I've tried to instill a love of flowers and gardening in our 8-year-old granddaughter Avery since an early age, and, inspired by an idea I saw recently on Pinterest, I thought it would be fun if I let her create her own little flower garden in one of the flower beds in our backyard.
Early Saturday morning my husband and I took Avery to our local Home Depot and let her pick out the flowers for her garden ...
She didn't have any problem making her choices ...
(unlike her "wishy-washy" GrandMama, who would have spent 45 minutes trying to decide).
She liked the red and purple Petunias ...
And also chose pink and white Pentas ...
An orange Impatiens, and a white Begonia ...
While she was shopping, this bright pink Periwinkle blossom caught her attention ...
And was immediate tucked behind her ear ...
We let her do her shopping on her own, including putting her purchases in the car ...
After arriving back home, it was time to prepare her garden space ...
This is the spot we chose for her garden ...
First, she had to remove the pine straw from the planting area ...
After her granddaddy worked the ground up with a shovel, Avery added garden soil ...
Bless her heart ... she really worked hard and didn't complain at all.
Now it was time for her to arrange her plants ...
Again ... no "wishy-washiness."
She definitely had a plan in mind ... and set about arranging them!
Now it was time to dig the holes and plant the flowers.
Notice the Periwinkle is still tucked behind her ear ...
Now she was ready to start planting the flowers. I showed her how to remove them from the pots and to gently massage their roots to stimulate growth ...
Such concentration ...
Some of the plants may have been "overly stimulated," but that's okay.
The tall plant is an Asiatic Lily my sister-in-law gave me for Mother's Day, which needed to be planted, so we added it to Avery's garden.
I love those sweet little feet peeking out from under her!
Avery was so proud ... and rightfully so!
She did a great job, and the best part is that she did it all by herself!
After she finished planting the flowers I added the little white picket fence, which came from Home Depot. Then it was time to water ...
I loved watching Avery create her little flower garden ... and, even more ... I'm so glad I could capture this sweet memory forever in pictures. The expressions on her face, the graceful way she moved, and the gentle way she held the flowers while she planted them ... all priceless memories.
And when she finished her garden, my mother told her a story about how her great-great-grandfather used to say a prayer after planting his garden, and I asked Avery if she would like to say a prayer for her flowers. She said, "Yes," and as I stepped away, I could hear her talking quietly, with her hands together in prayer ... and my heart overflowed with love for this precious child ... who has been our "little Miss Sunshine" since the day she came into this world. And I said a silent prayer of my own, thanking God for her and her little brother Maddox ... who have enriched our lives more than words can say.
And speaking of Maddox ... while his sister was working on her garden, he was busy, too. Making bubbles ...
I love those sweet curls, but I can foresee a haircut in the near future.
Learning how to drink (or how NOT to drink) from a bottle of ice cold water ...
My husband Norm gets credit for these water pictures,
which I think are very good, especially this next one ...
His shirt was drenched, but he loved it ...
As you can tell, we had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend ... I hope yours was as much fun.
7 comments:
Thank you for sharing Avery's gardening experience with me. She and her little brother sure are growing and are so precious.
Avery's outfit with the flowered shorts was very appropriate and her bare feet are the cutest. Who needs shoes when planting a beautiful garden ?
Prayers and kind words always make flowers grow better too.
I will look forward to watching Avery's flowers grow. I know she will have a green thumb just like her Grandmama.
I imagine Master Maddox got quite a shock when the ice cold water splashed on him. Little boys are so cute. They have their own special ways about them..
Have a wonderful week ahead.
Charlotte in Va.
I love all your posts, but this one beats all. I love every photo, thought and word. Your make me smile. It was as when I was young and out playing in the rain! I wanted to throw my hands up high in the air, lift my face up to catch the refreshing raindrops, dance around while shaking the dripping water off. It is a pure joy and sweet fresh love that flow out of every single line you wrote. Thank you for both you and your husband Norm, for making such a healthy growing family. You two surely make this world a little more beautiful, a warm & loving one. I am happy for your little Miss Sunshine and his fun brother. God bless!
I am so touched that you shared this precious experience with us. What a blessing you have been to them, and in turn, they to you. I await your sweet blog every day and you have taught me so much about your loving spirit through each one you post. Thank you!
Oh! Janie, you have me in tears! What wonderful sweet pictures of your adorable grandchildren.
You are making precious memories that Avery will never forget. And, little Maddox is getting so big ...
What a fun Memorial Day with wonderful memories for you and your husband as well.
What a beautiful experience for children and adults, I know your memories will be priceless! Precious times! My 9 year old grandson loves to go to the garden center and get plants for us to plant, too. On our last trip he decided to sample one of the hot peppers...he won't be doing that again, ha ha!
What precious children!!Youdid good with your lesson in gardening!!I love her look of concentration and the little flower behind her ear! She has such beautiful complextion! I hope she doesn't ever ruin it by smoking or baking in a tanning bed!! Maddox is a doll, too! He is very good-natured, even after the dash of cold water! You and Hubby are both great photographers!
Simply the best! All that chronicle of Avery's Garden will be a great treasure to you both as she grows up, arranging her life in the way it, too, should grow.
They are such beautiful children, and the most beautiful thing is the great simple sweetness and kindness in their eyes, along with that little twinkle of adventure.
If the day in the garden was like those I remember down there, I think I'd been happy with a drenched shirt myself.
And one of the best parts was the glimpses of the lifetime of that small pink bloom, beautiful behind her ear, and slowly giving up its day in the heat and the earnest work. Simply stunning, my Friend.
rachel
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