The Loveliness of Gardens

Truth be told, I was never much of a gardener before I met Darren. I liked pretty flowers, but could probably identify only a dozen or so by name, and knew even less about how to properly grow and care for them. My parents did have a large, beautiful flower garden when I was little, though, and I can still clearly remember catching butterflies out in the backyard on sunny summer afternoons, patiently watching and waiting until one would finally come to rest. The tickle of its wings against my cupped palms was at once both thrilling and terrifying, and I would always let it go after only a few seconds of captivity. That exhilarating sense of suspense and discovery is something I've always hoped to be able to share with my own children, and as I watched Dylan happily chasing butterflies today in our own backyard, I caught a glimpse of my younger self and was so very, very happy that his Daddy and I have committed ourselves to imparting to our children the joy of gardening, both through our vegetable garden and multiple flower gardens. The shared experience of selecting, growing, and caring for our plants has been so rewarding for all of us, and our gardens have flourished under our loving care. When I first wrote about our newly established vegetable garden, I had no clue, really, as to what to expect in the coming weeks or even months. I was astounded and delighted to discover that after only a couple of weeks, our seeds had already grown so much. Here's a look at our garden as of this afternoon:

I really love this view of the kohlrabi, spinach, and lettuces, which have filled out so much, and Dylan's sunflowers standing tall against the wall.

I think the lettuce is beautiful;

and I think these young sunflowers are amazingly intricate.

Our flower garden is one I love as much, if not more, than our vegetable garden. Darren started a small bed off our back patio not long after we moved into our house five years ago, and it has grown over time to become such a beautifully diverse collection of annuals, perennials, shrubs, and herbs.This Sage is one that Darren uses quite often when preparing pork or chicken.I love the look of these two Oregano plants,and I think the tiny, delicate flowers on this Thyme are simply stunning:There is no other place in the world that I would rather be than here, right at home, among our gardens and the people I love. One of my favorite places to be is sitting at our patio table, watching my children play, watching Darren working in the yard or cooking at the grill, admiring the sights, sounds, and scents of our own little paradise. This is such a blessedly beautiful life.