A Writer’s Garden–Theme Gardens by Emma Lane

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A Writer's Garden, cozy mystery, Emma Lane, flowers, Theme Gardens, Whispers of Danger and Love

from Emma Lane

Theme gardens can be fun for adventurous gardeners who want to shake things up.

Photo by Emma Gossett on Unsplash

Colorful annuals. Their raison d’etra, reason for living, is to bloom and make seeds. To keep them full of their bright and beautiful blossoms frequent culling of the old blooms is the secret. Paying attention to color combinations will enhance bedding petunias such as blue and yellow; red, white and blue; primary colors-red, yellow and blue; all pastels.

 

Perennials are friends forever. The trick here is to plant staggered bloomers. Daffodils and tulips for spring give way to lupine and peonies in April and May. June is for roses (and brides) and July owns lilies. Hibiscus and other members of the family (Rose of Sharon) for late summer, and we all appreciate summer’s wind up with splashes of intensely colored mums and sunflowers. There are many beautiful perennials to be planted in between. Careful attention to foliage varieties is also important for a successful perennial bed: spiky Crocosmia, spreading Dianthus, and pretty round-leafed Baptismia australis which has an herbal gray cast to its foliage.

Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash

Butterfly and humming bird gardens are always fun. Certainly the tiny hummers appreciate blooms where they can dip in and steal a drop of nectar, but I’ve seen them take a tiny taste of flat but colorful yarrow. My son gifts me a huge fuchsia for Mother’s Day which is the very day I usually spot the first humming bird. They love this plant! Hummers prefer trumpet shaped blooms they can dip their long bills to drink the nectar, but I have observed them sipping from a daisy.

 

Shade gardens are wonderful underneath shaded walkways. Besides the enormous varieties of hosta, spring bulbs can be followed with blue bells and other shade loving perennials. Brunneria is a precious substitute for hosta. Deer treat it with disdain. Begonias have a large variety for annual shade; my favorite is non-stop begonia in their vivid colors. Spring blooming shrubs are glorious such as rhododendrons, azaleas, dogwood and many others that liven up the woods before the trees leaf out.

Cutting gardens are wonderful for those who appreciate fresh cut bouquets for inside. Reserve a bed especially for: gladiola, tall zinnias, phlox, sunflowers, snapdragons, lisianthus, lilies, just a few of the varieties that are splendid cut flowers.

 

… which leads me to call attention to my latest Cozy Adventure/ Mystery, Whispers of Danger and Love.

The heroine is a landscape architect who speaks gardening. She struggles with a client who demands a cutting garden midsummer, (and a hunky detective who seems bound to destroy her plants.) I enjoyed relaxing in her garden even as I created it from my own imaginings. It was also fun to watch the sparks fly between a couple who knew each other as children but must readjust their thinking as adults.

About the Writer/Gardener

Emma Lane is a gifted author who writes cozy mysteries as Janis Lane, Regency as Emma Lane, and spice as Sunny Lane.

She lives in Western New York where winter is snowy, spring arrives with rave reviews, summer days are long and velvet, and fall leaves are riotous in color. At long last she enjoys the perfect bow window for her desk where she is treated to a year-round panoramic view of nature. Her computer opens up a fourth fascinating window to the world. Her patient husband is always available to help with a plot twist and encourage Emma to never quit. Her day job is working with flowers at Herbtique and Plant Nursery, the nursery she and her son own.

Look for information about writing and plants on Emma’s new website. Leave a comment or a gardening question and put a smile on Emma’s face.

Stay connected to Emma on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to check out the things that make Emma smile on Pinterest.

A Writer’s Garden—A Season of Roses by Everley Gregg

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A Writer’s Garden, Diamonds, Everley Gregg, flowers, Forgotten Flowers of Flanders romance series, Garden blog, gardening, Horses, medieval historical romance, perserverance in the garden and in life, roses, The Knight and the Rose

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 Everley Gregg. Everley will be talking about the roses in her life. Welcome, Everley!

As far as gardening talents go, mine are a bit weak. Although I absolutely love delicate flowers like the orchid and cyclamen, I struggle to keep them going. Either I water too much or not enough. Too sunny a window or not enough light. My son gifted me a miniature gardenia for Mother’s Day and I keep hoping I don’t kill it! Nearly two months and it hasn’t bloomed yet…

Roses, however, are tough. Thank goodness this flower is such a sturdy specimen.

Scattered about our home are a number of rose bushes, stubborn, tough ladies I stuck in the ground over the years and then forgot about—until, like magic, they shock me with brilliant blooms every spring. And shock me they do, because by the time they bloom, I don’t even remember what color they were supposed to be. Apparently, the two alongside my walkway are supposed to be red. And red they are—gloriously, brilliant red.

On my front steps, since last summer, was a small pot in which a miniature rose once lived. Poor thing spent the entire winter out there, a single, bare branch sticking up through the snow. Every day when I came and went, the bony, thorned finger pointed at me, accusing me of neglect. This spring, a number of times, my husband asked if he should throw it in the trash.

“You know, honey, I think that plant on the porch is dead. Do you want me to—”

“No. I’ll take care of it.”

I’m so glad the rose heard him. A few days later, tiny green leaves appeared on that bony finger.

Just last week we transplanted the struggling plant into a bigger pot, with new soil and a sunnier location—on a roller thingy so I can move it inside when winter comes. Just look at it now! It’s even got a bud on it. I wonder if these blooms will be red, like the others?

There is another red rose that has come into my life. Her name is Rose Diamond.

In 2019, I suffered a debilitating shoulder injury that cost me my career as well as many other activities I’ve enjoyed all my life: fishing, golfing, archery, bowling. My favorite sport by far, though, was riding horses. I started riding at the age of eight, and since adulthood, spent very few years “horseless.” I was informed I would likely never ride again.

So what did I do, at the tender age of 63, with limited use of my dominant right arm, when the doctors delivered this damning decree? I bought a horse.

And yes, her name is Rose Diamond. Brilliant red she is, and a diamond through and through. We snapped this photo the day she came home, my daughter showing her off.

With the help of a skilled and sympathetic occupational therapist who specializes in the equestrian sport, I now have dreams of riding again—on my Rose. Honestly, since she came into my life last fall, there were many times when she was the only thing keeping me going. Animals have almost supernatural healing powers. Horses are no exception.

Writing—my other passion, almost as essential as breathing—has been a challenge with a “stupid” right hand. But much like that stubborn rose on my front porch, I persevere. My latest romance series is medieval historical. Is it any wonder the book I was working on when Rose cantered into my life was entitled “The Knight and the Rose”? Mayhap. It is the second in my series called Forgotten Flowers of Flanders, published by Dragonblade Publishing.

So yes, the theme for my life of late has been the rose, a species known to be tough. Hardy. Difficult to kill. I so needed the inspiration of this tenacious flower over the last few, trying years. And in so many, different ways, the rose has been there for me.

My sister-in-law is a photographer who lives two states away. We finally got a chance to spend some time together last month after lockdown eased. I was telling her about my horse.

“What’s her name?”

“Rose,” I replied. “Rose Diamond. Isn’t that lovely?”

Her eyes widened. “Have I got a photograph for you!”

Terri took this photo way before Rose came into my life, back in 2019. The year I was injured. Probably the very same month…

The diamond in the center of this gorgeous bloom was her grandmother’s engagement ring. She called the photo “Diamond Rose.” I told her she was clairvoyant.

Except she got the name backwards. 🙂

About the Writer/Gardener:

Everley Gregg is in love with medieval history. She’s always been mysteriously drawn to Flanders, the area of the world now encompassing France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. If she ever gets to go back in time, 15^th Century Flanders is where she’d want to be.

In this life, Everley resides in Massachusetts with her husband of over 40 years (she’s an expert at happily-ever-after). Her other loves (besides writing) are raising Persian cats, riding dressage horses, and reading. Everley earned her MFA in creative writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA., and also writes award-winning supernatural suspense and women’s fiction as Claire Gem.

Everley loves to hear from her fans! Sign up for her newsletter at www.everleygregg.com.

Connect with Everley on Facebook: Twitter:  BookBub: Goodreads:

The Knight and the Rose

By Everley Gregg

Will a proud knight fight for the widow’s honor . . . and heart?

Fifteenth Century, Burgundy

Beverielle Buchanan wears a shroud of guilt she didn’t earn. The daughter of a tavern wench in the Flemish port of Antwerp, she is one of many of Duke Philip’s bastard daughters. But the duchess, Lady Isabella, brings the girl home to court to raise as a lady. Beverielle’s Scottish roots rise to the surface when she meets the brawny Highlander knight. But in a cruel twist of fate, she is betrothed to an Italian merchant of the duke’s choosing. Only three months married, and she finds herself a widow. Her hopes for capturing the heart of the Scottish knight renew until she discovers she may already be carrying the Italian’s child.

Honoring the Auld Alliance, Knight Ròidh Keegan left the Highlands to join Duke Philip’s army in defense of Burgundy. His fealty over, he’s planning his trip back to Scotland when Beverielle, the flame-haired girl he met at Coudenburg, arrives at Germolles Castle. The then-gangly child has blossomed into a lush young woman. Now, however, she is a widow, and a pregnant one at that. Can the knight, soon to be laird of his own castle, still consider the Scottish lass for his bride? His heart says aye, though a long journey and many obstacles lie in their path. But Keegan is a knight, trained to fight.

Will he take on the battle for Beverielle’s heart and honor?

Want to read more? You can find The Knight and the Rose at Amazon

A Writer’s Garden : Gardening – A Family Legacy by Liz Tolsma

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A Writer’s Garden, Christian Suspense Romance, family gardening, flowers, Garden blog, garden legacy, Liz Tolsma, perennial 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 Liz Tolsma, who will be sharing the family legacy of her garden. Welcome, Liz!

blazing star

My husband and I had just purchased our first house, and we stood in a backyard and stared at the overgrown, falling apart dog kennel behind the garage. Because we were on a corner lot, the house faces one street, and the garage faced another. That meant we could see this hideous sight from our kitchen window and our patio.

Something needed to be done.

My father was an avid perennial gardener. His yard was beautiful. So when he had a day off, I invited him over and showed him our mess of a yard. To his credit, he wasn’t daunted by the task before him. He suggested we start in the front. Okay, so he didn’t want to tackle the back! Our bushes were out of control, and he helped me trim them.

Underneath the leftover winter debris under these buses, he discovered hostas. I had never heard of such a thing, but he was excited. He even knew the variety they were – Royal Standard. He told me they were great shade plants and that they would bloom white later in the summer. To this day, he gushes about the amazing find we made that day.

We then went to a local nursery and purchased some moonbeam coreopsis. He thought they would do well in our shady yard. I got quite the education in perennials that day.

And it didn’t stop. Once my husband and I tore out the dog kennel, my father gave us some plants from his yard. He patiently told us the name of each one (usually the scientific name) and how to care for it. Before long, our yard was filled with color.

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Apparently, it runs in the blood. My great-grandfather was a gardener. My grandfather started his own landscaping company once he retired from dairy farming. I have cousins who are avid gardeners. I guess you could say we have dirt in our veins.

My dad can no longer garden, but each time I walk to my yard, I can hear him waxing about each plant. It’s a legacy he’s passed to me, and one I hope to pass to my children one of these days. Along with some of the plants now growing in my yard that came from my dad’s.

About the Writer/Gardener:

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a U.S. Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. When she’s not writing, you’ll likely find her working in her large perennial garden, her happy place. To her, there’s nothing better than a little dirt underneath your fingernails and a bouquet on your table. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.

The Silver Shadow

By Liz Tolsma 

Denver of 1900 is still a dangerous place to be following the silver crash of 1893. And of out of the dark comes a shadow intent on harming women. Ambitious young Denver newspaper reporter Polly Blythe is searching for the big story that’s going to launch her career. On Friday evening, August 24, 1900, she gets her break when two women are cracked over the head within a two-minute walk of each other. But policeman Edwin Timmer thwarts Polly’s ideas of a serial criminal. . .until the shadowy figure strikes again. Will the reporter and the policeman team up to find the culprit before he strikes too close for comfort?

Want to read more? You can find The Silver Shadow, a Christian Suspense Romance on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Christianbook.com

A Writer’s Garden–The Healing Garden by Christa MacDonald

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A Writer’s Garden, Christa MacDonald, flowers, Gardening blog, plants, Redemption Road, romantic suspense, roses, Sweet romance, the healing effect of a garden, tomatoes, vegetables

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 Christa MacDonald who will talking about her garden and its healing and calming effect. I’m sure we can all relate. I know I can. Welcome, Christa!

Tomatoes in Grow Bags

It’s June and my garden is already overgrown. I have not been attentive this year. This is more of a problem than usual because I added two additional beds. Also complicating things, I decided to put my tomatoes in grow-bags. It’s my anti-blight experiment. For years I never had blight issues, but the last two summers have been pretty brutal so I’m seeing if the grow bags can solve it. So far, I’ve only seen the impact on my water bill. Yikes these things dry out quickly!

The roses have been outstanding this year. Is anyone else having a rose year to end all years? It’s a balm to my tattered soul.

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After a very rough few months managing a job heavily impacted by the pandemic, I went into this gardening year a bit ragged. This was followed by the sudden loss of my 17-year-old daughter, Eden, to an undiagnosed, asymptomatic intracranial brain hemorrhage. The shock, the struggle to save her and the devastation knowing we couldn’t has nearly finished me off. Grief is an angry ocean, and I am tossed about on its waves, struggling to keep my head above water. Sitting in my garden, especially in the evenings, is a way I’ve found to calm the seas. 

Gardens are healing places. I’m not sure if it’s being connected to God’s creation, the smell and vibrancy of life all around, or just the quiet and peace of it that does it. The garden offers a safe place to be your wounded self. Weeping is entirely acceptable with the plants, and so is staring off into the distance, lost in thought. And if you’re feeling the rage coming, take it out on the weeds. They won’t mind. 

Eden’s Rose

In my family, I’m the only gardener. Eden hated gardening, although she loved plants, specifically bright, vibrant, unusual ones. She even kept a moss terrarium up in her room. But the act of digging in the dirt, dodging bees (she was allergic to wasps), and dealing with the heat – not her thing. Every Saturday, though, we’d watch the BBC program Gardeners’ World together. I even planted a rose because it shared her name. 

As it happens, that rose was in the front yard and took a beating this winter. It looked close to death, so I transplanted it to my herbaceous border in the back. At first, things were looking grim, but it hung tough, and a few days ago, just after Eden died, the rose with her name gave me a bloom. It was as if the garden knew I needed to see that proof of life. I, of course, wept. 

But our family has something better than a bloom as proof of life after death. Eden was a child of God, saved by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Our souls are eternal, and it’s a comfort knowing that hers is with the Father. 

Sitting in my garden tonight, in the gloaming, I can’t help but think that those of us who garden, who hike forests, who farm, who seek out God’s creation, we are the lucky few. God is the original gardener; we are His apprentice. Time spent tending his creation is time spent with Him. What is more healing than that? 

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. All three books are now out on Amazon and the first in the series, The Broken Trail, is on audio at Audible

Connect with Christa on her Website.

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–Puppy Gardening 101 by M.K. Scott

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A Writer’s Garden, amateur sleuth, cozy mystery, flowers, Free book limited time offer, Garden blog, garden safety for pets, Gardening with dogs, husband and wife writing team, MK Scott, Wedding Cake Blues, woman sleuth

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 husband and wife author team M.K. Scott, co-starring puppy Janeway, who was the inspiration for this garden blog.  Welcome, M.K.!

Thanks, Catherine.

Writers have to write, even if their work never gets published. Gardeners have to garden even if they decided to get a lab puppy during 2020. Welcome to Puppy Gardening 101. With a puppy, we opted for a new fence, which resulted in digging up all my irises along the fence row and transferring them to my gated gnome garden. An excellent decision because Iris are toxic to dogs. Here’s a complete list of what could be fatal to your pet courtesy to ASPCA.

I discovered many of my standbys were toxic to my four-legged chewing machine. She showed a partiality to roses, which aren’t toxic.

Janeway, named after Star Trek Captain Janeway, unearthed my transplanted rosebushes that I babied to keep alive. Fences only increase the challenge. So, what’s a gardener and puppy owner to do?

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Most of my plants have moved to the front yard, gnome garden or on top of the picnic table. Hubby built four high gardens that are about three feet off the ground. Inside of those I planted marigolds and petunias.

Outside the gnome garden, but still fenced, I planted roses, sunflowers, and zinnias.  The list of safe flowers is considerably shorter than the toxic one.

Fortunately, the dog safe flowers grow well in our area. As puppy Janeway grows into her full size, I realize potentially toxic plants may not pose as much a danger to her as to a toy dog. Often, it is the root or bulbs that are toxic. Thinking back on our former dogs, most had no interest in the gardens or the flowers, except for Chance, a boxer mix. I used to watch with great interest a bud ready to bloom only to find the flower vanished after it bloomed. Once I peeped out my window and caught Chance in the act of snapping the blooms off my yellow rose bushes and eating them. Apparently, he loved flowers, too.

While dogs may not have the same appreciation for flowers as gardeners do, they love to interact with them. When Janeway greets me with the stem of a blossoming flower, I take it from her and thank her pretending she meant to pick it just for me. It works out better this way.  I tell myself she won’t always be this way. If not, I always have my gnome garden.

About M K Scott

M. K. Scott is the husband and wife writing team behind cozy mystery series, The Painted Lady Inn Mysteries, The Talking Dog Detective Agency, The Way Over the Hill Gang, and Cupid’s Catering Company.

 Morgan K Wyatt is the general wordsmith, while her husband, Scott, is the grammar hammer and physics specialist. He uses his engineering skills to explain how fast a body falls when pushed over a cliff and various other felonious activities.

The Internet and experts in the field provide forensic information, while the recipes and B and B details require a more hands on approach. Morgan’s daughter, who manages a hotel, provides guest horror stories to fuel the plot lines. The couple’s dog, Jane, is the inspiration behind Jasper, Donna’s dog.

 Working together and still happily married.

MK Scott Social Media Links  Website Facebook Twitter Amazon

Wedding Cake Blues

By MK Scott

Della always dreamed of owning a bakery and catering service. But the fate of her dream come true rests on how well her business, Cupid’s Catering Company, pulls off the wedding of the decade.

As she and her team work their magic in the kitchen, the lavish affair takes a troubling turn. The bridegroom has vanished, but in a strange twist of events, she’s the only one who’s concerned about his disappearance.

As rumors that the groom-to-be caught a case of cold feet and whisperings about his ties to unsavory characters swirling, Della trades in her chef’s hat for a sleuth fedora and follows the clues.

Can she find the bridegroom, save her bakery, and fend off her mother’s matchmaking attempts before it’s too late?

Currently, Wedding Cakes Blues is free on Bookfunnel the month of June, Here is the link for the free book.  

It may also be purchased from Amazon for those who prefer that method.

A Writer’s Garden-Plants and Pets by Sally Brandle

Tags

A Writer's Garden, flowers, Garden blog, Pawn, romantic suspense, Sally Brandle

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 Sally Brandle who will be sharing her garden and her garden pet partners. Welcome, Sally!

One thing about gardens, if you have good soil and rain, they will grow without any help. Of course, that includes persistent flowers such as forget-me-knots (aptly named as they reseed with fervor), wonderful geums, bee balm, euphorbia, Japanese anemones (also a bit pushy), iris, blue bells and a host of other plants which make their home in my yard. When I clip bouquets or prune, I’m generally not alone. Spock, the kitty, sees the pink harness and sits at the door. We have coyotes, and he chases birds, so he’s stays indoors otherwise.

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My rescue pups, Ursa, the Heeler, and Maggie, the Shepherd, are willing to go outside and assist. When we brought them home and their outdoor help became a bit overzealous, we added a temporary (hopefully) wire barrier around the flower beds—at least until Maggie is out of her teen years. A former dog of ours was renamed from Dylan to Digger, as his determination to take out the yard ended up with us installing fake grass. We’ve had it for five or six years and love the easy care. We keep real grass down by the lake, but the no weeding or mowing advantage is hard to beat.

I was known as Sally G. Frog in college and spent my childhood loving frogs . . . now I cherish outdoor versions given to me by family and friends, and the occasional live resident.

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Writing and riding my horse, Lance, who turns 31 on May 7^th, keeps me busy. I’ve published four books in four years and its time for me to take a break and pull a few determined groundcovers and remove weeds.

Here’s my work in progress to fill in the flagstone with a few flowers and polite ground covers. I’ll do an update on a post in October. I pulled three garbage bins worth of a nuisance ground cover from this area. Uggh.

My parting words for happy gardening are that if you see horsetails beginning to grow, dig down carefully as far as the root goes and get rid of them! Happy almost summer, and happy gardening!

About the Writer/Gardener:

I grew up in a family of vegetable and flower gardeners. When I lived in an apartment, potted plants sufficed. The sense of being one with Mother Earth calms me.

 I write clean/sweet romantic suspense. My stories contain sensual elements, mild swear words, and villains receiving non-gory justice—along with female friends supporting one another while they search for their perfect heroes.

The Targeted Pawn is a contemporary clean romantic suspense. If you enjoy smoldering romance, mercenary villains, and rescued animals, you’ll love escaping again to Emma Springs, Montana.

 Visit Sally’s website for an overview of her books and to see what she’s about to publish next!  www.sallybrandle.com

Threats forced her to flee Seattle. Honor binds him to Montana. A second chance at love tethers them together.

Elon Hardy’s romance skills are rusty after a loveless marriage ends, but upon meeting hunky rancher, Rane Calderon, sparks blaze hotter than her welding torch. To support her collegiate sons, she’s determined to acquiesce to the bullheaded, female-phobic boss until her divorce finalizes from her deceitful husband.

A woman Rane trusted ruined his life, and at forty, he won’t be fooled again. Blisteringly mad he’s hired a female bearing a man’s name, he fights attraction for the curvy, determined brunette while thwarting efforts to build a private prison atop his Blackfeet ancestors’ burial ground.

Can Elon and Rane realize love doesn’t have a “best used before date”? If you enjoy smoldering romance, mercenary villains, and rescued animals, you’ll love escaping again to Emma Springs, Montana.

Available on Amazon

A Writer’s Garden–The Symbolism of Flowers by June McCrary Jacobs

Tags

A Writer's Garden, flowers, Garden blog, June McCrary Jacobs, Robin's Reward, spring flowers, Sweet romance, symbolism of flowers

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 June McCrary Jacobs who will be sharing some of the flowers in her garden and the symbolism behind the blooms. Welcome, June!

I have loved flowers since I was a child. In the summer between fourth and fifth grades I used my allowance money and bought some pansies to plant in a barren flowerbed in our backyard. I spent a good amount of time weeding and watering that small patch of a garden. I enjoyed nurturing the plants, and spending some quiet time in my special area. I was really proud to take a picture of the flowers to send to my Grandma McCrary who lived two thousand miles away in New Orleans. I even wrote a poem about the pansies and typed it up on a 1950s typewriter. It’s in one of my scrapbooks somewhere . . .

These days I plant and cultivate a whole host of beautiful blooms on our property. Gardening continues to bring me peace during uncertain times. I never tire of the surge of joy I feel when I look out the window and see God’s handiwork a few feet beyond.

I have always been fascinated with the symbolism behind flowers, and I would like to share with you some photos of my garden flowers along with various words which describe what the flowers symbolize. A link pack of the sites where I found these descriptions follows at the end of the post.

Camellia:  A symbol of the transience of life

–White:  ‘You’re Adorable’  

Pink:  ‘Longing for you’

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–Red:  ‘You’re a Flame in My Heart’ 

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Crocus:  Symbol of the Resurrection, heavenly bliss, and youthful gladness.

Daffodil:  The promise of eternal life, regard, unequalled love, rebirth, honesty, truth, and forgiveness. 

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Iris:  Royalty, wisdom, hope, cherished friendship, valor, and respect. 

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Peony:  Happy life, romance, marriage, bashfulness, and an ardent love of God.

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During my research, I found a couple of biblical references to some of the above flowers:

Crocus or Meadow Saffron — Isaiah 35:1

Narcissus or Jonquil — Matthew 6:30

Do you find peace and solitude in your garden? Please share with us about your favorite flower and its symbolism.

If you’re interested in learning more about the symbolism found in your garden, here are a few sites for you to enjoy:

https://thesecretlanguageofflowers.wordpress.com/tag/christianity-and-flowers/

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/keep-tulip-flowerbed-98015.html

https://www.csu.edu.au/special/accc/biblegarden/plants-of-the-garden#R-Z

https://www.almanac.com/flower-meanings-language-flowers

https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/g2503/surprising-flower-meanings/

https://fieldofflowers.com/about-us/flower-meanings/

About the Writer/Gardener:

June McCrary Jacobs was the winner of Cedar Fort Publishing’s 2013 Holiday Tale Contest for her debut novella, ‘A Holiday Miracle in Apple Blossom’. ‘Robin’s Reward’, a Christian contemporary romance, is set in her favorite location in California—the Mendocino coastal region. This book is the first installment of the ‘Bonita Creek Trilogy’. The second book in this series, ‘Jorie’s Journey’, is set to release in 2021. June’s Christian historical romance short story, ‘Handmade Hearts’, was inspired by the true story of how her aunt and uncle met in New Orleans during World War II.

June’s debut middle-grade novel, ‘RES-Q Tyler Stop’, an historical novel set in Sonoma County, California, in 1968, was released in the spring of 2019. As a retired elementary school teacher and literacy mentor, June found writing for children to be a rewarding and challenging experience.

June’s original sewing, quilting, and stitchery designs have been published in over one hundred and forty books, magazines, and on sewing industry blogs in the past decade plus. In 2019, June began publishing her sewing designs in sewing pattern e-books. She currently has fourteen patterns for home décor, children’s stuffed toys, gifts, and other items for sale in the Kindle Store.

When she’s not writing, reading, blogging, designing, or sewing, June enjoys gardening, cooking, walking, visiting art and history museums, and touring historic homes and gardens.

Connect with June on  ‘Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic’ Author’s Blog:  Facebook: Pinterest:  Goodreads:

ROBIN’S REWARD

by  JUNE McCRARY JACOBS

Bonita Creek’s librarian Robin Bennett is heartbroken after being abandoned by her husband, Thomas. The mysterious and handsome Jeff Clarke arrives unexpectedly and touches Robin’s life with his wit and warmth. Then, without warning, Jeff’s harsh words and abrasive actions scare her off, and Robin’s hope of finding true love withers again.

Just when it seems Robin and Jeff might have a future, Susan Stinson, whose cruel taunting has plagued Robin since they met as young teens, decides Jeff should be hers, not Robin’s. Susan’s anger and jealousy escalate dangerously. Her vindictiveness threatens the foundation of Jeff and Robin’s young relationship.

Robin’s journey through the peaks and valleys of her life meanders along the twists and turns of new challenges. Is a relationship which began with both parties harboring secrets destined to survive? Can they move past their troubles and the obstacles in their path to find love and happiness together? When their pasts rear their ugly heads, Jeff and Robin must use their faith to remain strong and true. But will it be enough for them to embrace a life of love, trials, and blessings . . . together?

©June McCrary Jacobs, 2015.

 ROBIN’S REWARD is available on AMAZON and BARNES & NOBLE 

A Writer’s Garden–Welcome Spring by Tina Susedik

Tags

A Writer's Garden, flowers, Garden blog, garden projects, historical romance, The Proprietress, Tina Susedik

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 Tina Susedik who will be sharing about her upcoming garden projects for 2021. Welcome, Tina!

Hello everyone and welcome Spring!!! Except for the brown grass and leafless trees, I love this time of the year. Anticipating what is going to come up from last year is always exciting. Each day I walk around my gardens to see what is greeting me. It is still early in Northwestern Wisconsin, so there are a lot of leaves to be cleaned up. Amazingly, it was 83 degrees on Monday, which was a record. The warm weather is making the buds on the trees big and plump ready to open into leaves.

Last year we’d had our front porch and driveway redone.

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That meant digging up bulbs and moving bushes – some more than once. My tulips, daffodils, and crocuses are already up, but I’m not sure the bushes survived. My tulips are so clumped together and certainly should have been separated last fall. I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t do that then remembered I’d had knee replacement surgery on September 23^rd, which meant I couldn’t get my gardens ready for winter. We’ll see if the tulips don’t mind and still bloom. I gave away the long fence from the front porch, but kept the brace bars, spray-painted them and repurposed them as trellises.

Last year I created a new garden in our front lawn. It was an area where grass didn’t grow – until I dug it up and then spent the summer pulling grass from it. The other day I was going for a walk and saw someone had done the same thing in their yard but had put in a small pond. It looked cute. I recalled we had one of those plastic pond things. I also have a solar-powered water fountain. So, my project this spring will be to put in the pond. I have to wait to see what perennials come up first and move them.

Alongside our garage the previous owners had put in a flower bed. I’ve been using it for tomato and pepper plants. The bed is low to the ground, so I’ve asked my husband to make the wall higher, so I don’t have to kneel to weed. (These new knees don’t like kneeling.) For some reason, and I swear it’s because of the cow manure I put in the soil each year, my tomato plants grow to gargantuan heights. The tomato cages are way too small, so I surround them with trellises and hubby ties them to the rain downspout. This year I plan to transplant the flowers that are still in the ground and put in lettuce, sugar peas, and other vegetables.

What are your plans for your gardens this year?

About the Writer/Gardener:

Tina Susedik has loved flowers and gardening for as long as she can remember. Wherever she has lived, and it’s been many, many places, she has tried to make her surroundings filled with flowers. She is a multi-published, award-winning author in both fiction and non-fiction, covering children, military, history, and romantic mysteries.

Connect with Tina on her Website: Blog: Facebook: Goodreads

Check out Tina’s book The Proprietress

Can two damaged hearts rise from the ashes?

 For Leona Winson, life in the lawless town of Deadwood requires a woman to have an iron-clad spine. After a failed engagement, running King’s Restaurant and Hotel has been the fresh start she needed, but she has gained a reputation around town for being no-nonsense, and opinionated. When the fire that consumed the town forces her to oversee the rebuilding of the establishment that she had put her heart and soul into, she discovers that there may be room for a second chance at love to rise from the ashes.

 Asa Johnson had resigned himself to living the bachelor’s life after the death of his wife.  Content to work on King Winson’s ranch and keep an eye on his son Josiah, Asa wasn’t looking for love when he was tasked with rebuilding the only hotel and restaurant in Deadwood, and he never expected to find it in the sharp-tongued proprietress, and sister of his boss.

 When the two are thrown together under extreme circumstances, their relationship blossoms, but will a mysterious traveler who arrived in town after the fire derail their love story before it can even begin?

Want to read more? You can find The Proprietress at Amazon

A Writer’s Garden–Spring has Sprung by Catherine Castle

Tags

A Groom for Mama., A Writer's Garden, Cathrine Castle author, container gardening, flowers, Garden blog, plants

Welcome to the 2021 A Writer’s Garden Blog series!

Each Thursday until fall, I’ll be bringing you a post from a Writer/Gardener about gardening. Post content will vary, but it will always focus on gardens.  In addition, each writer will post a book blurb to entice you to find something new to read underneath your favorite shade tree.

Spring has sprung. I know because my garden bench has come out of storage.

I don’t know how spring is shaping up in your part of the world, but here in southern Ohio we’ve had enough warm weather to coax the day lilies up.

Unfortunately, they are predicting three nights of 20ish temps. So, I’m hoping the day lilies won’t suffer like they did last spring.

My columbines have lovely growth on them, too. My hope is the hardscape around them will gather enough heat during the day to protect the tender leaves. I’d like to see another blooming bed like this come May.

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My big project for this spring is to make a container bed garden along the south side of the house. Last year we covered all the ground level beds that ran along the south pathway to the back patio with landscape fabric and my husband leveled all the beds raised them to heights that do no require me to bend at the waist or crouch on my aging knees. Compressed lower back vertebrae are making gardening below my knees impossible. If I can’t sit on a wall or reach a bed without bending, I can’t work in the garden any more.

Here’s what we’ve done, well, I should say HE’S done to keep me gardening. You have to love a man who would haul so much gravel and wall stones just so his wife could play in the dirt.

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My goal is to get some pots, troughs, whiskey barrels, or what every containers I think will work best and place them on the gravel beds.

Then I’ll plant a container veggie garden. The only hitch I see in the plans this year are the 17-year cicadas that are supposed to arrive in May and die off sometime in late June.

Photo courtesy Pixabay

And no, that is not my hand holding said bug! Ugh! I hate those things. I’m hoping I get a reprieve from the large dive-bombing insects.

When we moved into our house 17 years ago the surrounding area had been scraped clean because of new construction, and we didn’t see cicada one. If they do show up this year, I hope they’ll become lizard dinners. I know lizards eat katydids and grasshoppers because we used to have so many of them in the north hosta beds that they would keep me up on a summer night with their calls.

Until the lizards arrived. Now we sleep like babies in the silent summer nights. We have a bazillion lizards in our hardscaped yard. So many that the landscaper who mulched the hill garden this spring said, “You don’t have a flower garden, you have a lizard garden.”

I don’t mind. They eat the insects. And as long as they stay off me and out of the house, the lizards and I will get along just fine. But if they venture indoors I’ll have a lizard war on my hands.

Now, if they’d only eat the wasps, I’d be really grateful.

Happy Gardening! I hope you’ll come back every Thursday to see all the writer/gardener’s posts and gardens. I guarantee you’ll love them. Enjoy the garden blogs! Catherine

About the Writer/Gardener:

Multi-award winning author Catherine Castle loves writing. Before beginning her career as a romance writer she worked part-time as a freelance writer. She has over 600 articles and photographs to her credit, under her real name, in the Christian and secular market. She also lays claim to over 300 internet articles written on a variety of subjects and several hundred poems. In addition to writing she loves reading, traveling, singing, theatre, quilting and gardening. She’s a passionate gardener whose garden won a “Best Hillside Garden” award from the local gardening club. She writes sweet and inspirational romances. You can find her award-winning Soul Mate books The Nun and the Narc and A Groom for Mama, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Follow her on Twitter @AuthorCCastle, FB or her blog.

A Groom for Mama

By Catherine Castle

Beverly Walters is dying, and before she goes she has one wish—to find a groom for her daughter. To get the deed done, Mama enlists the dating service of Jack Somerset, Allison’s former boyfriend.

The last thing corporate-climbing Allison wants is a husband. Furious with Mama’s meddling, and a bit more interested in Jack than she wants to admit, Allison agrees to the scheme as long as Mama promises to search for a cure for her terminal illness.

A cross-country trip from Nevada to Ohio ensues, with a string of disastrous dates along the way, as the trio hunts for treatment and A Groom For Mama.

You can find A Groom for Mama on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

A Writer’s Garden–Garden Upheaval by Tina Susedik

Tags

A Writer's Garden, author/gardener Tina Susedik, Darlings of Deadwood series, flowers, gardens, historical romance, The Balcony Girl, The School Marm

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 Tina Susedik. Tina will be sharing about all the upheaval in this year’s garden. Welcome, Tina!

It’s nearly the end of the growing season, and this one has been interesting. I’ve written in past blogs about how much I’ve moved in my life and had to start new gardens all the time. Well, this year we didn’t move but . . . we had a new driveway and a larger front porch put in. What did that mean? Well, it meant digging up plants once again. Tulips, bushes, crocuses, etc. etc.

The work started in April when things were just starting to come up. 

 

 

 

 

 

I had to move the plants and bulbs to a different garden. When the work was done, I had to move them back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of my poor bushes were then moved once more when I didn’t like where I’d put them.

 

I only lost one of them, but took all summer for it to give up the ghost. I’m hopeful it may decide to surprise me and return in the spring. My tulips were rather sad and my crocuses, well, let’s just say, next year.

I also started a new flower bed in the front yard. It is in an area where grass doesn’t want to grow, so digging it up wasn’t hard at all. I planted lots of flowers which thrived – along with tons of grass. I’m not sure why grass grew when none had before. Weird

 I got a lot of compliments from walkers as they passed our house. Then the deer hit this fall. Chewed down my giant marigolds. Took out my black-eyed susans and I don’t know what else. I’m going to have to do something for next year.

My tomato plants were huge this year, growing as tall as the garage roof. Good old cow manure did the trick. I have tons of cherry tomatoes now and hope they all ripen before the cold hits. I’ve had to cover them a couple of times already.

I love my new porch and driveway. This winter I’ll be dreaming of how much better my gardens will look last year and research how to keep out the deer. Have a wonderful year. I’ll see you all next growing season.

 

About the Writer/Gardener:

Tina Susedik has loved flowers and gardening for as long as she can remember. Wherever she has lived, and it’s been many, many places, she has tried to make her surroundings filled with flowers. She is a multi-published, award-winning author in both fiction and non-fiction, covering children, military, history, and romantic mysteries. She also hosts her own radio show with Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. Twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 2:00 Central, she interviews authors in all genres. The title of her show – what else – “Your Book Garden.”

Connect with Tina on her Website and Blog,  Amazon Author Page, Facebook, or Twitter @tinasusedik

The School Marm, book 2 in Tina’s Darlings of Deadwood series, is set to release November 23rd. Look for it on Amazon. In the meantime, check out book one of the series: The Balcony Girl

Can a secret tear them apart, or bring them together?

When Julia Lindstrom and her sister, Suzanna move to Deadwood, South Dakota in 1879, she never expects to meet her future husband, secretly befriend the madame of a brothel, and help in a disaster.

Daniel Iverson followed the gold rush to Deadwood only to find out he hated it. Now working as a lawyer, he defends ladies of the evening and investigates why men are getting sick. Meeting Julia Lindstrom was an added bonus. But can a secret to she holds tear them apart?