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

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A Writer’s Garden–Planting the Next Generation by Claire Gem

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A Writer's Garden, Claire Gem, gardening, gardening with grandchildren, Haunted Voices series, Radishes

 

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, author Claire Gem is sharing some firsts in the garden. Welcome, Claire!

 

Planting the Next Generation

Late one summer, when I was about seven or eight years old, I developed an interest in growing things. I’d been inspired, I’m certain, by the tiny evergreen trees our local library had given out for Arbor Day earlier that spring. My mother helped me plant the sapling. Unfortunately, we didn’t encircle it with any sort of marker. The grass grew tall that summer and my father inadvertently mowed the little tree down.

But the gardening bug had bitten me. Next time, I decided, there would be no chance for failure. Rummaging in our shed I discovered the vegetable drawer from our old refrigerator. A perfect planter, I thought. I set to work with trowel and spade, digging soil from a bare patch at the edge of our property.

Now, what to plant? It was already late August. My mother again came to my aid.

“Radishes are a good choice. They grow very fast and tolerate the cooler nights.”

She bought me a packet of radish seeds, and I painstakingly planted them, one inch apart, in my vegetable drawer. I watered them, and then I waited.

Never mind that I didn’t even like radishes.

Within days I thrilled to see the tiny green shoots emerge from the soil. And grow fast they did. By the time the trees had taken on their bright fall colors, the plants stood several inches tall. Harvest time, Mom said. So harvest we did.

Beautiful, bright red bulbs filled a bowl, and that night, Mom made a salad using the leafy green tops as well as the sliced radishes. Dad raved they were the best radishes he’d ever tasted.

Even I had to admit, they didn’t taste half bad.

Fast forward fifty-odd years. My seven-year-old grandson has been watching the neighbors harvesting from their gardens all summer. He comes to me with a discarded window box the lady across the street was throwing away. It’s already the first of September.

“Can we grow something in this, Grandma?”

The circle of life. History repeats itself. And perhaps, even though he doesn’t like radishes, my grandson will give that first salad a try.

*****

About the Writer/Gardener

Multi-award-winning author Claire Gem loves writing, Persian cats, and watching things grow: Her readership, her work-in-progress, her kitten, and her grandson. Writing is like gardening sometimes—it all starts with a tiny seed of an idea.

Her latest Haunted Voices novel, Electricity, is set in an abandoned mental asylum which was housed in a building that exists to this day on the campus where she works. After a secret tour by an empathic facilities manager, Claire left with goosebumps and nightmares aplenty. She knew the people who lived—and died here—needed to have their story told.

Electricity

by Claire Gem

She’s an electrician starting over with her son. New job. New town. New life.

He’s a coworker who’s interested in more than her ability to run conduit.

The building they’re rewiring was once an insane asylum…but it appears some of the patients never left.

Mercedes Donohue pulled up roots in Atlanta when her marriage imploded. She’s come back to New England, to the place where she was born. Mercy’s focus is to stabilize her teenage son’s life—he took the breakup pretty hard—and to establish her place, gain the respect of Progressive Electrical’s team.

She never expected so many sparks to fly so soon, both on the job and after hours.

Daniel Gallagher has been alone since his fiancé’s death. He’ll never feel that way about any woman again, and certainly won’t try with another independent, strong-willed one. Then Mercy short-circuits his plans.

Although the asylum closed its doors over thirty-five years ago, Mercy & Daniel quickly realize the abandoned building is very haunted.

If you like a heart-melting romance laced with healthy dose of supernatural thrills and chills, you’ll love Electricity.

 

***

Claire has also compiled a collection of her creepy short stories for a Kindle Short Read called Enigmata: Eerie Bits Books 1. It’s on pre-order now, release date Sept. 29. Check it out here: https://amzn.to/2kAYM2v

 

Visit Claire at her website.

 

 

 

 

 

Through A Writer’s Garden with Dawn Ireland

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Author Catherine Castle's garden blog, gardening, Highland Yearning, peony care, Picture of peony, Through A Writer's Garden with Dawn Ireland, time travel, Tree Peonies

Tree Peonies

 

People in my village often ask me these days when my tree peonies will be out. (mid May to early June) When I first planted them in the front yard, my husband wondered why. He thought they might not survive the wind blowing down Main Street, or the foot traffic with curious strangers.

We discovered a couple of things when the tall shrubs burst into oversized, pink flowers. (Ten inches or more across.) First, people are curious. Okay, maybe it wasn’t the best idea for drivers to slow down and rubber neck, trying to figure out what they were, but at least there weren’t any accidents, just a few tire squeals. Most plant enthusiasts stopped in the driveway and asked. Now, I only get the occasional question.

Second, I think people respect flowers. Yes, we had a very few who tried to pluck a bloom, hopefully to take home to their mom, but they quickly learned tree peonies have woody stems and the flowers are very hard to pick. I was sad when a couple of persistent admirers kept trying and tore off a branch.

Tree peonies are unique because they will get flowers and leaves in the spring, but if any of those leaves/branches are lost or damaged, no new ones will grow to take their place until the following year. I had hoped I might propagate them using the torn branches, but no such luck, they only start from seed or division.

I also discovered they need a fair amount of sun. (4-6 hrs) For three years, I had a dark pink tree peony I fretted over in the side yard. I’d go out, brush off the snow, mulch it to keep down weeds (be careful with your mulch as it can harbor insects and do damage) and worry that the fertilizer wasn’t right. But, what wasn’t right was the sun.

When I moved the plant to the front, what had been eight inches high, now grew to well over two feet in the first year. (They can reach 4-7 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide.) We need to listen to our plants when they don’t grow and seem to struggle. Be aware, however, that tree peonies, like the bush varieties, don’t really like to be moved, and if you must, do so in the fall. This will give the root system time to develop before the plant has to create leaves and flowers the following spring.

Overall, I love my tree peonies, and I’d highly recommend them to people who have the space, at least partial sun, and neutral or slightly alkaline soil. The plants are long lived and there’s a reason so many painters have used them in portraits.

 

If you’d like to learn more about me, and my new time-travel release, Highland Yearning, please visit:   www.Dawn-Ireland.com

 

A Writer’s Garden–Through the Garden Gates with author Catherine Castle

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A Writer's Garden-Through the Garden gates with writer Catherine Castle, daylily, gardening, Gardening blog, How gardens inspire authors and writers, multilayer petaled daylily

Sweet Remembrances

 

We’ve had a few 60 degrees days mixed in with the 20s here in Ohio, and the most treasured plants I own are beginning to poke tender leaves out of the ground.

photo by Catherine Castle (c)

 

These plants aren’t a fancy hybrid, nor did they cost me tons of money. They were free. This flower, however, is one I have carried from home to home. I’ve even excluded it on the sale contracts of the houses I’ve owned.

Why would I do something like that, you ask?

Because the origins of this humble plant came from the gardens of one of the homes I grew up in. This is a flower my mother carried from house to house when she was alive. Because I love this flower, I followed her lead when I reached adulthood. There are ancestors of this plant in at least four states in the USA, and in the gardens of countless friends to whom I’ve given starts. In fact, when I lived in Texas, my mother dug up some tubers, mailed them to me in November, and when I planted them they popped through the soil and bloomed in January!

Until recently, I had never seen a plant quite like this.

Are you dying to know what it is?

It’s an orange daylily.

But this one, aside from sentimental value, is special because it has layers upon layers of petals.

photo by Catherine Castle (c)

These daylilies normally bloom around the 4^th of July and go into August. But something special happened in its bloom cycle a few years ago. The year my brother-in-law died unexpectedly in June, the flowers burst into blossom a couple of days before he passed. In all the years I’ve had these flowers they have NEVER bloomed before July 4. That year I cut three vases of blooms to place around my brother-in-law’s casket— for myself, my sister, and my daughter to honor his memory.

You might think this silly, but I believe Mom was there, too, honoring my brother-in-law’s memory through the flowers she had treasured for so many years.

Both my daughter and my sisters have Mom’s daylilies in their yards. My nieces and nephews will probably inherit a start of the daylilies when they own their homes. I know as long as a single family member has these flowers the memory of my mother, and eventually me, will never die. Can a gardener have any greater legacy? I think not.

What about you? Is there a special flower that your loved ones will remember you by someday? I’d love to know the story.

Gardener/writer Catherine Castle has been gardening all her life in pots, plots, and wherever she can find dirt. Her favorite thing about gardening is the satisfaction she gets from a well-weeded flowerbed. When she’s not gardening she’s writing sweet and inspirational romance. You can learn more about her at right here on this blog.

To view additional garden posts on this blog search for the category Through the Garden Gates.

A Writer’s Garden–Through the Garden Gates with author Catherine Castle

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A Writer's Garden-Through the Garden gates with writer Catherine Castle, gardening, Gardening blog, How gardens inspire authors and writers

Spring in Catherine Castle’s garden

There are three things I love to do probably more than anything else: Write, garden, and quilt. Over the years I’ve done the first two quite a bit. Quilting has recently become the third love in my creative bent. But gardening and writing have always been at the front.

My gardens, while they have won an award, are not always picture perfect. They have weeds and flaws, but they give me great comfort, inspiration, and satisfaction. Much like I expect your gardens do for you. I have even been known to gasp at gardens I’ve seen in movies, gasping so loud in admiration that my best friend and husband sitting beside me laughed at my response. Gardens–public or private, mine, yours and everyone else’s–will always make me stop and look. I even ooh and aww over a well-designed flowerpot.

As a young woman I would pore over my aunt’s plant catalogues for hours at a time, dreaming of fields of flowers. I have fond memories of my grandmother’s fenced-in vegetable garden in rural Kentucky where she grew everything she needed to can for long, snowy winters when fresh food was scarce. I can still taste her navy bean soup and smell the blackberry jam she put up every summer. And I was often in the garden with my mother as she tended her flowers and vegetables. Every place I’ve ever lived has had flowers or veggies of some sort in the yards or flowerpots. Gardening is a given for me as much as writing. Neither one can be separated from my heart and soul.

Recently, I ran across a book called The Writer’s Garden: How Gardens Inspired our Best-loved Authors by Jackie Bennett and Richard Hanson.

In the book, the authors examine how nineteen well-known British writers such as Jane Austen, Beatrice Potter, Sir Walter Scott, William Wadsworth and others drew inspiration from gardens, how they tended and enjoyed them, and how they managed their outdoor space.

The idea spurred me to create a new feature for my Through the Garden Gate series, showcasing the gardens of fellow gardeners who  happen to be writers. The posts will highlight gardener-writers who may not have reached best-selling acclaim, but love their little patches of Eden or gardens in general. After all, one doesn’t have to be an acclaimed author, like those in the above-mentioned book, to find inspiration among the flowers, vegetables, birds, bees and weeds.

To begin the series, I’ll be talking about my own garden. If you’re a gardener, who is also a writer, or a writer who is also a gardener, and you’d like to be featured on my series, please contact me through the contact page on this blog.

In the meantime, starting next Thursday, I hope you’ll enjoy the posts about my garden and the gardens of my guest bloggers, and how gardening and gardens inspire us.

Happy Digging!

To view additional garden posts on this blog search for the category Through the Garden Gates.

Through the Garden Gates–Playing in the Dirt is Good for You

Tags

gardening, M vaccae bacteria, playing in the dirt, stress reliever, Through the Garden Gates blog

 

photo by Catherine Castle

About ten years ago my daughter bought me a t-shirt and cap that say, “Plays in the Dirt.” Every gardener should have one, in my opinion. Because playing in the dirt is good for you.

 

I’ve always contended that gardening is a fantastic stress reliever. At least it has been for me. I always thought it was the result of the physical activity or the satisfaction I got when I looked back at the bare ground I just rid of its noxious weeds or time spent in the sun listening to the birds chirp and the bees hum. Those things play a big part, but it turns out the real reason is hidden in the dirt.

 

According to an article in the December 2012 Prevention magazine (which I happened to come across as I was culling my magazine pile—yes, I know it’s an old, old magazine. What can I say? I’m a bibliophile), researchers say the secret could lie in the dirt itself. Apparently, there’s a link between a common bacteria (M. vaccae) found in the soil and increased serotonin levels. As gardeners we possibly inhale this bacteria when we dig in the dirt, leaving us less anxious and better able to concentrate.

The drug-like effects of this soil bacteria were discovered by accident about twelve years ago by a doctor named Mary O’Brien. She created a serum out of the bacteria and gave it to lung-cancer patients, in hopes that it might boost their immune systems. Instead, she noticed the hospital patients perked up, felt happier, and had less pain than patients who hadn’t received the bacteria.

Another test with mice, by Dorothy Matthews of The Sage Colleges in Troy, New York, and her colleague Susan Jenks, discovered that mice fed the live bacteria navigated mazes faster than their control counterparts and that the effects of the boost in brain power, while diminished, lasted several weeks.

University of Bristol neuroscientist Christopher Lowry and his colleagues dropped mice into water for five minutes and timed how long it would take for the rodents to stop actively swimming and start floating. Control mice swam for an average of two and a half minutes, while the M. vaccae–injected rodents paddled for four minutes.

I can’t say I feel smarter after gardening, but Lowry’s research might explain the energy boost I get in the garden. That energy that keeps me saying, “I’ll just weed one more row. Fill one more trash bag. Garden one more hour,” long after my original plan of just 30 minutes.  The hubby knows never to believe this mantra, but I keep thinking I’ll accomplish it. And it may also explain why I feel sooo much better when I get out into the garden and work … in spite of the chigger bites, battles with three-foot high weeds, fungal diseases, poison ivy, and those sore muscles I get with marathon, weed-pulling sessions.

I’m sure the researchers are looking for ways to bottle this discovery and turn it into some patented chemical prescription that they will try to sell to us to alleviate our depression or other aliments. After all, you can’t make a profit telling someone to go outside and make a garden.

As for me, I think I’ll stick to just playing in dirt.

Through the Garden Gates The 2013 Heritage Quilt Gardens # 4

Tags

gardening, Heritage Trail Quilt Gardens, Quilts patterns in flowers

Another cold icy day in Ohio and, boy, am I getting tired of it! So, here’s another round of quilt garden photos from the 2013 Heritage Trail Quilt gardens to bring in the spring.  To see blog number 1, 2, and 3 featuring more quilts gardens, just click on the links.

This quilt design is called Weaver Fever and is a popular quilt design in the Amish community. The hardscape, limestone and mulch, provides definition and delineation to the pattern. This was one of the most lush quilt gardens we saw.

Swirling Flowers pattern has a differentiation in height in the circles. The green corners are parsley.

The Elkhart County Courthouse flew a flag on  the lawn. The blue in the upper left hand corner of this Flowering Flag design forms three stars.

Be on the lookout for more pictures from this series. The tour isn’t done yet! But I’m so done with all this winter snow and ice.

How are you coping with this winter?

Through the Garden Gates–Heritage Quilt Gardens #2

Tags

Catherine Castle author, gardening, Heritage Trail Quilt Gardens, pictures of flowers, Quilting

Time for another installment of the Heritage Quilt Gardens. A few weeks ago I posted the first set of photos in this amazing set of gardens found in northern Indiana. Since I haven’t been able to get outside to work in my own gardens because of writing deadlines and guest blogs to promote my book, The Nun and the Narc, I’ve been having garden withdrawal. What better way to treat it than by another look at some beautiful flowers. So, without any further fanfare, here’s the next set of pictures from this year’s Heritage Quilt Garden.

Log Cabin

composed of red celosium, orange zinnia, white begonia, blue Ageratum, wood chips and turf grass.

Dresden Plate

composed of green leaf rose begonia, yellow marigold, white petunias, blue ageratum. turf grass, red leaf rose begonia.

Goose Tracks

composed of violet ageratum, Dusty Miller, red leaf begonia, and pink begonia.

After posting these I want to garden AND quilt, neither of which I have time for now.

Hope you enjoyed this walk Through the Garden Gates!

Lost in Translation

Tags

gardening, humor, language barriers, mistranslations, translation snafus, words

photo from Wikimedia

Translation is the other side of a tapestry—Cervantes

Last week I had a landscaper come in to mulch the hillside garden. It’s a 45-degree, uphill angle that requires young, strong legs. Something I no longer have. Because rain was predicted the landscaper hired a couple of Indian day labors, one who spoke little to no English.

After they had begun dumping mulch on the hillside I remembered I had a hose watering system laid out on the ground. I went to one of the young American guys on the job and told him about the hoses and sprinkler system, requesting that they not bury the system, but lift the hoses and sprinklers and put the mulch beneath them.

A little while later I went out to check on the progress and discovered that the northmost section of hoses had been pulled out-of-place and coiled on the hillside. Immediately I requested, again, that they not remove the hoses and sprinklers.

“Tell them to lift them up, in place, and put the mulch beneath the hoses and sprinklers,” I said.  “They are laid on the hill in specific spots to water certain plants and need to stay where they are.”

I was assured the problem would be corrected, and the landscaper went to the Indian worker who spoke English, relayed my instructions, and told him to tell the other worker.

Satisfied I had made myself clear, I went back to my gardening chores. A bit later, while getting a drink from the kitchen, I looked out the back window at the hillside. The remaining hoses and sprinkler heads hung like green snakes from the tree branches and bushes, near their original locations, but nowhere near what I had asked—at least what I thought I asked. My instructions had been lost in the translation. My husband I spent the next week reworking the watering system and made the best of their error by adding new lines.

The incident got me wondering about translation errors and I did a Google search. Here are a few other translation mishaps that I found interesting and funny.

Ad Slogans that missed the mark

• In China the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan “finger-lickin’ good” was translated as “eat your fingers off.”
• In Taiwan, the Pepsi slogan “Come alive with the Pepsi Generation” was translated as “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead.”
• The Parker Pen ballpoint marketing ads in Mexico were supposed to say, “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” However, the company mistakenly thought the Spanish word “embarazar” meant embarrass. Instead the ads said, “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.”

Mistranslated Signs

• Copenhagen airline – We take your bags and send them in all directions
• Budapest Zoo— Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.
• Hong Kong tailor’s shop—Ladies may have a fit upstairs
• Athens hotel—Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours of 9 and 11am daily
• Tokyo shop—Our nylons cost more than common but they are better for the long run

My little landscaping problem showed me, once again, the importance of words. As Mark Twain once said, The difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the same as that between lightning and the lightning bug. Boy, did I see that firsthand!

Have you ever seen the other side of the tapestry when communicating with someone who wasn’t a native speaker of English? Was it funny, frustrating, or just annoying?

Through The Garden Gates–Introduction to the series

Tags

Catherine Castle, Garden photos, garden quotes, gardening, Gardening blog, romance author

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into–Beecher

As the summer season approaches, I’ve decided to add a new thread to my blog–Through the Garden Gates. Each week I’ll highlight a garden photo or photos from my own garden, the gardens of friends and neighbors, and public gardens I’ve visited, and post one of my favorite garden quotes. Lest you ooh and ahh over the gate at the head of this blog, I can’t take any credit for it, although I would love to have it in my garden. It’s a free download from Microsoft Clip Art.

My garden gate is pictured below as well as some of the first blooms of summer, well, almost summer. I hope you’ll enjoy your trips…

Through The Garden Gates!

Catherine’s garden gate

The perfect Knockout rose bud
photo by Catherine

First Echinacea of the season
photo by Catherine

Dusty Miller ready to bloom
photo by Catherine