One of my favorite things to do when I'm not teaching 2nd grade or making soaps and other products, is to go outside and enjoy nature. One way that I do that is by planting flowers in my yard.
I probably got my love of planting flowers in my yard from my mom. She always has grown plants and flowers. When I was a kid, I remember that we would buy her rose bushes for her birthday and other special occasions. As a kid, our front yard seemed huge! And it was covered in 2 rows of rose bushes. Those bushes had the best colors and rose scents.
So now I have flowers in my front yard. One of my favorite is a rose bush that my son gave me for Mother's Day. I guess he's carrying on the tradition of buying rose bushes for special occasions! It's a Knockout Rose bush and it has the most vibrant color. This summer there have been a lot of roses on this bush; it just continuously blooms!
Another favorite is lantana. Actually it's a love/hate relationship! I bought the lantana plant thinking it would stay small like verbena does. I was wrong! This plant overtakes my entry way! I have cut it back to the roots at least 2 years in a row and it still comes back! But I love all the butterflies that the lantana blooms attract. So I try to keep the bush in check, and enjoy the butterflies.
My dad bought me a couple iris plants. They had amazing blooms this spring! Both plants put on several blooms and lasted a lot longer than I thought they would. I can't wait for them to bloom again next spring!
This year I planted a new flower that I had never grown before. I planted the Dahlia roots (bulbs?) and out of the 8 - 10 that I planted, only 2 came up. The two were doing great, one having produced several flowers and the other one was trying to produce one bloom. When all of a sudden, that slow to bloom plant has started to whither and die. I'm not sure why. However the other one has not disappointed. The flowers are gorgeous.
I love zinnias! Each year I save the seeds and replant. But this year, all the zinnias came up from seeds dispersed naturally last year. I did transplant a few that were growing in odd places, but I didn't have to replant this year, the zinnias did it on their own.
Other plants in my yard include Indian blanket flower, blazing star, mondo grass, and a couple succulents that i really don't know the names for.
I also love the animals I get in my flowerbeds. There's usually a writing spider somewhere! I love how delicate their webs are. I also watched an eastern fence lizard lay eggs in the ground beside one of the plants this year!
Whether I'm walking out the door, or driving up the driveway to my front door, seeing the flowers in bloom always brings a smile to my face. Check out my Pinterest Gardening Board at: https://www.pinterest.com/crescentmountainsoap/gardening/