Roses Arrived Last Night

My 11 David Austin roses arrived last night!

I was so excited- like a kid in a candy store- opening this box that weighed 50 lbs. to find my roses in there!  And my husband laughed at my enthusiasm over rose bushes.  

What can I say?  I am looking forward to having beautiful and fragrant roses in my back yard.  Some people get excited about sports, like my husband.  And I get excited whenever spring is on the brink of emerging, so I can enjoy gardening all spring and summer!  Sports are one of my husband's passions-and gardening is mine. 

So as soon as the threat of frost is gone these babies are going in there designated spot in the garden!

The greatest gift of the garden is the restoration of the five senses.

~Hanna Rion

The Preparation and Anticipation of Spring

Here is an update on my selections for our backyard!

Gerbera Daisy and Vinca Minor (Periwinkle)

These are nice to look at while doing the dishes.  It's good to see some color again!  Once it warms up they will be going outside.   

I have ordered a few plants off of my favorite nursery sites, here are a few...

Sweet Nectar Nursery- Specializes in plants and shrubs that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Lonicera Mandarin (honeysuckle)

As a child I always remembered having honeysuckle in the backyard.  My father and I would spend a summer afternoon tasting the sweet nectar of the honeysuckle.  One of the many great memories I have with my father.  So I really wanted this plant to be in our backyard as a reminder of that and to pass that down to my (future) children.

Pink Double Delight Coneflower

I thought this was a beautiful coneflower compared to most coneflowers and just had to have it.  Coneflowers are extremely drought and heat tolerant.  Perfect for summers in Georgia.

Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile/African Lily)

I thought these blooms were stunning and thought it would be a great addition to the backyard.

Spring Hill Nursery- a nursery I order from on a regular basis

Harlequin Hydrangea

Hydrangeas are one my favorite shrubs and this one is so unique with its white tipped petals, so I got 2!

Purple D'Oro Daylily

I love daylilies!  There are so many different colors and styles of daylilies, and they are very easy to grow.  The Stella D'Oro's I planted last year have already popped up- no blooms yet of course.

Double Decker Coneflower

A very unusual coneflower, drought and heat tolerant!

Clara Curtis Daisy

Like the Shasta daisy, but is fall bloomer.  

David Austin Roses

 Portmeirion

Ordered 3 of these shrubs.

Heritage

and 3 of these...

Pat Austin (named after David Austin's wife)

and ordered 3 of these...

L.D. Braithewaite

I had to get one red rose bush!

Evelyn

I just couldn't resist this beauty.

Alright, so this is what I have ordered so far.  I am eagerly awaiting their arrival along with spring!  I am trying to get as much color as possible in the back yard.  I think I am headed in the right direction so far.  As for now prepping the soil for these plants and shrubs is on my to do list.

It is so much fun making something new and beautiful!

I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to.

- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Walking With God Daily

I am going to spit it out-I have come up short with my daily walk with God.  One reason why I created this blog was to have a way to journal about my walk with God and to encourage myself to follow His lead everyday.  Cause lately I have really fallen short.  I am hoping to turn a new leaf and begin reading a devotional in the morning  so I can start walking with Him again!  Right now I feel sort of lost in the shuffle of the mundane routine everyday and I need a way out.  Not only am I feeling convicted about this, but I feel like the devil has had me in a stronghold over this for quite sometime.  

I just haven't made time for a quiet moment with God.  Okay I got it off my chest.

This morning I read Beth Moore's online devotional "Walking With God Daily".  God always knows what you need and when you need it!

"O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you.  Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress."

Isaiah 33:2

How I long for God!  I long for His presence, to know Him, to please Him.  But I am so WEAK.  I have felt weak and have forgotten to ask Him for help.  I have forgotten that I need to follow Him.  I have fallen in the trap of asking God to follow MY ways, hoping he will bless me along MY journey.  I have to constantly remind myself now that I am a follower of Christ it is He who will lead us on the path He has laid for us.  His path is pure and true!  My own path will lead to destruction. 

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

At this moment I know all I need to do is pick up my feet and walk with Him.  Pick up the Bible in the morning and read His Word before I go to work- setting all internal excuses and hindrances aside.  The more I learn from Him in His Word, the more likely I will walk with Him daily.  And let's not confuse consistency with perfection.

 " Walking consistently does not mean walking perfectly. It means we may stumble, but we will not fall!"

Beth Moore

Lily, My Niece, Has Arrived!

What a cute face huh?  She was born on Feb. 12, 8 lbs. 10 oz., 21 in. long and already smiling!  The more I look at the pictures I think she looks like Brian when he was a baby.  I am so glad she is here! Enjoy the photos!

This weekend

Scott has been sick with the flu all weekend. Poor guy!  He never gets sick.  Friday night he was running a fever of 103 and it would go down for a bit, then go back up!  I think we are taking a trip to the doctor tomorrow if he doesn't get much better by tomorrow morning.  So I have been the good wife, taking care of my husband's every need!  We had to cancel all of our weekend plans- which is okay, not going to lie, it was nice to stay home and get things done around the house!  So I spent a lot of time working out in the yard when Scott was resting.  I hope he gets better soon, and I hope that he doesn't pass it onto me!

Just the Beginning...

So here is what I have to start off with!  A clean slate.  This is just one side of the house, but I have already transplanted my knockout rose bush next to the cherry tree and planted some new irish moss, golden scotch moss, and georgia blue (pictures to come).  The hill has also been covered in pine straw and I transplanted 10 evergreen bushes and 2 butterfly bushes- it looks very nice!  I have a lot more to do though.

Today I ordered 11 David Austin rose bushes which I can't wait to receive and get into the ground!  Can you tell I am a little eager for spring to get here?  This growing season, I have a feeling, is going to be great!  Scott and I will be making our way to the growers outlet in Loganville in the next couple of weeks to stock up on some good cheap plants.  As for now I am just busting my tush digging up plants I no longer want and transplanting the already overcrowded ones to the back yard.  I'm so glad gardening is my stress reliever!

Quote of the Day

I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.

~Emma Goldman