Summer Surprises

Summer officially starts this week – but with a warm spring (other than 2 nasty freezes in April and May), summer seems to have already taken hold in my flower garden. June is all about roses, and I have several different varieties spread around my yard.

Miniature roses border my flagstone patio. They look delicate because of their size, but they are actually quite hardy. This summer I have a surprise in my miniature rose bed. I have a white rose bush – and it’s significantly larger than the other minis, although I guess it is technically still a miniature rose.

So how do I end up with surprises in the garden? While it’s always possible for plants to be mis-labeled, even at reputable nurseries, my mini roses come from the grocery store. Yes, the grocery store. For holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter and Mother’s Day many grocery stores stock little pots of mini roses in the floral department for gift giving. And after the holiday, the leftover pots are marked down. IF the floral department has kept them watered, the odds of these plants taking root are reasonable, and the price is usually only a few dollars. So I try to keep them alive indoors until after the last freeze date, then plant them in my patio border. Over the years, I have added to my rose border, and most of them have thrived.

My patio garden has a few pink miniature rose bushes, a few reds, a variegated red rose, and – surprise – a white one. Not that I am opposed to white roses, but I seem to remember thinking that I was buying a yellow rose to add to my garden.

I’m happy about my serendipitous white rose, but it illustrates looking for unexpected growth and color in the garden. I can have intentions in my garden plan, but I have a choice when I spot unexpected growth and beauty – to nurture it or to work against it.

Personal growth can take unexpected turns as well. While I might have intentions and plans for my own growth, sometimes there are unexpected results. So I can look for where God is causing growth, and partner with that growth, or I can stubbornly stick with my own plan.

I am happily surprised with the blend of white, red and pink mini-roses in my garden. And next time I see little mini rose pots on sale, I can buy a yellow one.

Of course, I could just pay full price for a mini rose bush from a nursery – but there is something satisfying about my economy garden and giving life to discards – perhaps a topic to explore further in a future blog!