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A Work in Progress, A Writer's Garden. June Foster, Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, Contemporary Christian Romance, Flawless, new gardens
Welcome to A Writer’s Garden where writers who are gardeners or just love gardens will be sharing their garden and flower stories, as well as a bit about their writing gardens—aka their books.
Today’s guest is June Foster. June will be sharing her new garden, currently in progress, with us. Welcome, June!
A Work in Progress
My husband and I moved into our new house in January, months from the growing season in Cullman, Alabama. Now that it’s summer, we’ve worked hard to get a yard started. In reality, I should say, my husband has worked hard in planning the landscape and getting the plants into the ground. I helped with the fun part—the trips to the nursery to pick out which flowers and trees I love.
Regretfully in the front yard near the house, all the bushes the builder planted died, and the straw molded. So we redid the area. We added a fountain and bench, a covering of lava rock, stepping stones, a Chinese maple, an azalea plant, and some leafy green bushes. I’m exciting about sharing the before and after pictures.
My husband loves to create brick circles around the trees and mailbox. They look symmetrical and offer a great space to add flowers.
The backyard was a challenge. The land sloped up, and the vacant lots on either side were filled with weeds.
First we put up a privacy fence. Then we got a surprise. The fencing guys had to drill down at about four feet to cut through rock on one side so they could install the posts. Who knew what was only a few feet underground.
Now we had a fence and grass and nothing else. A blank slate. My husband envisioned a garden of sorts along the back fence filled with bushes, crape myrtle, and pots of flowers. The end result looks simple, but it represents hours of work.
Our yard so far is only a beginning. Landscaping can cost a lot, even when we’re doing much of it without help. So, we’ll be content with what we have now. Next spring I’d love to add another row along the back, to provide the tiered effect, which will require more bricks and many more plants. Too, I’d love to add lots more trees in the backyard and some in the front.
I don’t mind the wait. It gives us opportunity to dream and plan. Happy gardening, all.
About the Writer/Gardener
June Foster writes contemporary Christian romance appropriate for ages eighteen to ninety. She writes with a Christian worldview in each story where characters overcome obstacles in their lives through the Lord and His Word.
Though June hasn’t done a lot of gardening through the years, working on the yard in her new house has kindled that interest.
June’s link: junefoster.com
Flawless
by June Foster
Though Jess Colton gave his life to the Lord, he held onto an old habit. Fueled by alcohol, he spent a night with a girl from his past, defying his Christian principles. When he quit drinking to honor God, he discovered another addiction. Now he can’t manage his own life as his weight soars and diabetes threatens to claim him. Jess is baffled when the beautiful Holly Harrison declares her love.
Holly Harrison lived to please herself. But everything caught up with her in one moment of time when a destructive motorcycle accident altered her life forever. Nowhere else to turn, she looked to God for answers. Now, she’s convinced no Christian man would be attracted to her. She doesn’t plan on falling in love with the handsome Jess Colton seeing past his bulk to the godly, tender man within. When Jess drives a wedge between them, she loses hope of a future together.
Can Holly overcome her handicap? Can Jess find control over his eating and his life? Only God has the answer.
Find Flawless at Amazon
Catherine Castle 
We also bought a house in the winter and have worked on our yard this summer. It’s so fun and I have tons more ideas for the years to come. 🙂
New houses are fun, aren’t they? June won’t be able to comment for a few days, so I’m filling in until she’s back. Thanks for commenting.
Amy, it’s a joy to see these yards blossom and grow into our own beautiful creations. Thanks for the comment.
June, the garden looks great! And the story sounds interesting. Never thought of men having an eating disorder, but I do know a young man who seems addicted to sugar.
Thanks for commenting. June is offline at the moment but will join us as soon as she is able.
I recognize that picture! My friend Leeann Betts. Thanks for stopping by. The young man in my story traded an alcohol addiction for a food addiction when he became a Christian. But the alcohol and food were only symptoms for his underlying problem. Only until he saw things God’s way did change come. I’ve known others whose lives were complicated like this and I wanted to community our freedom in Christ.
Great to see your new abode, June!
Hi Gail. Great to see you, too.
I’m finally back from a whirlwind trip to Denver. Mu brother got married in June and had a big reception/party this week to celebrate after he and his bride returned from a trip to Italy. So, I’m tired but so glad I was able to visit with him, if only a short time.
Thank you, Catherine, for offering me a spotlight on your blog. I hope our little plants will be much higher next year and our weeping willows thriving. We had a horrendous hail storm and bought two with weather damage for $10 each. So far their sparse, little leaves seem to be making it. As Catherine, said I haven’t done a lot of gardening in the past but am discovering the joy of seeing the varieties of bushes and flowers gracing our yard.
I hope some of your readers will enjoy reading Flawless and the two other books in the series: Out of Control and All Things New. They are very dear to my heart as they represent struggles and victories of my Christian characters.
Come back any time, June. I’m anxious to see how your garden improves next year. Thanks for being part of A Writer’s Garden.
Nice blog. Sorry to hear about the bushes dying. Bummer. My husband and I have been our house for two years and we’re (make that I’m) still moving things around. He is working on a walkway to our deck in the backyard.
Tina, I have come to believe our yards are a permanent work in progress. But it is so worth it when we relax on the patio and enjoy the view. Thank you for your comment.