Inspiration From the Garden--June in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia

It's hard to believe we're nearing the end of June. Lightning bugs blink in the dusky yard like Christmas tree lights. Hollyhocks send spires heavenward. My glorious double apricot hollyhock is pictured on the left.

Summer is truly here. The Shenandoah Valley has been blessed with a lovely intro to this lazy hazy crazy time of year. It's not too hot, and we've received enough rain to water the crops and the garden(s). I relish the good earth while I can. Summer inevitably brings heat, drought, and bugs, but before all that hits, this is the Garden of Eden, or as near as I'm likely to come. 

The battle to survive without succumbing to nature's harsher side lies around the corner. But I have prepared the gardens as best I can. The plants we grow are hardy wildflowers, heirlooms, and herbs, with some vegetables and fruits mixed in. Nothing fussy. Many of the flowers choose their own sites. And every single day in the garden is different. A perpetually changing world, magical in its way. I've ordered more seeds from my favorite site, and am expanding. Hubby bought a longer hose for those dry days. 

I love seeds, brimming with possibility. What wonders may come...all from a packet of tiny life-bearing seeds. If they grow. I can't stop planting them to see. Then watching,  gleeful when they sprout. And waiting for the blooms, like an Easter egg surprise, because only I know what will be when the majesty unfolds. A wonderful secret to hold and tend, and to share.

In every gardener there is a child who believes in The Seed Fairy. ~Robert Brault, rbrault.blogspot.com

This would be me.

Larkspur and miniature hollyhocks to the left in front of the house. I love the early summer flowers.


'The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there.' ~George Bernard Shaw
This is very true. The garden is a deeply spiritual place. I find much inspiration there. Also for my stories.

(Heirloom poppies and Chinese Forget-Me-Nots)

It is good to be alone in a garden at dawn or dark so that all its shy presences may haunt you and possess you in a reverie of suspended thought. ~James Douglas, Down Shoe Lane

There is something magical about dawn or dusk in the garden. Both times of day are wonderfully special.  Below is a pic I took a few days ago of the back garden at dusk. You can see my lovely hollyhock and the barn up above it.

(Pale pink heirloom hollyhocks with the barn behind them)

How fair is a garden amid the trials and passions of existence. ~Benjamin Disraeli

Amen. I've got a pound of wildflower seeds to plant and beautify my bit of earth. There are many nooks and thistly spots on the farm that could use some magic. My mini wildflower meadow below. Coreopsis tinctoria and larkspur are prominent in the pic. I also have a lot of Shirley poppies and other varieties. Poppies are sacred to my people, or so it seems.

 'You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.' ~Author Unknown 

One of our neighbors. Image by Hubby. Garden images by me

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