Gardening Thankfully

The thankful reciever bears a plentiful harvest. - William Blake

With the wet and wacky weather we had this summer, it's easy to focus on the things that went wrong in the garden and overlook those things that actually went right. Despite all the things that died (and there were lots! It was a strange year), there were many things that continued to delight me in the garden. I am, as ever, thankful for all the beauty and bounty in my yard. How thankful? Let me count the ways.

1. I'm thankful for the blooming Black-eyed Susans that grew from the seeds my son and I planted a year ago. Black-eyed Susans really are gorgeous with Autumn Joy sedum.

2. I'm thankful for an incredible harvest of Carmen sweet red peppers. They are my favorite! I'm also thankful for the stores of them in my freezer that should last a couple of months at least. 

3. I'm thankful for the blanket flower that reseeded itself throughout my front garden because it's absolutely beautiful. 

4. I'm thankful for the Ornamental Kale I planted in the spring. It didn't look like much to begin with but the payoff was spectacular!

5. I'm thankful I discovered Swiss Chard this year. It's delicious, my kids love it and it's pretty.

6. I'm thankful for all the seeds my nasturtium plants produced. More for next year!

7. I'm thankful for the bumblebees who find my yard so endless fascinating because I, myself, find the bees endlessly fascinating as well. 

8. I'm thankful for the Soroptimist Garden tour for letting me peek into other gardener's landscapes to discover plants I absolutely must have. I'm also thankful they've chosen me to be on next year's tour. 

9. I'm thankful for my Henry Hudson rose bush because is just becomes more spectacular every year. 

10. Last, but not least, I'm thankful for my job which enables me to write about gardening, talk about gardening, teach others about gardening and most of all, to play in the dirt. I'm thankful for each and every person who spends their time to read this blog. Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!