Garden Journal

Princes in our Gardens

I have been so intrigued reading Celia Thaxter's

book, 'An Island Garden'. 

She shares beautifully details of her beloved plants as well as the difficulties that face every gardener.

One such are pests - especially slugs.

She described her efforts to fastidiously set out salt and lime rings around her plants to protect them from slugs and to diligently get up each morning to clear them away so as to not damage her flowers.

Then, one of her friends noted that 'everything living has its enemy, the enemy of the slug is the toad'.

Celia said that she 'snatched' at the hope of toads

aiding her in protecting her flowers. She sent a message to her friends on the mainland and groups of boys delightfully captured boxloads of toads to be shipped to her! 

Celia 

describes the moment she opened a box. "among dry and dusty leaves sat three dry and dusty toads, wearily gazing at nothing. Is this all, I thought, only three! Hardly worth sending so far. Poor creatures, they looked so arid and wilted. I took up the hose and turned upon them a gentle shower of fresh cool water, flooding the box. I was not prepared for the result! The dry, baked earth heaved tumultuously; up came dusky heads and shoulders and bright eyes by the dozen. A sudden concert of liquid sweet notes was poured out on the air from the whole rejoicing company".

What a delight - princes for her garden! I know I have toads - I hear them sing and bark in the morning and at night! I want to make my garden a welcoming place for them so I found this site and this site to give me ideas! 

Did you know about toads!? Doesn't it just make you want to laugh at the idea that God created such an unsightly creature that one would desire to live amongst your beautiful flowers!

My garden has received welcome rain a couple of days - we're back to cloying heat. Signs of Autumn are in the stores - are you ready?! I want the summer days to linger - albeit cooler - days are flying by - time is so fleeting....I hope you enjoy your day - 

Here's a lovely surprise that delights me this time each year.

The surprise Lily, Magic Lily or the Naked Lady.

Her foliage appears in Spring then dies back -and seemingly as if by magic long stalks appear filled with delicate pink blooms. 

They seem to sparkle with fairy dust!

Perhaps our gardens are homes to mythical creatures that delight in 

bringing about such beauty. 

I can see how some are inspired to write and to paint such things 

when wondrous flowers such as these appear.

I am sharing this post with these Delightsome blog parties:

An Oregon Cottage's Tuesday Garden Party

A Southern Daydreamer's Outdoor Wednesday

Fishtail Cottage's Cottage Flora Thursday

Ms Green "thumb" Jean's Bloomin' Tuesday

Tootsie Time's Fertilizer Friday