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A Writer's Garden, flowers, garden pictures, historical romance, Pat Jeanne Davis, Sweet romance, When Valleys Bloom Again, writers who garden
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.
Today’s writer/gardener guest is Pat Jeanne Davis. Pat will be sharing some of her most treasured flowers with us.
Welcome, Pat!
Some of my most treasured early memories growing up in a rural part of Pennsylvania are of my mother lovingly caring for her beautiful flower beds and a large vegetable garden I was expected to help weed. Thanks to her hard work we had desserts and preserves from fruit on our trees and from strawberries that grew wild in the field and fresh veggies on the table in the summer. From Mom, I acquired a love for the outdoors and for gardening. She most definitely had a green thumb.
I’ve lived in Philadelphia for many years close to the lovely and well maintained Gorgas Community Park and in a city with the distinction of hosting the largest annual indoor flower show in the world.
Gorgas Community Park garden
In addition, I’m within a short drive of the renowned Longwood Gardens as well as many other botanical, landscape, and pleasure gardens.
Longwood Gardens
Even though I’m surrounded by parks and gardens I enjoy tending to my own plants and flowers and over the years have experimented with a few new ones.
Several years ago I though I’d try my hand with growing a brugmansia (angel’s trumpets). It took five years before this flowering plant bloomed and only after my horticulturist neighbor suggested I keep it in a very large pot and feed with liquid fertilizer and not the granulated kind I’d been using. My brug shows every sign of providing a spectacular display of yellow flowers that will fill the air with an intoxicating fragrance once more this summer.
Four years ago my son gave me a calla lily for Mother’s Day. I placed it in the ground in May. Each year since I’ve waited with anticipation for this special lily to produce white blooms but nothing but green leaves ever appeared. Then to my joy and surprise this week there were two white lilies. A lesson for me here—where there is a little bit of life there is still hope.
Two autumns ago, I bought a small potted aster—the flower for my birth month—on a trip to Longwood Gardens. I was rewarded with an abundance of asters last autumn that attracted the butterflies.
Some of my gardening endeavors have not worked out this well. Still, successes like these give me reason to believe that the small hydrangea I put in the ground this summer will produce flowers in due time.
ABOUT THE WRITER/GARDENER:
Pat enjoys flower gardening, genealogy research and traveling with her British-born husband. She met Jim, a gardener, and the hero in her historical inspirational romance, When Valleys Bloom Again. She has published essays, short stories and articles online and in print. When Valleys Bloom Again is her debut WWII inspirational novel. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers.
Visit her at https://www.patjeannedavis.com
Social Media Links: Facebook: Instagram: Goodreads
WHEN VALLEYS BLOOM AGAIN
By Pat Jeanne Davis
After fleeing impending war in England, nineteen-year-old Abby Stapleton works to correct her stammer and to become a teacher in America, only to discover this conflict has no boundaries and that a rejected suitor is intent on destroying her name, fiancé, and fragile faith.
BUY LINK
When Valleys Bloom Again can be purchased at Amazon
Catherine Castle 
I enjoyed your photos and your comment about the calla lilies — “A lesson for me here—where there is a little bit of life there is still hope.” The cover for your WWII novel is lovely. Thanks for sharing with us. :0}
Thank you, June, for stopping by Catherine’s blog, leaving a comment for me and for the compliment on my novel’s cover. God bless.
A wonderful garden post, Pat. And love the cover of your new book. Best wishes for a best seller. 😊
Happy to hear you enjoyed the post, htkc. Thank you for your kind words on the cover of When Valleys Bloom Again. All the best.
I enjoyed your post and how you found beneficial lessons in your flowers. I also love the cover of your book. Sounds really good, especially as I enjoy writing about the WWII era!
Carole, lovely to see another author of WWII inspirational fiction commenting here. I appreciate your leaving a comment for me. God bless.
Beautiful photographs, Pat. I especially like those purple asters!
Thank you, Becky, for stopping by Catherine’s blog and for the compliment on my photos there. Asters are the flowers associated with those born in Sept. I never planted those until 2 yrs. ago.
I love public gardens, too. Thanks for the pics. Your book is intriguing.
Thank you, Carol, for leaving a comment for me here. I consider myself so blessed to be living in the Delaware Valley where we’re surrounded by numerous public gardens. I’m eager for the day when my husband and I can once again freely visit Chanticleer and take a picnic.