Friday, August 26, 2016

Ode to Flowers in my August Garden


Oh, August,.......such a bittersweet month! 

Cool, misty mornings, glaring hot afternoons, 
 and long, languid evenings of soft, diffused light, 


We are enjoying the ripe abundance 
of the gifts of nature in these 
lovely, golden days of late summer. 




I try to capture each and every day; 
gathering the harvest of warm, summer memories
to nourish my spirit during the 
cold months ahead -
 embracing the gentle, warm breeze
that brings the scent of roses........
so that in my mind it will forever be. 


I want to remember the gentle meadow 
flowers who ask so little
but give so much joy. 


When snowflakes fall, 
I'll recall the fairy flight of 
floating seeds on a late summer day. 


The memory of the fuchsia ballet
 will ensure a ticket to next summer's grand opening. 


Something to look forward to.......


I'll remember familiar faces 
- old and new - 
as I sit by the fire, dreaming
of summer days. 


Black-Eyed Susan Vine - a new friend 
this year.



Along with Canary Bird vine.


Ready to take flight among the nasturtiums.

I grew all of these sweet vines from seed this year.
xoxo



I'll dream of delicately scented sweet pea and nasturtium -
in vivid color, of course. 



Flowers that bring the August sunshine 
down to earth leave a bright memory behind. 


Tansy will grace my home with Moth Repellent Sachets
 to remind me of fragrant afternoons
tending the garden.





When cold north winds are
making me shiver,
and everything is covered in white,
I'll remember white flowers
on a balmy August day. 


The beauty of late summer 
is bittersweet, indeed. 


We know the time is short.....


So we must enjoy each and every moment.


Storing up the memories
for a cold winter day. 


xoxo

I hope you are gathering up sweet memories of your own, 
Dear Friends, on these last, lovely, languid days of August!

xoxo



"It would be worthwhile having a cultivated garden
if only to see what Autumn does to it."
-Alfred Austin-
The Garden That I Love (1894) 


"A garden is never so good as it will be next year."
-Thomas Cooper-
Horticulture Magazine 



"With a garden, there is hope."
-Grace Firth-
American naturalist


38 comments:

  1. This was a beautifully written post and your photographs are wonderful. Your flowers are so pretty. I am a bit tired of the hot, super humid weather we are having here right now, but I know in February I will be longing for it.

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  2. Your writing is such a joy...I enjoy your blog and am so glad I found it. You describe the waning days of summer so well. Isn't it great we bloggers have a way to go back and see the pictures and read the words that bring the seasons back?

    I've always wanted to grow the Black Eyed Susan vine, and each spring I forget. Do you think I can tie a string around my pinky and keep it for the next 7 months? ;-D

    Jane

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  3. Your lyrical words, Karen and your glorious photos of floral beauty are a joy to behold. Sweet memories indeed, to keep you through those icy wintry days ahead. You have the loveliest of gardens.

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  4. More lovely words and photos to inspire . You are so right making the most of these days. Hopefully we will have a good September , October ahead of us to shorten our winter a little. Something tells me you winters are much harder than ours. Enjoy! B xx

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  5. Lovely post Karen.
    Still so many beautiful blooms in your garden and what a brilliant way to look back and remember in the cold days of Winter.
    Have a wonderful Weekend with hugs from us :)x

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  6. Oh, August... <3 Thank you for this lovely post!

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  7. You sure have a Beautiful garden with all the Lovely flowers. Here it's been so dry, it's hardly no flowers left in bloom.
    Hope you'll have a nice Saturday.
    Love Elzie

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  8. Your roses, well actually all your flowers are fabulous. Gorgeous photos! :)

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  9. Hello, your flowers and gardens are just beautiful. I just love the fuschia. The roses are lovely. I am not ready to let summer go. Beautiful post and photos. Have a happy weekend!

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  10. What beautiful photos and sweet words as you live each of these last of summer days. It would be nice to have more of a change in the seasons down here in s.e. FL, but alas. I'll have to enjoy the changes through your blog and others.

    Have a nice weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  11. Karen, you have many different flowers in your area of Washington. The fuchsia ballet is so interesting. I've never seen that before. The daisies are sweet. I planted daisies in my garden and they didn't do so well, not sure why. I really like the white flowers on your deck, they're pretty. And aaahhh, the Roses. What a lovely soft pink color they are after time. There's just something about the Rose that gets to me. They are beautiful, and sturdy flowers as well, and they go way back in history, which makes me love them even more.

    I know you will remember all your splendid flowers when Autumn and Winter come around. I didn't realize it snowed that much there, how wonderful. Your posts are always like a breath of fresh air to me, Karen. Thank you, dear.

    ~Sheri

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  12. This was a beautiful ode to your August garden. There are still lots of flowers there for you to enjoy and to capture their warm memories in your heart against the cold and dark to come. Beautiful!

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  13. My garden is huge right now and the black-eyed susans are 6 ft tall!

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  14. Oh your first photo with the blue bird bath reminded me of one we had in a garden a few years back now ... the birds loved it and it was always lovely to sit and watch them.

    A great series of photo's ... we must all enjoy these last days of Autumn, nature offers us some great sights.

    Enjoy your weekend, here in the UK it's a three day 'bank holiday'

    All the best Jan

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  15. Thomas Cooper's quote is my hope....better next year! Too much heat for my gardens to grow properly. I usually love my gardens in August but this year I just have my black eyed susans and my succulents, new this year and doing great. Your flowers are thriving! All the rain has made your gardens heavenly!

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  16. Beautiful garden. I have some of the same thoughts about my garden as you stated in this blog. Thanks for sharing.

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  17. Karen, oh such beautiful blooms! How wonderful to capture these extraordinary photos. It warms the heart for sure! Have a beautiful weekend!

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  18. And a lovely garden...
    Love from Titti

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  19. Karen, your garden is beautiful in every season!
    Happy Sunday

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  20. It's beautiful how you put every word and pictures of your garden. The view really refreshing mind and soul and I wish I could do yoga around your house hehe :)
    Have a wonderful weekend my friend.
    Blessing,
    Delvalina

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  21. There is so much beauty, Karen, in your words and your photos. Your first photo should be framed! I'm impressed with all that you've grown from seed. Happy Sunday to you, enjoying the loveliness of your garden.

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  22. your gardens are so pretty karen, mine have been a little neglected and are lacking the love i usually provide to them. i won't miss the hot temperatures of summer but i will miss all the butterflies, dragonflies and beautiful flowers when they are gone. i sure do wish there were a place to live where it always looked and felt like spring!!!!

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  23. I am in total agreement with you Karen. I was thinking the same thing early this morning as I sat on my patio "won't be doing this much longer, must savour that gentle breeze and warmth while it lasts". My garden has been neglected this summer due to other commitments, but your flowers look amazing!! You must tend to those beautiful blooms very well, and I feel some regret at not having spent more time tending to my poor plants this year. In this regard I have to agree with your Thomas Cooper quote ;)
    Wendy

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  24. Dearest Karen,
    With so many poets and writers, you contributed your own garden poem.
    What an abundant harvest of beautiful flowers you've enjoyed over the summer!
    We never would be able to see that here in the hot Georgia region of the south east.
    How much I would love to...
    But it is a joy to stop by here and indulge in lovely photos and text.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  25. Dear Karen, your August GArden is wonderful !Now I have ssen, which flowers we both have in our gardens, so I can thnink of you, when I see them :O) Thank you for your so kind words, wishing you a wonderful and happy new week,filled with Love and Joy!
    hugs and blessings to you, ma friend, Claudia xo

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  26. The summer of 2016 is passing. Your flowers remind me of my joyful summer days in nature.

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  27. That pot belly stove is so cute painted. Thanks for the comment, I love your garden and roses. yvonne

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  28. Such a lovely post filled with such wonderful Beauty, yes we need to soak every bit of it up now, it won't be long and winter will be setting in, so good to get out there and capture all the summer time beauty you can and you have done a wonderful job of it!! Have a great week!

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  29. It's ok your warm days are coming our way, we will enjoy them! I must admit it is lovely living in a country where winter is not so extreme :) Your hard work in the garden has paid off, your beautiful flowers repaying your love and attention with their cheerful blooms!
    Wren x

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  30. What a beautifully written post Karen. Your flowers are so lovely. Myself, I dream of beautiful autumn days and cozy winter ones. The heat and humidity are not so much to my liking. But if I had such a garden as yours . . .
    We have hardly been outside this summer; it's been so hot and humid. A Michigan autumn is the BEST!! and I'm really looking forward to it.
    But what lovely flowers you have there. The fuchsia plant is beautiful. Enjoy these last days! xo Deborah

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  31. Lovely, lovely post, Karen! Your gardens are beautiful, as is your writing!

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  32. How beautiful to see all your lovely Summer garden blooms and how wonderful to grow all those fabulous vines from seed...lots of memories to sustain warm thoughts for when the colder days arrive. Tomorrow is the first day of Spring here in Oz...it's been a long, grey, windy Winter.

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  33. Tis sad to know it will all be gone soon. I'm not ready for it to fade away. With the hot and humid summer and our remodel ongoing I feel as though it has passed me by...Your garden is beautiful and so are your words.

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  34. Such a beautiful, beautiful garden, Karen! I look forward to having a garden again!

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  35. Your flowers always look so amazing Karen! It is hard though to believe that summer is nearly at its end. How fast the time passes

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Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are important to me and are very much appreciated. xx Karen

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