I can’t lay claim to having grown these roses. They came from my friend Vicki’s garden. Vicki (a.k.a. Heels) and I have started what I hope will become a summer tradition: Last week, just for fun, I cut a bouquet of zinnias from the patch behind my back fence, tucked them into this little jar, and left them on her porch. After the zinnias wilted, she returned the favor by refilling the jar with roses for me.
I wish I could post the scent of these roses online so you could enjoy it, too, because it’s absolutely lovely.
When I got home from work this evening, I figured those zinnias probably had wilted, so before I left for church, I cut a Velvet Queen, an Arikara, and … ummm … a Tarahumara, I think, from my sunflower patch and stuck them in a Mason jar for Vicki. I can’t wait for the Ring of Fire blossoms to open. Velvet Queen and Arikara are pretty, but Ring of Fire is the real showpiece.
There are few things I enjoy more than growing things to share with my friends. I can’t really explain the satisfaction I get from going into the garden and gathering a bag of fresh produce or cutting a bouquet of flowers to give away.
I think it has something to do with the fact that while Ron and I can dig holes and plant seeds and run the sprinkler and turn the compost, we can’t actually make anything grow. God has to take care of that whole turning-seeds-into-food-and-flowers part … so when we share the bounty of our garden, what we’re really doing is sharing our blessings.
I can’t really share my garden with you online, but I hope you’re enjoying the pictures, anyway. I’ll try to shoot some more this week. I need to get a photo of the water lily blossom before it disappears.
Emily