Shhhh! Don’t tell any of my other columbine flowers, but Aquilegia vulgaris ‘Winky Double Rose White’ is one of my personal favorites. Winky is a demure, double-flowered beauty who proudly holds her pretty face upward for all to see, rather than nodding downward like many of her columbine cousins. Her charming blooms feature crimson red outer petals with ruffled layers of rose-pink and creamy white inner petals and bright yellow pollen-bearing stamens.
She keeps on returning every spring, even though I mistakenly planted her a few years ago on the edge of a garden path which receives strong afternoon sun. Columbine really prefers to grow on the edge of a somewhat shady woodland environment. I’m so thankful to see that she has finally seeded herself around a bit, so I will be sure to relocate a digging or two of the pretty little seedlings to a shadier location in the hopes that she will form another amazingly gorgeous colony.
Spring flowering bushes and trees have such a short window of time to strut their stuff in Wisconsin. Just as they are beginning to unfurl their lovely petals, showcasing vibrant colors that attract the attention of passersby, this week’s weather is challenging them to the max with tornadic storms and an excess of ground-soaking rain that threaten to damage their delicate blooms.
Star magnolia I call her ‘Miss Carol’Magnolia ‘Elizabeth’
To make spring gardening even more challenging, tonight’s trial will include a cold snap that has the potential to dip below freezing. A freeze will undoubtedly bring an abrupt halt to the magnolia’s pageantry of colorful blossoms. My experience has been that some of the unopened buds may survive, but her beautiful flowers will be marred by browning of the petals.
Wisconsin may not be the most hospitable state in which to grow magnolias, but the hope of enjoying their exquisite floral charm keeps this midwest gardener from giving up. Each spring, I find myself eagerly anticipating the moment when the buds begin to swell and hint at the beauty to come. Though fleeting in nature, the magnolia’s graceful charm causes me to stop, take notice, and appreciate this amazing creation of our wonderful Creator. April draws me out of my comfy chair near the window overlooking the garden and into the outdoors to nurture my garden with care. As I work, these magnificent blooms remind me of resilience and the power of God’s creation to inspire hope and joy, even in the face of adversity.
After a very long writing hiatus, I am excited to say that today I’m rejoining the Six on Saturday group! It’s truly a lovely corner of the internet, filled with passionate gardeners who share their creativity and love for gardening. Each week, many talented bloggers post 6 recent garden photos, showcasing their beautiful blooms, vibrant veggies, and inventive garden spaces. If you’re looking to connect with fellow garden enthusiasts and discover new gardening ideas, you have landed in the perfect place! Here is the link for those who’d like to come join us for a virtual garden stroll:
Daylilies reign supreme in the garden during the sultry months of July and August. On this last day of August, the flowers of my summer garden are putting on their final show. Daylilies have moved out of the spotlight giving the hydrangeas and zinnias their chance to shine, but here’s a little sampling of their beautiful performance.
Somewhere in Fitchburg Wisconsin there is a barefoot gardener standing in her flowerbeds giving the 2025 daylily performance a standing ovation.
“Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” ~ Luke 12:27 (ESV)
Flowers blooming in our garden are one of my favorite things to photograph. To my eye, even the buds just waiting to open hold a special kind of beauty. The too numerous to count buds intrigue me with the anticipation of the beauty yet to come as they await their unfurling. If the buds whisper His name, the glorious unfurling of the blooms shouts and cries out, “See! See my design? Take a look at the intricacy of my petals! Take a deep breath and bask in my aroma! Praise be to God, the Master Designer and Creator!”
Throughout the summer I have been spending snippets of time reading a beautifully written devotional, The Well-Watered Woman–Rooted in Truth, Growing in Grace, Flourishing in Faith, by Gretchen Saffles. The pictures she paints with her words make me feel like Gretchen is walking me through a garden and pointing out spiritual truths to be gleaned, much as Jesus did as He walked with his disciples.
“Waiting for flowers to bloom brought anticipation to my heart after a season of loss. Each day I looked forward to checking for signs of change. Through that process of slow growth, God showed me that sorrow and darkness don’t last forever. Even in death, God can bring about life.”
Gretchen Saffles, The Well-Watered Woman
“The well-watered woman doesn’t put off living as she waits for “someday,” she knows her mission is now and she lives with Gospel purpose guiding her every step.”
~ Gretchen Saffles, The Well-Watered Woman
“As we behold the beauty of God in Scripture and in creation, our hearts are sparked to praise his name, both now and forever. Every sunrise, every sunset beckons us to set aside distractions to enjoy the best part—praising our faithful, righteous, steadfast, glorious God.”
“In our quest for a fruitful life, it’s important to remember that blooms aren’t continuous. They come and go, but that doesn’t mean the moments in between are unnecessary or less important. Blooms result from the faithful labor done in the planting, the rooting, the growing, and the waiting. You can’t enjoy a flower without the long process that brought it to that point.”
Stumbled upon some photos I took back in February of 2024. In Wisconsin, February is generally not known for Spring-like weather, but that’s just what we got during the second week of the month. How wonderful it felt to have the sun shining on me as I puttered about in my flowerbeds. It seemed to me that the animal kingdom was sensing the return of spring, with a nearby pond filled with geese returning from their winter migration.
Our locust tree seemed to decide to shower us with more than the usual boatload of seed pods. Since the weather was warm and relatively dry, I spent a little time raking and filling big Rubbermaid bins with the unsightly mess. Four bins to be exact. The next day my hubby joined me in raking up seed pods, creating two very large piles. Apparently, there is a name for this overzealousness in producing seed pods–it’s called a “mast seeding event” and can be attributed to our wacky winter weather.
It’s a yearly battle. Now, two years later, we’re creeping up on the month of August, and my frequent weeding adventures still yield numerous seed pods and little locust seedlings.
I will admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed by this tree’s propensity for making a mess. Then, I survey the plants beneath it happily thriving in its dappled shade, and I’m a little less annoyed by the inconvenience.
Our locust tree
It’s pretty warm and humid outside today, so I sit on my garden bench and take a little break from weeding. As if in apology for all the mess, the locust tree hugs me with its cooling shade as I sit beneath its branches enjoying the peace of my little backyard.
The peony love continues in my Wisconsin garden with Peony ‘Gold Standard’ taking center stage today. The frilly central bomb of golden yellow staminodes is a perfect jewel to accent the sweet creamy white guard petals of the Japanese-form blossoms.
Peony (Paeonia x lactiflora ‘gold standard’)
Two of these beauties grace my mailbox garden. Their arresting beauty and light fragrance stop passersby in their tracks. Like most peonies, she enjoys basking in full sun, but would be just fine in part shade.
Her annual show begins in late May or early June with each beautiful blossom lasting a week or two.
It’s always a bit sad when her floral show ends, so I usually cut a few of the unopened buds to save in my fridge. I choose buds that have a little marshmallow-like squish to them, then wrap a few of them up in a dampened paper towel, slip them into a Ziplock bag, then store them in a refrigerator drawer.
The “marshmallow squish” test
A few weeks later, I remove a stem or two from the bag, give the stem end a fresh cut, then display it in a bud vase and wait for the petals to open. It’s definitely worth the effort to extend the ‘peony love’ out for a few more weeks.
There is great joy in my heart and a smile on my face when I first spy the Itoh peonies opening. Itohs are a hybrid cross between tree peonies and herbaceous peonies. I love their sturdy stems that can stand up to heavy rains. This deep pink peony opened on Sunday.
This sunshine yellow peony unfurled the petals of her first flower today.
They both hold the promise of many more blooms yet to make their debut. Which color is your favorite?
Stepping outside my door this chilly morning donned in a cozy flannel shirt and my garden visor was an absolute pleasure. Taking notice of the glorious array of spring flowers in my neighborhood brought me 40 minutes of great joy. Let me share with you a little peek at some of the beauty I most enjoyed.
Daffodil Frills
Dainty daffodils Tiny and sweet Such pretty frills
This is a painful (literally) and somewhat embarrassing post for me to write. I’m not writing it for sympathy comments; rather, my hope is that it will be a reminder to gardeners everywhere.
Sun is a friend of your flowers, but not a friend of your skin.
Barefoot Lily Lady 