkle it around your plants. The deer will not come near them. It saved my hosta plants. Just a little tip. 😊❤️

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    2. I did know, Nells, that the color depends on the soil's acidity. I do hope ours will take on the many hues you've mentioned here! And I never knew that about hair clipping keeping the deer away. I don't think my hairdresser is pleased that I'm not coming back for highlights and allowing Danny to trim my hair, but then again, as I cut his hair, too, we could probably save enough of our own to combat the infiltration. Thanks so much for this tip!
      Love and blessings!

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  14. You've created a lovely oasis, Martha. I'll be adding flowers to our deck too--just as soon as the weather warms up!

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    1. It is my oasis, Nancy, that's for sure. Living in Georgia, our spring usually arrives earlier than later, and it's wonderful to be able to get a jump start on the planting. Hope you can do the same soon, my friend.
      Love and blessings!

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  15. I'm not much of a plant person. My thumb colors black. But i do like to see others' plants. I especially like fir trees. Very cool what Nicco gave you. I hope it plants well and grows.

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    1. I hope so, too, Bill! I pretty much have a green thumb when it comes to planting things outdoors, but indoors? Now, that's a whole different story - no success there.
      Love and blessings!

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  16. I love all your plants, Martha! The past 2 or 3 years I've resorted to mainly doing potted plants outside instead of planting them directly in my flower beds. They're much easier to maintain. ;) And just as pretty. Plus I can move them around wherever I want to see them.

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    1. I have to agree, Lisa, that pot planting is much more convenient than maintaining an in-ground garden, though I do have fond memories of places I've lived where I could have a real garden. I move my plants around, too, especially if I think they need more sun or more shade. Such beautiful companions!
      Love and blessings!

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  17. I loved seeing photos of your spring flowers, Martha. I think your petunias will make a comeback too. I was just planting some annuals out in my flowerbeds this afternoon. Your sedum is so pretty. I may have to give sedum a try this year too.

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the spring tour, Laurie! Yes, the petunia is already making a comeback from the pounding rains, and I'm so happy for that. Enjoy your gardening time!
      Love and blessings!

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. . . Good Tidings of Great Joy . . .

  . . . Good tidings of great joy . . . ~Luke 2:10 Pictured above are my daughter, Sarah, son-in-law, John, and their three girls, Virginia,...