A Writer’s Garden–Gardening Down Under with Cindy Tomamichel

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A Writer's Garden, Australia gardener, Cindy Tomamichel, Five Minute Vacations, Gardening Down Under

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 Cindy Tomamichel from “Down Under” and will be sharing some insight on what gardening is like on the bottom of the globe.

Welcome, Cindy!

 

Catherine, thanks for having me! What a great idea to find out about a garden from a writer’s perspective. I do enjoy reading about other people’s gardens, so I hope that my garden from Australia has some interest for others as well.

Since my last post on Catherine’s blog, I have moved to a small town in rural Australia. From the suburbs to being surrounded by dairy farms has been a big shift!

The area is different soil (sandy and rocky) and drier, so it has been challenging. The previous owner has established a large garden, full of beds of mixed natives and exotics. While it has been good to have something established, it also means a lot of plants have reached old age. The last few dry years have been very tough on gardens.

One thing of great interest is the change in wildlife. I have a bird feeder, and several water pots. So far I’ve seen cockatoos, galahs, corellas, rosella parrots, lorikeets, wattlebirds, wrens, honeyeaters and winter visiting bower birds.

We have also had a bower bird nest in the year, which was wonderful – I spent ages searching for bits of blue things to leave out for them to decorate the nest (see photo below).

We also have blue tongue lizards that must also be laying eggs, as we got an influx of baby ones last summer. A nocturnal possum gallops across the roof most nights, sounding like a baby elephant and freaking out the dog and cats.

This Summer was a bad one for local bushfires. We had quite few that started from lightning strikes in inaccessible forest areas, and they quickly threatened towns. We were safe enough, but the area was covered in dense smoke haze for days (see photo) and burnt gum leaves floated down into the yard, which made the danger seem very real.

Australian trees have adapted to bushfires over a long period of time. Many have seeds that only open with fire, or seeds that need smoke to germinate. A lot of gums have what is called epicormic shoots after fire, so even if the tree is burnt, green shoots appear along the trunk. Others have a thickened area at the soil surface called a lignotuber, and can sprout from this.

This Summer saw days over 40C (104F) and one day of 45C (113F). I set up a small sprinkler, and filled up some more water pots for the birds. I had over a dozen different species visit during the afternoon, including several cockatoos who just sat in the water. The garden suffered, with the leaves of fuchsias simply shrivelling up, and quite a few trees got scorched leaves. I have been replacing dead plants with ones that survive, mostly natives, but other hardy exotics such as succulents, rosemary and Chinese lantern bushes also do well with little water.

I used several photos of local gardens and plants in my book “5 Minute Vacations”, and often post photos on my Instagram account.

About the Writer/Gardener:

Cindy Tomamichel is a multi-genre writer. Escape the everyday with time travel action adventure novels, scifi and fantasy stories or tranquil scenes for relaxation.

I have a time travel romance series Druid’s Portal, set in Roman Britain, with the second in the series due out May, 2019. My “5 Minute Vacations” makes a lovely gift, and is designed to help you relax with scenes of nature and peace.

Amazon Author page: https://amazon.com/author/cindytomamichel

 

Five Minute Vacations

by Cindy Tomamichel

 

Tired? Stressed?
Need a break?

You are not alone.

Instead of reaching for another coffee, take a short journey with me. We will visit places where you can replace some of your current stress with a moment to cherish.

No exercises to do. No program to follow. No guilt for not being a better person.

Just relax into these tranquil scenes, and give your mind a five-minute vacation. In these pages, you can escape from the everyday, and find your happy place.

You can find Five Minute Vacations at Amazon

 

 

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A Writer’s Garden–On a Garden Tour with Jarm Del Boccio

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A Writer's Garden, Garden blog, Jarm Del Boccia, The Heart Changer

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 guest is Jarm Del Boccio, author of the Middle-grade Historical Fiction The Heart Changer. Jarm is taking us on a whirlwind tour of gardens she’s visited.  Welcome, Jarm.

 

Gardens I’ve Admired — Far-flung and Up Close

By Jarm Del Boccio

I have always loved gardens. In my childhood home, we had the basics: an apple tree, a grapevine, lilac bushes and lots of dandelions! My mom wasn’t a gardener, so all the living bushes, trees and vines were planted by my dear dad, who died when I was four.

Most of my years as a career girl, I didn’t have the time to devote to gardening. In fact, I had a brown thumb — most of the time I would over-water a house plant and kill it. Even cacti have shriveled under my care.

But, when I married, and my husband and I bought a home with a beautifully landscaped garden, it became a passion. My goal was to keep it up and add to it year by year with ‘3 season’ plants — those which had color for most of the year, either in flowers, leaves or stems. It was a getaway for me. A place to be on my own, working the soil and nurturing the tiny plants. Much different than raising children!

Later, due to my writing and a change in income, I disbanded the garden and sequestered myself inside. Occasionally, when we entertained guests, I would purchase a bouquet to place in our main bathroom for all to enjoy. But that was the extent of my gardening.

Fortunately, I was able to delight in gardens other than my own, as we traveled around the world with our children in tow. There were very few locations without some sort of flower display. So I captured them on film, and shared the eye candy on social media. I now have them to cheer me, especially on a cloudy or snowy day.

Below are just a few of the gorgeous displays. I realized that flowers are a universal language. Everyone can take in the beauty or scent of a garden, bringing joy to the soul.

Since I can’t remember the names of these plants, just enjoy them for their variety, unique shapes and stunning colors. . .

San Antonio Botanic Gardens:

The Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem:

A rose on the crescent in Bath, England:

Tulips at the Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia:

A garden on Mackinaw Island, Michigan:

The Japanese Gardens at our local Botanic Garden:

A Huguenot Garden with protea, the national flower of South Africa near Capetown:

A dog made of flowers at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain:

A sculpted garden in Porto, Portugal:

And four photos of my all time favorite garden at Haddon Hall, near Bakewell, England. The 2006 version of Jane Eyre was filmed at this location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoyed a whirlwind tour of my favorite floral pics from around the world. Thanks for joining me! Which location would you most like to visit?

 

About the Writer/Gardener

Jarm (‘J’ pronounced as a ‘Y’) Del Boccio finds her inspiration in everyday life, but in particular, when she travels the globe, observing the quirky things that happen along the way. She never misses a chance to snap a photo of a unique flower or gorgeous garden no matter where she finds herself. Focusing on lives of characters from the past, Jarm is devoted to breathing new life into the pages of history.

Her background in elementary and high school education, and time as a school librarian has prepared her to write for middle-graders. “The Heart Changer”, her debut MG historical/biblical fiction, released with Ambassador International April 26th 2019. Jarm is content with the journey God has placed her on, and lives with her husband, adult daughter and son (when he lands at home) in a tree-lined suburb of Chicago. You can connect on her author’s website/blog at: https://www.jarmdelboccio.com/

“My Passion is to Make Scripture and History Come Alive for my Readers: Illuminating the Past. Making Sense of the Present. Offering Hope for the Future.”

The Heart Changer

by Jarm Del Boccio

Can an Israelite captive, wrenched from all she loves, serve the very man who destroyed her village?

Miriam is asked to do the impossible: serve the wife of Naaman, commander of the Syrian army. Clinging to treasured memories of home and faith, Miriam faces captivity with worry and bitterness. Little does she know the Heart Changer is wooing and preparing her for a greater mission far beyond what she could imagine.

This middle-grade historical novel reflects the heartache and angst of a young refugee in a foreign land where all hope seems lost.

You can find The Heart Changer at AMAZON

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–in the Garden with Christa MacDonald

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A Writer's Garden, Christa MacDonald, Contemporary Christian Romance, Garden blog, The Redemption Road

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 guest is author Christa MacDonald, author of the Sweet River Redemption contemporary Christian romance series. Welcome, Christa.

Apple Blossoms

                                                          

Thanks, Catherine.

 After a cold and rainy start, Spring has finally arrived in Massachusetts. I live along the coast which usually means we start a bit sooner than the inland folks, but with this weather pattern we seem to be behind. My tomatoes should be knee-high and they’re more like ankle-high. I’m hoping some steady fertilizing and sunshine can catch them up.

This is my second year attempting to grow from seed, but the first year I invested in the equipment to really do it right. I bought seedling trays and watering trays and the right grow mix and even one of those plastic-covered greenhouses. I read my Farmer’s Almanac and watched the BBC’s Gardeners’ World for tips on how to grow from seed.

Mistakes were made. First, I underestimated the need for heat in aid of germination. I also overestimated how much sun my front window gets. It was not early enough to help the seedlings along once they sprouted. When I put them out in the cold frame in my side yard, it wasn’t in the sun for long enough of the day. This mistake was born of sheer vanity. I was leery of putting the cold frame on the southern-facing side of the house as that’s the side that faces the street and is mostly driveway. I was worried about how it looked. I’ve since decided that I care more for my tomatoes than the opinion of various passers-by so next year the plastic greenhouse and the cold frame are going to be rigged up in the driveway.

With this season comes hope and excitement. I’ve had a few failures, but with the rose bushes, hydrangeas, and other shrubs leafing out left and right and the seedlings finally taking off, I can’t help but be cheerful. Nothing has gone wrong yet that cannot be fixed. We all know what it’s like to arrive at mid-summer and realize a particular plant or crop failed and just what that feels like. Disappointment is no fun.

Planting in Spring is not unlike starting a new novel. There’s careful plots and detailed plans, but there are no guarantees that once the words are on the page they’ll follow them. Great plans do not always lead to gorgeous gardens or excellent books. Hard work and a bit of Providence is more like it. You have to get the words on the page and the dirt under your nail to see the fruits of your labor both metaphorically and literally. Here’s hoping we all have a good harvest.

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Christa MacDonald is a lifelong gardener and writer living in New England despite its terribly short growing season. She’s the author of the Sweet River Redemption contemporary Christian romance series. The final book in the series, The Redemption Road, is now available.

Connect with Christa at  www.christamacdonald.com

 

The Redemption Road

By Christa MacDonald

 

It’s redemption that he needs, and she’ll pay any price to help him find it.

As the new game warden in Sweet River, Alex Moretti is focused on enforcing Maine’s wildlife laws and little else. Moving from tragedy to a fresh start, all he wants is a way to fix his life in the tranquility of the north woods. Until he meets Annie Caldwell at Coffee by the Book. But his own bitter, dark life is a threat to Annie’s sweetness and light. It’s better for him to stay away.

Annie doesn’t know how to label her relationship with Alex, but she is determined to figure it out. After a few false starts and a kiss under the Christmas lights, their romance goes from fiction to fact. Annie has fallen hard. Then trouble shows up. Someone is stalking Alex, seeking to punish him for a mistake which ended in deadly consequences. When Annie becomes a target, he tries to push her away, but she won’t abandon him. Alex is desperate to keep Annie safe while he attempts to reconcile the past, but what he really needs is redemption. And she will risk her life to help him find it.

 

A Writer’s Garden–In the Garden with HL Carpenter and the Sycamore Tree

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A Writer's Garden, Garden blog, HL Carpenter, Murder by the Books, sycamore tree, writer's garden retreat

Poetry in the garden

by HL Carpenter

Image source: HL Carpenter

Years ago, a line from The Village Blacksmith sparked thoughts of creating a garden retreat. What does a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow about a village smithy have to do with a garden? The first words—”Under a spreading chestnut-tree“— created an image we found hard to resist.

Our garden had shrubs and flowers. Benches to sit on. A gurgling fountain. Yet none of those was a favorite spot.

We wanted a chestnut tree.

Unfortunately, almost all chestnuts were killed by a blight in the early 1900s—and even if any were alive, they would have a difficult time growing in our part of the sunshine state.

Was there an alternative? Yes. Photos from an earlier era showed a similarity between chestnut trees and sycamore trees.

A fully-grown sycamore, crowned with a fifty-foot canopy, would provide a leafy retreat from the heat of summer. Comfortable chairs would offer a place to sit and sip frosty lemonade. When fall faded to winter and leaves drifted to the lawn, sunshine filtering through bare branches would warm the coldest day. The tree’s broad trunk could block the north wind and shield us from the buzz and roar of a busy highway.

We bought a tall sapling after being assured it would soon grow into a huge tree. As you can see by the picture, that assurance came true—and so did our vision for the garden.

Our sycamore serves as an open-air porch. The canopy offers dappled shade in the summer. Bluebirds, cardinals, and wrens chirp and twitter among the branches. A crow visits and caws for a cracker. Squirrels scamper up and down the solid trunk. In autumn, crispy gold leaves carpet the lawn and crackle underfoot. Our tree-porch is a wonderful place to sit and read.

And write.

The other day a relative stopped by and remarked about our beautiful shade tree. We told him of the poem that sparked our imagination.

“Have you read all the stanzas of The Village Blacksmith?” he asked. ” ‘The smith, a mighty man is he, with large and sinewy hands‘ describes one of our ancestors.”

Who knew?

Now, while sitting under the shade of our sycamore tree in our favorite garden spot, we have another story to write.

About the Writers/Gardeners

Mother/daughter author duo HL Carpenter write family-friendly fiction from their studios in Carpenter Country, a magical place that, like their stories, is unreal but not untrue. When they’re not writing, they enjoy exploring the Land of What-If and practicing the fine art of Curiosity. Visit HLCarpenter.com to enjoy gift reads and excerpts and to find out what’s happening in Carpenter Country.

Stay connected on Pinterest, Twitter, Amazon.

 

Murder by the Books

By HL Carpenter

A letter from beyond the grave brings accountant Fae Childers face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.

Certified public accountant Fae Childers is not an embezzler, despite the belief of the accounting firm that fires her for stealing.
But proving her innocence is harder than convincing an IRS agent to allow a deduction. She’s lost her mother, her job, her fiancé, and her self-respect. She’s running out of money and the lease is about to expire on her apartment.

Then the fortune-telling grandmother Fae never knew existed, whose name and psychic abilities she now learns are also hers, issues a challenge from beyond the grave—a challenge that brings Fae face to face with murder, embezzlement, romance, and a hidden family legacy.

When the mystery of Fae’s past collides with the troubles of her present, the situation veers out of control. Her very life is threatened. Who can she trust? The man she’s falling in love with? The former fiancé who has already betrayed her once? Or only herself?

With justice, romance, and her future at stake, Fae must overcome personal and professional obstacles to save herself and those she loves. And she’s going to have to do it fast, before someone else dies.

 You can pick up HL Carpenter’s Cozy Mystery Murder by the Books to read in your garden retreat at Amazon.

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–in the Garden with Claire Gem

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A Writer's Garden, Civil Hearts, Claire Gem, Mother's Day roses, Tiny Roses

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 guest is author Claire Gem. Welcome, Claire!

 

A Writer’s Garden—Tiny Roses

I can’t believe it’s been a year since my then five-year-old grandson proudly presented me with a Mother’s Day gift that he’d picked out himself: a miniature rose bush in a sparkly pink pot. The roses, all no bigger than a quarter, were sunshine yellow. I waited until Memorial Day (the safe time to plant in Massachusetts!) and transferred Eddie’s tiny rosebush into a planter on the front steps.

Oh, how that plant has flourished! It stayed covered with blooms all summer. Whenever life got too busy or the August sun burned a bit too hot on the little plant, Eddie would find me wherever I was and tug on my sleeve.

“Grandma, our rose looks like it needs water. We don’t want it to die.”

Indeed, we did not.

By summer’s end, the rose had doubled in size. Brown fall leaves formed a nest around the pot and nestled within its branches. Then life got even crazier, my son’s wedding was upon us, and time sped up. The first frost hit early and without warning. I stepped out the front door one morning and thought, “Oh no. I’ve killed Eddie’s rosebush.”

That afternoon, with the help of my very strong and newly married son, we carried the pot through the house to our sunroom. But the leaves were all gone. The stems were brown and brittle. I sadly studied the dead-looking branches and thought, “I goofed up. I was too late.”

But I continued to water and feed the twiggy thing and gave it a good haircut. When the first green shoots began peeking up from its base, a spark of hope stirred. That was in November of 2018, just six months ago. Around the end of January, a bud appeared reaching toward the rays of the cold winter sun.

Just look at Eddie’s rose bush now.

I had beautiful blooms in the dead of winter. I can’t believe how much the plant has grown, trying desperately to keep pace with the little boy who so lovingly adopted it.

And this year, on Mother’s Day, I was presented by another rose bush from my future-gardener grandson. This one is pink J

 

About the Writer/Gardener

My first foray into the world of gardening happened when I was about eight years old. I found a discarded vegetable bin from our old refrigerator and thought, “I can plant something in this!” What possessed me to choose a packet of radish seeds, I’ll never know.

I didn’t even like radishes.

But I planted them, and watered them, and thrilled to see the tiny green shoots emerge. In only a month, I was harvesting shiny, red globes, and my mom was using them in salads, leafy tops and all. My father raved that they were the most delicious radishes he’d ever tasted. I even learned to like them. I still do.

My writing is like that sometimes. It all starts with a tiny seed of an idea, and often I have to wait awhile. Sometimes a long while. Nurture the idea, allow it to take root and grow. My most recent Haunted Voices novel was like that. The antebellum home featured in the book was one I visited over ten years ago. Then one night I had a dream about that very house, and there was the ghost of a Confederate soldier pounding on the door.

Civil Hearts was born. You can buy it here on Amazon and in all other digital formats here. It’s coming soon in audiobook on Audible!

 

Visit me at my website, on Facebook, and Twitter.

 

Civil Hearts

By Claire Gem

A widow with no family, web designer Liv Larson yearns for big change. After all, she can work from anywhere, right? Why not throw a dart at the map? She heads out of the big city for the rural South and falls in love as soon as she arrives—with the Belle Bride, an abandoned antebellum mansion.

Heath Barrow loves his country life, managing his antiques store in sleepy Camellia. But he’s lonely, and his condition—epilepsy—makes life uncertain. It’s already cost him a marriage. A new medication and the new girl in town have his heart hopeful again.

Sparks fly between Heath and Liv. But his first seizure sends Liv into a tailspin. Its mimics those her husband suffered before he died . . .

To make matters worse, Liv discovers she’s not living alone. Her challenge? Dealing with a Confederate soldier, one who clearly resents his Yankee roommate—even though he’s been dead for over a hundred and fifty years.

Disclaimer to readers of sweet romance: This book contains open door love scenes. It also has a give-you-chills super ghost story for those who love a good haunting. (I know, because I read it. Catherine Castle)

 

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–A Garden Poem by Susan Miura

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A Writer's Garden, garden poem by Susan Muira, Healer, Shards of Light, Susan Miura

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 guest is Susan Miura.

Clematis

Gardening and writing both entwine around my heart in ways only fellow gardeners and writers could understand. With both endeavors, my passion finds a creative outlet, and any stress or anxiety that may be lurking inside dissipates as I work the soil or create a scene where, moments ago, only a blank page filled my screen. And with each, my work results in something beautiful (to me, and least, and hopefully to others as well). This process always draws me closer to God, who wired me up with these passions and surrounded me with people who encourage them.

Each time I place a seedling in the ground, my mind overflows with wonderful memories – my Italian grandpa planting tomatoes to make spaghetti sauce, my dad teaching me to be gentle with the young plants, my husband digging out a garden plot, and my little son and daughter digging, planting and marveling at the miracle of tiny seeds growing into something beautiful or edible.

My gardens have never been perfect. You’ll never see a Susan Miura garden on the cover of a magazine. And often my flowers get eaten by Backyard Bun,

who lives under the deck. But I love them for all their beauty and unpredictability, because I’m never quite sure what gifts God is going to leave in my garden. And therein lies the inspiration for my poem.

 

Beauty’s Chaos

By Susan Miura

 

My garden harbors wildflowers,

Born of seeds blown in by the breath of God

And irises

Carefully nurtured in a greenhouse.

A mystery plant rises in the corner

Then joyfully blossoms in hues of purple

Adored by fluttering monarchs.

Rebellious weeds thrive among the lovelies,

Some with thorns and others with choking tendrils

That mock my efforts at banishment.

From time to time, a soft feather appears,

Left like a fairy treasure among the marigolds.

My garden is a beautiful, imperfect mess;

A glorious reflection of the one who tends it.

 

My other passion is photography, which I instilled in the main character of my books: Healer, released last year by Vinspire Publishing, and Shards of Light, due out in late August.

In Healer, 17-year-old Shilo Giannelli discovers she possesses the spiritual gift of healing. It turns her normal world into chaos, leads her into danger, creates a chasm between her and her cute boyfriend, and leads her into an unexpected friendship with 18-year-old Misty Morning, a single mom with a history of brokenness. At the end of Healer, Shilo is leaving to spend the summer in Sicily with her great-grandmother, the one person who can teach her about her healing gift.

Shards of Light begins on a mountaintop in Sicily, where Shilo will touch the heart of evil, experience the redemptive power of helping others, and discover the horrors of human trafficking. (She’ll also kiss somebody she shouldn’t be kissing!) Please visit my blog to see a synopsis of Healer, along with a book trailer and Healer’s theme song, “Blue” – an amazing present from my musically gifted son.

 

Thank you for letting me share my garden thoughts and poem.

 

About the Writer/Gardener

Faith, family, and a passion for nature, writing, and photography nurture Susan’s soul. She loves to visit the world’s amazing places and has a travel bucket list that includes the Northern Lights, sunsets anywhere, Jamaica’s Luminous Lagoon, and basically anything that glows. Her background includes several years as a newspaper and television reporter in the Chicago suburbs and Albuquerque, before switching to public relations. Susan is the author of three young adult novels: Healer (2018), Shards of Light (Healer Book 2, coming in August 2019), and Show Me a Sign (2014). Her poetry and wildlife photos are featured in her children’s book, Pawprints in the Snow (2017), and she has short stories published in three anthologies. Susan is president of the American Christian Fiction Writers Chicago Chapter and a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. You can find Susan at her website.

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–Garden Memories with Donna Alice Patton

Tags

A Writer's Garden, Donna Alice Patton, Garden blog, garden memories, Mystery in the Maze, YA fiction

 

 

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 guest is Donna Alice Patton. Welcome, Donna!

 

 

Garden Memories

by Donna Alice Patton

There’s a famous saying that God gave us memories so we might have roses in December. While I can’t credit the author of the quote, I’ve often thought how apt the saying is for gardeners.

Years ago, my grandmother bought a wooden plaque in a novelty store. She loved the picture of a blonde child, in a peach dress, running through a field of daisies. The caption on top read, “We do not remember days, we remember moments.” Grandma Nin always said it reminded her of my cousin, Amy, and a special afternoon we spent at a park.

Often, I’ll look around my garden – or gardens – even though most are just ovals or a strip or two beside the garage or house – and memories will come blossoming into thought. Not just of the person who might have given me a specific plant or bulb, but of moments. Ordinary moments. Extra special moments or too often – never to be repeated again moments with people no longer on Earth.

When I look around my own garden spots, I too recall specific moments. Like the warm, sunny day when my sweet, great niece, Ava and I inspected the apple trees for spring blooms. Or another day in late May when some of the great nephews and nieces found we had a LOT of strawberries in one of the raised beds.

There are other moments too – of finding the first lilies in bloom. Or discovering that a beloved cat had just undone all my hard work of spreading mulch or planting new flowers in the hanging baskets. For some reason, the cats loved my hanging baskets or porch boxes. They made lovely beds with the nice, soft, freshly planted petunias.

Now that some of those kitties are gone – I wonder why I minded so much having them sleep among the flowers on a warm, summer evening. But, never mind, that’s why God gave us our memories. So that along with remembering the roses in December, we can also remember a drizzly, spring day when three little girls wanted to dance around the new green grass with pink parasols.

It’s one of my favorite garden memories.

What are yours?

 

About the Writer/Gardener

My love of gardening began with two packets of five cent seeds – parsley and pansies. Since then, while I still love pansies and parsley, my gardening aspirations have grown. They now include a mini-orchard, small rose garden, various bulb and flower ovals and several raised beds.

While I write in many different genres, my upcoming book is for young adults – and adults who are still kids at heart. For everyone who loves gardens and mysteries, you’ll love “The Mystery in the Maze” from Solstice Publishing. Available through Amazon    You can visit me on Facebook

What do ten silver dollars, an invasion of annoying relatives and a cackling voice in a mysterious, overgrown maze have in common? Eleven-year-old Maggie Brandenburg! While most of the US suffers through the Great Depression of the 1930’s, all Maggie’s first-wish-on-a-star dreams have come true. Her family has a new home. Maggie and her twin sister, Em, are enjoying school and their first ever new bicycles. Best of all, her parents aren’t struggling to make a living. Life would be a bowl of cherries – except for those pesky, lip-biting worries. If those vanished silver dollars aren’t found. . . if the relatives can’t be helped . . . and if that maze didn’t hold so many mysteries! Mysteries that are squeezing all the happiness out of Maggie’s dreams. Can Maggie find her way through the tangled maze before time runs out?

A Writer’s Garden–Garden Haiku by Vonnie Hughes

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A Writer's Garden, garden poetry, haiku by Vonnie Hughes, Innocent Hostage, Vonnie Hughes

 

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 guest is Vonnie Hughes who will be sharing garden poetry and flower stories.

 

GARDENS AND ME

By Vonnie Hughes

Sure, I spent a lot of my childhood pottering around after my grandfather in our big one-acre garden in Auckland in New Zealand. In spite of living right near the sea, my grandfather coaxed vegetables galore to flourish because of the soil which was a cross between sandy and volcanic i.e. rich in nutrients. But I wanted flowers. We had only a few scrubby grape hyacinths and marigolds dotted here and there. In spring the jonquil bulbs came to life, but I always found the perfume overpowering. No, I missed real flowers.

I had written poetry and novels from an early age, right through a career, having kids and doing all the usual stuff and one day in 1998 I entered a haiku writing contest sponsored by the University of Waikato and the Japanese Embassy in New Zealand. The instructions were to visit the new Japanese garden in Hamilton Gardens and write one or several haikus in accordance with what we observed at the Japanese Garden. That garden is still as peaceful and evocative now as it was then. Swallows skidded through the golden willow branches and the water was just gently scuffled with a light breeze. And the peace! In spite of being located in New Zealand, the peace gave the impression it was in a small corner of the Japanese countryside. That haiku is engraved on a plaque in those lovely gardens.

HAIKU

This is the one on a plaque in the Japanese Garden at Hamilton. See my website www.vonniehughes.com

Fluid echoes dance –

Ripples of sun and water

Hold dreams in the eaves.

 

The reference to the eaves is about the small building erected near the water.

 

This one came in fourth:

 

The fantails flitter

And skim like spiked spring rain through

The golden willows.

 

Then back came my garden mania with a vengeance – BUT I’m married to a man who grows and adores orchids.

Yup. Not harebells or clematis or English cowslips and certainly not roses – too much trouble. Orchids aren’t trouble? Huh! Tenderly spritzing dramatic blooms to protect them from the Queensland heat; feeding, feeding the little brutes; attending orchid shows to find out why scale is in the greenhouse or if the single bloom will become a double next year…this is not TROUBLE? Can you tell I’m not overly fond of orchids? I prefer wildflowers or flowers that look like they just popped up in a field and took hold. Real flowers.

Still yearning for flowers.

 

About the Writer/gardener

I was born in New Zealand and now live with my family in Queensland, Australia. I’ve been writing since I was seven when I won a pony in a contest and was forced to take the second prize, mere cash. A pony in suburbia? My parents were horrified, particularly since they had no idea I’d entered the contest. I write song lyrics, poetry, short stories and novels, particularly Regencies and Romantic Suspense. The heat levels in my books vary – if the couple is in a committed relationship or married, the heat level is warm but not screaming hot. Remember that Regencies, before they became ‘historical Regencies’ were always sweet and soft – think Anne Gracie.

And of course gardens feature largely in all my books. In two connected Regencies (The Second Son and Dangerous Homecoming), I invented a “Lady’s Garden.”

I’m both published with publishing houses and also self-published (some if those are books where my publisher has closed down).

You can connect with Vonnie at www.vonniehughes.com

 

Innocent Hostage

by Vonnie Hughes

Two years ago, Breck Marchant handed his son, Kit, over to his ex-wife, Tania, even though it tore him apart. She knows all about kids. Thanks to his own upbringing, he hasn’t a clue. But when the boy is held hostage, Breck steps up to the plate. Somehow he’ll make this father thing work and hold down his dangerous job at the same time even though the odds are against him.

Ingrid Rowland is Kit’s preschool teacher and she has known Tania for years. As far as she can tell, neither Tania nor Breck know the first thing about being parents. She fears for Kit’s future. When Breck turns to Ingrid for help with his son, she sees a different side of him. As Breck and Ingrid work to protect Kit and hold on to their careers, they begin to work together to fight off a puzzling series of vicious attacks. Then a startling revelation culminates in a murderous turn nobody sees coming

You can find Innocent Hostage at Amazon available in paperback and e-book form

 

 

 

A Writer’s Garden–In the Garden with Author Larynn Ford

Tags

A Place to Belong, A Writer's Garden, Larynn Ford, raised bed 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 Larynn Ford. Welcome, Larynn!

 

Hey Catherine! Thanks for having me on your gardening blog today. Spring is finally here, and gardening is in the air so I’m putting the writing aside for a few hours to get some dirt under my fingernails.

A couple of years ago, I decided a raised bed filled with nice, rich top soil would be easier than begging someone to till or plow up a garden spot for me. I did a little research into materials to outline my bed and went with cement blocks. They were easier to handle one at a time than the cross ties I had used years ago and more durable. Now, forty blocks and about fifty-five bags of topsoil later, I’ve had some success with a few veggies.

On March 25, my mama turned 85 years old but is nowhere near ready to settle down in a rocking chair on the porch. She wants to do a little gardening herself and got an idea using wooden shipping pallets filled with soil for her vegetable garden. It turns out the pallets are not so easy to find so I suggested as a birthday present, I would put together a bed like mine.

She had a stack of unused blocks, so we went to work. Her bed turned out to be about 4’x13’ but my guess-timent of twenty bags of topsoil to fill the space fell a bit short. As you can see, we didn’t let that stop us. Adjustments were made.

 

So far, she has a bell pepper and three tomato plants with plans to put a few yellow squash and cucumber seed in the ground next week. I have my fingers crossed we’ll be enjoying a skillet of her stewed squash and onions real soon.

Meanwhile, it’s back to writing and promoting for me. Here’s my latest release, A Place to Belong.

 

 

 

He’s focusing on the future. She’s searching for her past. While dodging her would-be captors, they find they are purr-fect for each other.

Look for A Place to Belong at Amazon

 

 

 

 

About the Writer/Gardener

Larynn Ford began reading romance in her early teens and became interested in writing in high school. She’s a daydreamer and a romantic who is intrigued by the paranormal and loves to let her mind wander, always searching for a happily ever after ending to her dreams.

She’d love to hear about your gardening adventures. You can find her here:

Facebook: Website: Twitter: @LarynnFord

Happy gardening and reading.

Larynn

A Writer’s Garden–Wendy MacDonald’s Garden Poetry

Tags

A Writer's Garden, garden pictures, garden poems, Wendy Macdonald, Wendy MacDonald poetry

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 Wendy MacDonald sharing her garden poetry and exquisite photographs. Welcome, Wendy.

 

What’s Your Favorite Season?

 

I have a favorite season. Do you?

It’s the best time of year in my garden. The flowers are vibrant with color and freshness. I love to kneel down and take macro shots of them because it affords unique and artsy pictures. Although I’ve discovered beauty in every season, spring is the season I long for the most.

As a writer and blogger, I appreciate having crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils etc. to photograph and post along with my poetry and prose. By the end of January, I dig out flower pictures from my spring and summer files to share with readers who may also be tired of winter. Sure enough, I’m never alone in my craving.

It was while I was reading The Secret Garden that I realized my love for spring. Since then, during March, I think of this lovely book when I spy crocus, tulip, and daffodil bulbs poking their green noses through the soil.

Spring, like a good book, holds promise of delightful moments to linger over.

Spring

 Spring brings delight

To our senses and souls

As she waltzes past winter

In purple velvet robes

Spring brings a promise

To engage us all

With a parade of prettiness

That rivals fall.

~ wlm

 

I’m nosy-to-know which season is your favorite?

Spring blessings ~ Wendy Mac

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Wendy L. Macdonald is an inspirational blogger and podcaster who loves to photograph nature on Vancouver Island. Her byline is: “My faith is not shallow because I’ve been rescued from the deep.” Her main website is wendylmacdonald.com where she enjoys interacting with readers.

To read more of her poems and see her beautiful garden photos, visit Wendy at her blog  https://www.wendylmacdonald.com/