A Spring Walkabout

We went in search of more Texas wildflowers today in an attempt to re-energize our unit study after being drained from our Easter celebrations, the horrific stomach flu we all had and the yucky weather.

All right, so we kind of cheated....

In my defense, most of the wildflowers that we love so much are seen in brilliant bloom only on the sides of the highways where people drive 80 miles an hour in the slow lane. Not exactly conducive to a nice leisurely stroll. So as the kids and I were driving to the local hardware store on Friday we took a route we hadn't been down in a while.

We saw the most gorgeous wildflowers, but not in a field, in flowers beds and along the sidewalk. There was a sign advertising a landscaping company, but this place didn't look like a storefront at all, in fact, we couldn't see anything but this big beautiful garden of wildflowers that spread all the way to the curb. We came back this morning, so Husband could join us and took a closer look at all the pretties!

White Prickly Poppy and friend

California Poppy

Texas Gold Columbine

Wine Cup

Prairie Spiderwort

Dakota Vervain

Orange Zexmenia (?)

Indian Mustard

Bull Nettle

What we had stumbled upon (we realized only after the nice man passed us a brochure through the fence) was the garden of a landscaper who believes in using "native and climatically adapted plants" to provide "year-round interest, beautiful colors and most importantly... low maintenance"!

Now, I like being outside and I appreciate nature. I have grown to appreciate it more since we have been inspired to enjoy it more by people we have grown to love as friends. But my thumbs do not have even the slightest tinge of green. I would love to have a garden, but wouldn't know the first thing about starting one. Oh, we have some beautiful examples of God's handiwork around our house, but those are courtesy of the retired couple who first owned this home, not us! They have survived our ignorance and the previous owner's neglect which tells you that the original owners probably had a lot in common with the landscaper we met today.

A garden is about a personal relationship that reflects how you want to interact with the exterior of your home. It should not represent dreaded gardening chores but it should be an inviting refuge from the daily stress and worldly demands...

I think I've found my new best friend!