The Renewed Heart of Spring

May 12, 2025May 12, 2025Leave a comment

The comfortable, sunny weather of May in Maryland’s gardening zone 8 welcomes spring blooms. I’ve enjoyed nurturing my plant babies these past few weeks. Watching them sprout and recently bloom brings a bright smile to my face. The tiny pink dianthus (aka carnations) and large lush peonies bloomed this week while my roses began displaying their vibrant colors within the past two weeks. Eternal Flame (yellow), Ebb Tide (purple/magenta), Bolero (white) boasts vibrant colors and exquisite fragrance! The songbirds have three separate nests hidden throughout this garden full of life. Last year, my lambs ear suffered from die back due to too much rain. It looked rather unsightly for quite some time. This spring, however, the lambs ear resurrected stronger than ever and in the lovely form of a heart (center of the collage photo). Perhaps the lesson of the heart-shaped lambs ear could be sometimes areas of our lives need to die back or be pruned before we can be reborn or renewed with a perfected heart. Glorious spring, without fail, always triumphs over the harsh winter. Renewed hope is the heart of Spring.

It’s a… It’s a Baby Praying Mantis!

May 20, 2024May 19, 2024Leave a comment

While lounging on my back porch this past weekend, I discovered minuscule insects crawling on a black patio table as well as on two candles placed on the table. After close inspection of these critters that were no bigger than a dime, I realized they were baby praying mantis! In total, I found five crawling around my patio furniture. Last summer, there was an adult praying mantis crawling on my steps, which lead to the garden from my back porch, but I haven’t seen an adult one since. Needless to say, I have been in awe while observing these little ones. Praying Mantis are considered good bugs in the garden ecosystem, and they will devour plenty of damaging insects.

What is a lesson we can learn from the Praying Mantis? Perhaps the lesson is when we take the time to pray, listen, and be discerning in our movements, we can overcome much!

Peonies – May 2024 – Gardening Zone 8a

May 19, 2024Leave a comment

Within these last couple of weeks of May, my peonies have exploded in hues of pink and divine aroma! Peonies are once-blooming perennials, which seems like a juxtaposition. The luscious, fragrant blooms last a few weeks while the foliage remains a vibrant, shiny green until late fall when they need to be cut down so the plant will rebloom the following year. In my gardening zone of 8a here in Maryland, peonies bloom typically in May.

What can we learn from the peony? Our talents and giftings take time and maintenance to cultivate; moreover, they aren’t necessarily meant to be showcased all year long but rather in an appointed season.

You Grow Girl!

April 26, 2024April 26, 2024Leave a comment

The hostas are unfurling and the shrubs are stretching their limbs as everything is awakening from the sleepy winter here in Maryland’s gardening zone 8a. I’ve also been amazed at how rapidly my peonies are growing. I added plant supports that I purchased from Amazon to help support the billowing pink blooms soon enough. Once the peonies are past their peak, I plan on moving the plant support stakes over to my Shasta daisies later in the summer. At the moment, the daisies are only about six inches in height but I know in time they will grow to be nearly two feet tall. I intentionally avoided the grid-style plant support stakes so I could use these rounded ones in different areas of the garden if needed. I have immensely enjoyed seeing the growth of the peonies and hostas in recent days. The peonies have grown so much you can’t even see the support stakes!

The plant support stakes are camouflaged among the peony stalks.

I also recently added affordable, custom eight-inch metal garden tags purchased from Specialty Garden Markers to identify my roses by name and variety at just $1.50 each. They arrived in a week and were easy to place in front of each rose. Meanwhile, my fragrant, yellow hybrid tea rose known as ‘Eternal Flame’ was the first rose to bloom in my garden, reminding me first and foremost, to keep my mind focused on the Eternal and less on the insanity of this world. This rose bush is nearly as tall as me already! I look forward to propagating it and a few others from my garden after their first flush of blooms – I’m going to try anyway!

The pink dianthus and lavender I recently planted have taken root and are blooming beautifully. I look forward to seeing them bloom in full force as the weeks go on. I’ve staggered the pink dianthus in between the lavender to create a romantic border. In a different, distant bed, one yellow lily has exploded in color but for the most part, my various plants are growing and loaded with buds. I look forward to seeing my garden burst forth soon in hues of yellow, pink, purple, and white.

While my garden is exploding in growth, I, too, am growing spiritually as I continue to study Torah/Tanakh, and I’m also expanding my education as I am about to embark on my next college course while working full-time.

Everything is growing good in my life. I guess you could say, “You grow, girl!”

The Physical and Spiritual Movement in the Wake of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse

March 28, 2024March 28, 2024Leave a comment

I am processing this unbelievable event of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing while contemplating the physical and spiritual mayday, the physical and spiritual urgent movement to soon follow, and the physical and spiritual shaking that some will experience.

The Book of Job teaches us nothing happens without God’s permission. Some events manifest as a consequence and sometimes events are for a greater divine purpose and many times unexpected events are for our refinement and ultimate benefit. God is the ultimate Harbormaster. Ponder these uncanny facts: The ship’s name that collided with our beloved bridge, means ‘Drawn up of God’. I interpret that to mean designed by God or destined or planned by God. Additionally, the infamous ship’s registered owner is ‘Grace Ocean Private, Limited’. Consider passages in the Bible that teach us tragic events and inconvenient restrictions are often for our benefit as well as a bigger picture beyond our limited perspective. Sometimes devastating events are an unimaginable act of grace, albeit terribly painful – especially for the loved ones of those now abruptly taken. Perhaps this unimaginable event is indeed an act of grace. Perhaps something far sinister had been planned, but this thwarted evil.

Furthermore, I see with this port disaster and the ripple effect to soon follow, Baltimore is being shuffled as people will be relocating. Did you notice President Biden used the phrase we’ll “move heaven and earth” to open the port and rebuild the bridge? Many felt secure, unmovable, in their livelihoods and homes like a steel bridge with concrete piers. Some may have been called to other things but out of fear resisted. They’ve been at the same job or home for years and comfortable as things were but sometimes GOD moves heaven and earth to transport us to where He wants us to be for our benefit. With this event, some will change jobs and homes due to a suddenly inconvenient commute or loss of a job. Others will move because homes will foreclose with the loss of port jobs and the broad economic ripple to follow. Others will move into the Baltimore region to rebuild and some will move out of the region to look for work elsewhere or move out for other reasons. Expect physical and spiritual relocation packages as a result of this collapsed icon.

As challenging as this is for us in Baltimore and the wider region, may we learn to trust not man or our well-intended plans, but trust in God’s plan. Let us learn to go when God says to go and to start anew when God dispatches or as the Baltimore dispatcher declared at the moment the bridge collapsed, “start, start, whoever, everybody!” Physical urgent movement is starting for our spiritual and physical benefit. Selah.

{photo credit: John Diven, 2017}

It’s OK To Not Always Be Ever-Blooming ~ Spring Always Arrives

February 6, 2024Leave a comment

Although this website is designed to encourage the gardener’s soul to be “ever-blooming”, it’s okay to not always be “ever-blooming”. It’s okay to feel wilted, physically, mentally, and or spiritually. It’s okay to hibernate in dormancy to rest, replenish, and process all that’s happened up to this point. We all have days, weeks, seasons, or even years when the elements of this world seem to drown us in “atmospheric rivers” as gardeners in California may be experiencing this week. Should you find yourself in a challenging proverbial winter, just remember spring always arrives. For the gardeners in the Northern Hemisphere, we have just six weeks to wait. New beginnings will bloom… new life will spring forth… as will you and I.

Eight Weeks

January 25, 2024April 4, 2024Leave a comment

Eight weeks till Spring, and rapidly approaching seven! What will you be planting? I’m debating the possibility of adding more flower beds, and more roses to fill the beds, but then the thought of pulling more weeds prompts me to pause. I added three new beds to my garden last year; subsequently, I rotated which bed to weed that particular Sunday. That’s in addition to grocery shopping, laundry, changing the bed linens, and whatever else. Because Saturday is the seventh-day Sabbath, I reserve that for relaxation in or around my garden-themed home. Needless to say, after a busy Sunday, I typically sleep well! Ha! Although I am enjoying the winter weather (pics of my roses buried in snow to come), I enjoy sunny, warm, ever-blooming weather all the more! Eight weeks!

Special Delivery ~ Sachets for Israel

December 14, 2023April 4, 2024Leave a comment

After the terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, I made sachets filled with my homegrown fragrant roses, lavender, and love. I had hoped and prayed that somehow these sachets could reach the hands of those suffering in Israel. There was just one problem: I didn’t know a soul in Israel, nor specific organizations serving those directly impacted. I’ve never even been to Israel. Nevertheless, while pondering sentiments found in Isaiah 35 and listening to the daily news of Israel, I continued to fill the sachets with every last dried petal and lavender bud I harvested in my Maryland rose garden, thinking and praying somehow they could be used for something and someone special.

Many days, many tears, and many prayers pooled while my fragrant sachets awaited purpose in a pink, floral box. Long story short, I learned that a local rabbi would be visiting Israel on a solidarity mission and would be meeting with the families of the hostages. Various donations were welcomed. A smile formed across my face as I realized this could be an answer to my heart’s cry. The rabbi graciously took the remnants of my roses in delicate sachets to Israel. We thought it fitting to deliver my homegrown sachets into the hands of the hurting so that they may be reminded of the promises of God found in Isaiah 35. The promises for the anxious to be strong, to not fear, God is coming for Israel’s eventual requital, recompense, and victory! We talked about how smells and tangible items in our hands help alleviate anxiety and how many of the victims in Israel are from gardening communities (kibbutzim). How fitting to bring them fragrant rose and lavender sachets!

This Shabbat

October 12, 2023Leave a comment

According to news reports, Hamas leaders are calling for a ‘Day of Rage’ / ‘Day of Jihad’ this Shabbat on Friday, October 13, 2023, against all Jews. Authorities worldwide are providing additional security to Jewish communities and synagogues due to heightened tensions.

I photographed this hybrid tea rose known as ‘Love & Peace’ and made this graphic years ago. Indeed, may this Sabbath be full of love and peace.

Please pray for Jews worldwide.

Oseh Shalom | Plant Peace

October 12, 2023April 4, 20241 Comment

~ Oseh Shalom – Plant Peace ~

A Garden-Themed Prayer

by C. Renee Turner

Adonai Tzva’ot (LORD of Hosts/Armies), may You uproot and forever compost antisemitism.

Adonai Tsidkenu (LORD of Righteousness), You prune us, producing and arranging fragrant, vivacious blooms of righteousness.

El Roi (The God Who Sees), nurture and repurpose precious, fallen petals.

Shekhinah (Dwelling Presence of God), plant permeating peace in all souls. May everywhere we are planted become holy ground.

El Shaddai (God Almighty), hedge Your chosen, eternal garden – Yisrael.

Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father, Our King), forgive us for the days we took for granted – Adon Olam; forgive us for missed opportunities to plant peace in one another, in Yisrael, and beyond.

Elyon (God Most High), hear us; heal us. Oseh Shalom. Plant Peace.