Garden Bouquets

One of my new delights since moving here has been to cut fresh flowers

all spring and summer long.

Such as yesterday ...

coming home from church and feeling like I fit the brown-eyed Susan look. 

The globe thistles have been growing almost wild for months now.

They got tall and burned from the heat, not so nice looking,

so I cut them down, thinking next year they are moving!

But they just grew back into healthy, less spindly looking,

 new plants with new thistle flowers. 

Two seasons in one is okay by me.

I do not know what these are called ... they bloomed a fiery red 

a while back and then turned yellow.

When we had that big heat wave I was so sad to see the hydrangeas wilt and burn,

but they soon forgot their troubles and blooms exploded ...

so many that the plants could not hold them up.

I wonder if it's because the plants  are quite young and fragile yet.

And, for the first time, maybe three months ago,  

I planted dahlia bulbs and they are blooming now.

I need to learn what to do in order to have them come back. 

Does one dig up the bulbs and plant again?

It would be so nice if they would just come back. 

I went a bit farther back into my photos and saw the lupines

that I already posted.

These also can be cut down once they get past their prime,

and they grow lush and green in no time.

Oh, and the lavender ...

I guess I don't have a picture on hand,

but there's lots to enjoy and it's been fun to dry it 

for long after summer days end.

There is so much to learn.

So much intricate beauty in just a flower or even a thistle.

The ones pictured above show the different stages,

from green and spiked, to light purple to a bright purple and 

lastly each tiny spike turns into a flower, reaching out to hold

hands with all the other flowers on the globe.

So amazing!

And if God so cares for the flowers of the field,

how much more does He care for us?