July 11, 2022
Some time has passed since I last gave an update on my front garden, so today I would like to take you on a virtual tour of this special space.
My garden is in no way perfect, immaculate, or magazine-worthy. But this space is special to me and brings me such joy to look at through my kitchen window.
In our perfection-driven world, people are consumed with end products instead of the process of creating something. Gardening is all about a process, and while the results are often stunning, the process of gardening has significant benefits as well. Watching a garden grow can be a wonderful stress relief and can also teach children the benefits of hard work and patience. Plants do not grow overnight, and children can observe the process of seeing a little growth at a time (an apt reminder for parents as we watch our children grow a little at a time).
One common theme I strive to weave throughout many of my blog posts is the concept of doing my best with what I have (time and resources). Perfectionism has stopped me dead in my tracks so many times, and fear of failure has kept me from stepping out in faith so often.
My home is not perfect. It is not always clean. It is not decorated exactly how I want it. I don’t have the perfect couch. My walls are not the exact colors I want. But this is all okay! God is teaching me contentment in Him and joy in the journey.
My garden is not perfect, and it certainly does not look like a master gardener designed it (though my expert gardener friend gave me lots of wise input!). But I have the joy of calling it my garden and watching it grow. At this stage in my life, I do not have the time or energy to grow a perfect garden, and there are more weeds than I care to admit. This does not mean that I should quit or not even try to grow a garden, but rather this means I can do the best with what I have.
If you are a busy mama with no time and no money, may I encourage you to do one thing? Go buy a few packs of zinnia seeds from the Dollar Tree and plant them where you can see them from your window. These cheery flowers will smile at you every time you look at their sweet faces.
Let’s walk through the garden!
I created a winding path through the garden for several reasons. First, it creates a visual trail for the eye to follow. Second, it creates a literal trail, especially for little feet to follow (and stay out of the plants!). Third, it makes weeding the garden easier which you can probably tell I have not done in a while!
I grouped three autumn joy sedum together to create a stronger visual impact.
This little maple tree is finally growing after about 6 years in the garden. I bought this tree at a flea market for $5.
I’m excited to have a little color in this juniper plant for the winter.
This butterfly bush should only get about 2 feet in diameter. I specifically chose a dwarf variety for this location because most butterfly bushes are enormous!
This hydrangea bush is also a dwarf plant and should only get about 2 feet in diameter.
A dear friend gave me this pineapple sage plant, and it is thriving in its new home. The bugs are apparently enjoying it as well.
The twiggy form of these blueberry bushes makes me so happy. I can’t wait to see their beautiful leaves in the fall.
Here is my green bean mess! As you can tell, I am new to vegetable gardening and had no idea how to plant these beans. I thought the beans would naturally climb up the trellis, but my husband kindly informed me that I needed to help them along. He installed two stakes and strung up the beans for me.
Here are my all-time favorite summer flowers, zinnias. They are so easy to grow!
Earlier this year, my friend, Susan, helped me dig up a ton of Black-eyed Susan plants, and even with our “purging” I still have a great spread of this cheery flower.
My sister-in-law gave me some Stevia from her garden. Sometimes I like to chew a stevia leaf and a mint leaf together which tastes like gum.
I bought three varieties of mint this season. I would recommend planting mint in a container because it can quickly take over a garden.
My sister-in-law also gave me some Oregano.
The Purple Hyacinth Bean is thriving on this old swing frame! This plant should produce beautiful purple pods which I cannot wait to see. My gardener friend told me that this plant will create visual interest into the fall and even winter season.
The Cosmos flowers have yet to bloom, but they are doing well. As I mentioned in my video, we had a torrential rain and lightening storm last week, and the cosmos laid down as a result of the storm. I stuck two shepherd's hooks on either side of my cosmos patch and strung three strings to help the cosmos back up. This is certainly not a perfect solution, but hopefully the cosmos will do okay in this spot for the rest of the season.
Purple Coneflower is another favorite of mine. I actually gathered seeds from this plant last year but did not get around to planting the seeds. Perhaps next year I can plant the seeds.
You may be wondering why I would show you my gangly blueberry mess. I hope that showing my blueberry mess actually encourages you. Often I am discouraged when I see other “professional” YouTubers’ or bloggers’ gardens. I am truly no one special, just little me, living one day at a time in my imperfect house and weed-loving yard. The heartbeat of my blog is to inspire and encourage, never ever to discourage or intimidate.
I hope that seeing my imperfect garden encourages you that life isn’t perfect but to find joy in what God has given you!
-Ashley
Here's a little "in person" tour of the garden.
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