It’s hard to believe this is already our 4th year enjoying the gardens on our farm! We built these gardens from scratch in 2021…check out the creation process in this post (includes a list of my favorite flower varieties!).

This summer, more than any other, I have been reminded of God’s faithfulness in EVERY season. Seasons when things don’t look perfect are often when God’s wisdom is most clearly displayed…and we can step back and see the beauty despite the suffering.

Each bed in the garden has had it’s moment to shine…and when one is “taking a break”, another takes over. I used to get annoyed that everything wasn’t at peak beauty all summer long. But I know now that God created flowers to have seasons of rest and that’s how he created us too!

The life cycle of each plant is unique…but most of them will shoot up in the spring with vigor and have a big flush of blooms and then they need to take a break for a little while to gather more energy to keep going. I can totally relate! And then after I prune back the spent flowers and stalks…they are quiet for awhile and then they shoot up more flowers to end the season with strength and beauty.

Every year I say to myself “I won’t let the sunflowers take over!”…and every year they do! LOL! But when I let them take over…the other plants around them struggle because they block the sun. Next year I will be much more selective in which volunteers get to stay. Thankfully the goats love to eat whatever I pull out!

All in all, it’s been a wonderful year in the garden. We’ve had plentiful rain and lots of sun. We’ve had things that went exactly how we wanted, and things that totally flopped. And right about this time, I start to anticipate the cooler months with excitement. Soon…instead of iced tea, we’ll stroll the garden with hot chai. And it’s all just how God planned. Enjoy the tour!