Friday, May 2, 2014

Playin' in the Dirt


Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

What a chilly spring we've had this year!  Especially, for us who live in the sunny south where we're used to T-shirts and flip-flops by the beginning of April.

Not so this go-round!

Due to the unusual temperatures, our annual planting of shade-friendly flowers to adorn our deck during the summer months is delayed by several weeks.  When my husband, Danny, arrives home with this year's choices, he is underwhelmed.

"This is the best they had at Home Depot," he confesses.  "The impatiens look a bit droopy, but the selection of shade plants was really pathetic.  Hope they'll do okay."

I assess the acceptable begonias and the rather questionable impatiens, and give him a smile.  "They may not look like much now, but with warmer weather coming, they should grow just fine.  Can't wait for Virginia to visit so she can play in the dirt with me."

"She'll love that, I'm sure."

And, she does!





Our sweet granddaughter is not afraid to get her hands dirty.  She plunges into the task with abandon, following her Gammie's instructions, and fascinated by the entire process of planting.  Virginia doesn't even hint at impishly plucking a bloom; she seems to know that these plants are special and they need to stay intact in order to grow to their full potential.

When we finish placing all the flowers in pots, we turn on the hose to rinse off our hands before entering the house.  Even though the weather is damp, I will always remember my father, career botanist and avid gardener, telling me that whenever a plant is relocated to a new venue, generous watering helps the roots to take hold and grow.  So, of course, we do that.

Here are some photos of the begonias and impatiens nestled in their pots.









In August, I will share another post to show how summer's warmth made them bloom and grow.  By then, they should be mature in stature and productivity.

~

Just as plants mature in season, we never stop growing and maturing in the Lord when we choose to follow Him.  How does your garden grow, my friends?

Prayer:  Dear Father, thank You for each and every living thing which You have created.  Help us to be good and faithful stewards of this amazingly beautiful earth You have deemed worthy of us.  May we continue to grow in Your Word and Spirit with every breath we take.  Amen.

10 comments:

  1. Martha,
    Your flowers are already beautiful! It will be interesting to see how they react to warmer weather! I'm thankful for others around me who have green thumbs--my thumb is brown, at best. :)

    My garden, spiritually speaking, is ready (I hope) for a good spiritual rain--revival. The potential is there...just in a very long wait cycle. God is good!

    Love and blessings!

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    Replies
    1. Glad you liked the flowers, Kim. Yes, they are already perking up since we first planted them.
      And, I feel certain the soil of your soul is prepared for every good thing God has to bring you. Let it rain!!!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  2. What lovely flowers! We also have a few flowering plants in our small garden at home, I hope we can grow more of them ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Joyce, flowers bring such color and joy into our lives, don't they? Hope you can grow many more, too!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  3. Beautiful flowers , loved them all. They add such lovely colours to our lives <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Privy, they are becoming more beautiful by the day. I have great hopes for them as the weather warms up!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  4. I have a cousin south east of you in Decatur and another cousin west of you in Manchester. Love your post with your granddaughter. Aren't they grand. It is funny that we both did our deck/porch plantings this week inspite of our cold winter and cool spring. Yours look lovely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for stopping by! I grew up in Decatur, believe it or not, and my son still lives there.
      Yes, grandchildren are the best, and it is so coincidental that our posts both dealt with playing in the dirt. I loved your plant photos, too - makes me wish that we had more sun here so we could enjoy the variety.
      Love and blessings!

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  5. Beautiful flowers! It has been a cold spring here too. So cold in fact I have yet to really think about flowers yet. Usually folks have them in by Mother's Day in my neck of the woods, but this year it may be more like end of May before I bother. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! Y'all have had your share of cold weather, for sure. Here in Georgia, we're so used to it warming up and staying fairly warm from April on, so this was rather a shock. :) The flowers are actually doing quite well now that we're hitting the 80 degree mark.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete

. . . Good Tidings of Great Joy . . .

  . . . Good tidings of great joy . . . ~Luke 2:10 Pictured above are my daughter, Sarah, son-in-law, John, and their three girls, Virginia,...