I finished my spring planting about a week ago, just in time for my first house guest during my birthday weekend. Although I love gardening and planting pretty flowers, I did not spend a fortune on this project – the fact that I rent my townhome means I will not invest hundreds of dollars on a property that I may not be in long term. I also have limited space – a blessing or a curse, depending on how you look at it.
I decided I would include some pretty hanging baskets, plant a few flowers in the pots I already had and add some herbs and useful plants such as citronella in the raised bed on the back patio.
I made sure that the lovely flowers I used to decorate my outdoor spaces would complement the sentimental pieces in my garden – the iron birdfeeder from my Aunt Margie…the old bronze mermaid I found at a flea market that weighs a ton and certainly, that old window I saved from my former home in downtown Greenville. This old window symbolizes so much – my parents, who raised me to appreciate God’s beauty…my independence, as this home became a cathartic work in progress…and it also represents my view of the world – to be open and accepting…to be transparent and inviting to those who cross my path.
My garden isn’t fancy, but it is an example of the love I have for the outdoors, nature and God’s precious earth. It is a pleasure to take care of these lovely blooms. It reminds me of the joy we receive in cultivating the blossoms of relationships with family and friends.
