Lavender – Gardens For Goldens

New Additions

April showers bring … April flowers. In abundance.

The garden is in full bloom making my early morning arrival extra special.

“An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Last week: five long-term residents went home. This week: five arrived in one day. Plus three more for good measure throughout the week.

The universe seeks balance, I guess. No rest for the weary.

We have a new addition to the garden: a beautiful bird bath.

Maria made it for Jody, our president who, with her husband, imagined this whole Homeward Bound effort and works tirelessly to sustain it. It’s the perfect centerpiece for her special bed in the garden.

As beautiful as they are, the flowers in the garden have tough competition from the pups named for flowers. Iris…

Rose,

Sweet William,

and Stephanotis.

All spoken for – from a long list of families that have waited a long time for these rare arrivals.
Until their going home days…we’ll enjoy watching them bloom, as well.

A Garden’s Friend

As dog is man’s (and woman’s) best friend –

I find that Lavender is the garden’s. A loyal giver, and a hard worker – it offers much to its surroundings. Its strong sturdy stalks support delicate sweet flowers.

Its soft blue grey goes along and gets along with everyone.

It rebounds well from adversity, spreads heavenly perfume…

expects little, and gives a lot.

Happy to be a supporting player –

but fully capable of leading the charge.

It is a perennial friend…

and a gracious host to all.

Lavender. Friend to the garden. Qualities to emulate with friends.

“The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness.” ~ Dalai Lama

Purple: Royalty in the Garden

The color purple is associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, and power.

Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.

The color purple is a rare occurring color in nature and as a result is often seen as having sacred meaning.

Purple, unlike violet, is not one of the colors of the visible spectrum. It is called a non-spectral color. It exists in culture and art, but not, in the same way that violet does, in optics. It is a combination of two primary colors. Purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red.

Because the purple color is created by combining a strong warm with a strong cool color, the color retains both warm and cool properties.

On one hand, the color purple can boost imagination and creativity, on the other, too much purple can cause moodiness.

Purple is said to be associated with spirituality, the sacred, higher self, passion, third eye, fulfillment, and vitality.

It is said to uplift spirits, calm the mind and nerves, create feelings of spirituality, increase sensitivity, and encourage imagination and creativity.

The color purple and its lighter lavender shades introduce romance to nature; think lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers. Lavender suggests uniqueness, while purple invokes mystery.

Purple is considered a cool color in landscape design. Its appearance has a calming effect in a garden.

Purple plants visually recede in a garden, helping to make a small space feel larger.

Purple was one of the first colors used in prehistoric art. The artists of Pech Merle cave other Neolithic sites in France used sticks of manganese and hematite powder to draw and paint animals and the outlines of their own hands on the walls of their caves.

Its complimentary color is yellow.