We like to garden. Every spring when the seed catalogues arrive is when I am at my best--before the weeds and the bugs and the hot, dry weather have arrived. Before long I have turned under last year's vegetable garden and have planned what the current year's produce will be. Sometimes I am prophetic; other times I am not. But despite the times that I fail, each spring brings that stirring inside that drives me out to the garden to begin all over again.
Our flowers usually bring better results. Many years ago we started with a modest effort. Today we have flowers tucked here and there around our property. We have beds for annuals and beds for perennials; we have beds for shrubs as well. Most beds are inside our "enclosed garden"--a large area behind the house that is surrounded on two sides by rows of bushes and shrubs and on another side by a privacy fence behind our garden pond. We can walk from our deck into this area and enjoy the beauty of God's creation.
Some flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds. They all attract bees. Flowers such as zinnias, purple coneflower and sunflowers attract another feeder--goldfinches.
Throughout the enclosed garden we supply various types of seeds in feeders to attract a variety of birds, and the birds seem to appreciate our efforts. Once when I went to replenish a sunflower feeder a purple finch stayed on the feeder even when I stood beside it! Only when I reached to take the feeder down did the bird fly a few feet away to wait for more food.
We also have a small orchard--about one-quarter acre--and a fruit garden that contains blueberry bushes, grape vines, and two fig bushes. A couple of paw-paws have yet to mature to the point of bearing fruit.
Needless to say, we enjoy watching things grow and bloom, and hopefully provide us with things to eat as well. And when they do produce, we can and freeze and make jams and jellies. That was a part of my upbringing, and I enjoy carrying on the tradition.
Last Updated on Monday, November 22, 1999 08:07 PM
