Sharing a little glimpse of my garden that makes me happy.
Wishing you a very peaceful day.
Once again this year, I’ll be sharing little glimpses of our gardens. Although so much is growing all the time, there is always a little moment every week that makes me smile extra wide and this is what I want to share with you.
Until now (or rather the last few years), I never fully appreciated what went into growing a plant. Back when we were tending to our small little community garden plot, we used to just drive to the garden centers, pick what we needed and plant it. It was quick, it was simple, it was predictable and safe. But the more we discovered a passion for gardening, the more we started growing our plants from seed. It has been several years of trial and error, but we are finally at a point where about 90 % of all we grow (including flowers) have been started from seed.
With vegetables and annual flowers and herbs, the instant gratification is amazing. In one short season, to see a plant go from pin size seed to bountiful is just mind boggling. But for perennial flowers, it’s a different story : Cold stratification, germination, hardening, establishment and then the wait. To watch a small little inch tall seedling harden off, to watch it fight for life in that first year. To protect its fragile roots in fall. To pray it survives our harsh winters. To anticipate its return in Spring. And finally to be blessed, after a few years with a first bloom. That my friends, this process, is what keeps me going.
This was our first Lupin flower. We have several little ones all over our yard, full of leaves but too young to bloom. But this beautiful plant, 3 years old now, gave us our first vibrant bloom a few days ago and as I type this, 4 more blooms are on the verge of exploding into these beautiful pinks and burgundies. I could stare at it for hours.
How is your garden growing?
Family, Faith, Food and Fabric 
Ever since my mom read me “The Lupin Lady” when I was growing up, I’ve loved lupins. Yours is just beautiful. Enjoy those blooms!
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I’ve never read that book. Might have to look into it. We planted some purple and pink lupins in my daughter’s fairy garden. That might be a fun book to read. 🙂 Thank you for the suggestion!
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Beautiful. I love your garden posts, how much thought you put into your growing. I’ve done seeds and starts, and love both. (Of course i live around the corner from a garden store and it is nearly impossible not to pass by and grab a start or 2 – whether we need them or not!) Glad your hard work is paying off.
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I totally agree… it’s physically painful for me to go into a garden center and come out empty handed. That is where the “90%” thing comes from. 🙂
Than you for your kind words. Last year, my Garden Inspiration posts were pictures only. I wanted to push it a bit further this year. I’m glad you like them. xox
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How lovely! I tried to plant desert lupines and the cottontail rabbits ate them all down to the ground! I think I will try them in the backyard where the rabbits can’t reach them.
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So many critters to compete with in your area. The biggest threat for us is squirrels an a few skunks. 🙂
Would you like seeds? I have TONS!
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I admit to being a garden-center gardener. I have had very little luck with seeds, partly because I haven’t made the commitment needed, I’m sure. But I can definitely appreciate how fulfilling it must be for you to see your effort paying off!
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It,s not just commitment. Honestly, it takes proper equipment, light, the right soil… I wasn’t kidding hen I said we have gotten to where we are through trial and error… lots of error. LOL! I love a good garden center though. The problem with me is non-gmo and heirloom varieties. They are few and far between in our area. Seeds become the only viable option.
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Beautiful flower and so amazing when you think of it’s journey like that. I find seeds incredible things. it’s just amazing that everything that’s needed to turn into a perfect plant is contained in such a tiny space, and that it just does its thing given the right conditions. And we think we’re clever creating smaller and smaller computers, phones, cameras, microchips…
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I 100% agree. The miracle of life in all forms is just the most wondrous thing.
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beautiful lupine! I am waiting for my liatris(es) to bloom, I love them so! I’ve never had luck with lupine but I think they need some shade? We have full sun just about everywhere…and dryness.
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Oooh, how pretty! I had to look up liatris, I didn’t know what they were. I wonder why your lupine is not growing. My mother-in-law told me the same thing. It might just get too hot too quickly. They don’t like heat. But mine is in almost full sun all day and still seems okay. How finicky plants can be sometimes. Maybe you just haven’t found the right genus (there are over 200)…
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so lovely. Our lupines are also blooming for the first time this year. I had forgotten what they were and had to look them up, lol. There is something to be said for dirt under your nails. No therapy can compare.
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I know. My daughter keeps asking me if I’ll ever buy her a pair of gardening gloves… I ask her why she would want them? There is nothing better than getting your hands dirty!
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Magnifique Lupin! Gardening from seeds is the way to go for me too (at least for my vegetables), even if it is not always easy. I too made a lot of trials and errors. I agree that good soil makes a huge difference. I have also learned a lot in the last few years about different kind of bugs and I know I am just at the beginning of that learning curve 😉 Mais j’aime beaucoup le sentiment de faire pousser des légumes à partir de graines. J’apprécie beaucoup plus le résultat final de cette façon. J’ai plus l’impression vraiment jardiner 🙂
I had big expectations for my brussels sprouts last year, but even with great success at the beginning of the growing season, I ended up with a big disappointment at the end of the Summer despite several attempts to start new seedlings… I didn’t try this year. I have decided to put my efforts on things I have more experience with like peas, beans, kale and arugula. And I have mixed results with my leeks… Still need to identify the best variety for my place I guess.
For flowers, I have mostly perennials that were here before me or that our neighbours graciously shared with us 🙂
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Gardening is still to date my greatest and most ongoing achievement. I feel like I’ve come such a long way in the last 10 years. It is (besides my children) what I will look back on with the most satisfaction. To have produced my own food for more than half of my life.
Brussel sprouts are so tricky. We are trying them differently this year (because we have never had success with them either). We will be starting our seedlings indoors in July to plant in early August and harvest in Oct-Nov. We plan on building some cold weather protection over them to try Fall-Winter gardening. We are also thinking carrots, radishes, beet greens, arugula and spinach in that little tunnel. *fingers crossed*
I know what you mean about “shared” perennials. Most of our perennial beds (if not planted from seed) are the result of what was there before and donations. We’ve just moved and reorganized, split and redistributed… But the lupins grow so well here, I’m thinking about putting them just about everywhere! 🙂
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J’aimerais suivre comment vont évoluer tes choux de bruxelles! Les garder à l’intérieur est sûrement une bonne idée pour éviter plusieurs insectes… Ici, en plus des pucerons, j’ai découvert que les pince-oreilles étaient de vrais adeptes de ces petits choux. Comme plusieurs autres types d’insectes en fait. Je comprends maintenant pourquoi ils sont si rares et si chers en version biologiques! Mais on m’a aussi dit qu’ils avaient besoin de fraicheur, et que les nuits extérieures étaient propices à leur croissance… Très compliqué, donc…
Pour les fleurs, j’ai aussi beaucoup trié et déplacé de plantes… Je suis très sélective et ça m’a pris plusieurs années avant d’identifier vraiment ce que je voulais (et ça peut parfois changer au fil de mes découvertes et expériences). Mais ça commence à prendre forme! Patience, patience…
Et désolée si j’oscille entre le français et l’anglais. J’ai appris presque tout mon vocabulaire de jardinage en anglais, alors c’est plus naturel de parler de ce sujet dans cette langue. Mais habituellement j’essaie d’éviter de mélanger les deux dans le même texte!
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Ne t’en fait pas pour la langue. Tu devrais entendre les conversations chez nous! haha!
Je me demande si les choux de Bruxelles se cultiverait en pot? Comme cela, tu peux les recouvrir ou les garder sur le balcon, questions de les éloignés. Cela vaudrait peut-être la peine d’essayer. Je vous garderai au courant de mes aventures! 🙂
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How did I miss this post!? I love lupine (as you saw from my post today). Also, fyi, the lupine last book is called Miss Rumphius and it is definitely worth having in your personal library!
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Oh, that block is stupendous! I will have to purchase it very VERY soon : I’m seeing it as the center of a summer wall hanging. For real, it would be perfect. So very talented.
I found the book thank you! It is officially on my wish list. It sounds just lovely.
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Oui, on m’a déjà confirmé que les choux de bruxelles se cultivaient très bien en pots (suffisamment gros, comme ceux qu’on utilise pour les plants de tomates par exemple). Mais bon, ça n’a pas très bien fonctionné pour moi. Le problème que j’ai eu, c’est que les pinces-oreille (earwigs) adorent se cacher sous les pots et ils sortent la nuit, alors c’est difficile de les attraper. L’an dernier, je suis sortie avec ma lampe de poche à quelques reprises pour les prendre sur le fait…! On a quand même bien rit avec ça 😉 Mais c’est trop de travail pour les résultats que j’ai eu 😉 Ensuite, j’ai eu d’autres problèmes dont je n’ai pas réussi à identifier la cause: quand les plants sont devenus assez gros (environ 30 cm), les feuilles ont commencées à graduellement devenir brunes sur les bords, pour devenir ensuite très cassantes. Et tout a été perdu!
Pour commencer les “seedlings” je pense que tu peux t’y prendre avant juillet sans problème, mais juillet est aussi très bien. Un truc qui aide également beaucoup, ce sont les “companion planting”. Le romarin notamment a fait des merveilles contre les pinces-oreilles après que j’ai réussi à identifier le problème, ce qui m’a pris plusieurs jours et qui m’a coûté plusieurs plants… C’est technique tout ça, mais j’y ai passé beaucoup de temps l’été dernier, alors si ça peut aider quelqu’un, tout n’aura pas été perdu! 🙂
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Merci de tes précieux conseils. Y’a justement des beaux plans de romarin bio au Marché 🙂 Je devrais peut-être investir.
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