A Gardeners “Rooms in Bloom”
Twylla Sundin
Oh, the thought of spring just around the corner. The thought of birds and bees and buds on trees, a change that seems to come so fast. My imagination is running in high gear. Today I am at “peaceful Harbor”, look out at the beautiful white think blanket covering the ground. It has been wonderful to watch this blanket shrink down before my eyes. This peaceful place really gets my brain working overtime.
There is nothing out here to distract you. Rarely the phone rings. A place to rest, listen to Bible tapes, sew, go through garden magazines, and come up with all kinds of ideas. One of the greatest gift God gave us is nature. Picture running rivers, waterfalls, lakes surrounded by trees, mountains and valleys, oceans, seas and of course, flowers and more flowers. Even suffering from a pinched nerve in my back doesn’t turn my thoughts away from garden inspired rooms. I must add, that I could not have made the trip out here to “Peaceful Harbor” without my life time helpmate. I think this is the place the Lord wants us to rest. It seems He says, “you’ve done your good deeds, now it is time to rest awhile”. When we’re here I do the things I don’t get done at home. When I’m home I’m busy going, doing and visiting. When it gets warmer I squeeze in gardening.
How could spring be just around the corner? I just got all my garden things put away for the winter. The screen house is full, the shed is full, and the camper is full. Just a few little things I’ve acquired over the years. Lots of chairs for a lot of people. It’s a little work, but I love to have the family and friends over for a picnic every summer. Who knows? Maybe this year I won’t be able to. I always say, “one more time”, while my children are saying “it is too much work for you.” They just don’t realize that I like to do it and it is the highlight of my summer. This happens usually in the first half of August when the flowers are so pretty and the grass is so green. The arbors and fences are covered with vines. It is finally time to sit a spell and wonder over the scenery. I’m like Gramma Great and believe that family get-togethers are very important. And what a better time to do it. It seems like society has people and families running in different directions and it is getting harder to plan these family gatherings.
As long as I am able, I will be planting and potting those gorgeous flowers, shrubs and vines. We have planters, partial walls on patios and arbors which all add up to “outdoor rooms”. In other words, they divide up the yard in sections.
I took a bunch of lilac shoots from the old homestead where my mother was raised, put them all in one area and three years later I have a “big” lilac bush. There are daisies that I dug up out from “Peaceful Harbor” and took some to Paula’s and planted some at home. These things take me back to long ago memories. To me seeing things grow are like miracles. How do such pretty things come from such “tiny seeds”? The fences have a lot of honey suckle climbing on them for the humming birds to drink from. And then there are other vines that I have no idea what they are. My sister-in-law has given me plants that she has divided and I give her some of mine. We are both real “flower addicts”. It is not safe to turn us loose in a nursery. I also divide mine and take starters to Paula’s as she is getting flower beds started at her new home and it is beginning to look like, “home sweet home”. What a difference flowers make!
My flower addiction never stopped outside but has caused me to have garden-inspired rooms inside our home as well. The nice thing about that is I can choose any color or any flower I like as they are all silk, I add a touch of green with some ivy and grapevines and enjoy a little bit of summer all winter long.
It is around 50 degrees outside now and my enthusiasm is growing quickly. The snow is melting and dripping off of the roof. I just took a walk outside and there is no need for a jacket today as the sky is a bright blue and the sun is shining like crazy. “What a day at Peaceful Harbor” and this is the third day like this! By the time I leave here, just think of the ideas I will have.
The worst part of leaving here is packing up and putting everything away when we get home. “Oh well”, there has to be some drawbacks when you’re enjoying all of this beauty. No wonder this is my son’s favorite place to be.
