Diamond Frost

I'm taking cuttings of Diamond Frost euphorbia. This airy annual looks beautiful in a flower pot on the front step. It's lovely as a houseplant. And it's an ever-blooming edging for a flowerbed.

The cuttings root very easily. I always prefer free to paying $5.95 at the garden store for a single plant.

The Buddha offered his teachings freely because the Dharma is priceless. The Dharma is more valuable than diamonds.

Every blog i write is just a single cutting from the ever-present, abundant Dharma. I offer this sprig, and every sprig, in the hopes that the Dharma may take root and grow in your own life.

Cutting Back Bulb Foliage

After 36 hours of rain, i waded into a few flowerbeds and came out soaking wet. I did something daring: i cut back bulb foliage (daffodils, hyacinths, and leucojum) while it is still green. I got tired of looking at all that strappy foliage lying down. There it is again: Every good thing (April-flowering bulbs) is accompanied by trouble (strappy foliage in June.)

The flowerbeds look so much better now that the old foliage has been cut down. I just hope this good thing (Ahhh! A cleaned-up flowerbed) isn't accompanied by trouble next spring (a paucity of flowers due to insufficient foliage).

The Flower Fairy

Linda, who owns the Cottage Hair Studio, welcomes her customers with a flower garden beside the front door to the Cottage. She has a flower fairy who takes care of the flowerbeds, perking them up with colorful annuals. Linda smiles every day when she walks in to work, and every lunch, when she sits out on the front porch.

Whether or not we believe in fairies, devas, or guardian angels, sometimes we ourselves can be helpful to others. The path of service is an act of compassion.

Linda pays her flower fairy, but sometimes we serve others for the sheer joy of it. I'm serving vegetables from the garden--squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes--giving them away to anyone whom i see. 

Simplify Your Flowerbed

My theory of flowerbeds is small clumps near the house, which can become larger the farther you go away from the house. Near the house, a clump of flowers can be about a foot in diameter; farther away, 2-3 feet in diameter.

In practice this means on-going division and taking "spreaders" (such as bee balm or phlox) out of the neat little beds altogether. It all depends on your tolerance for dividing. Some gardeners can't bear to divide their clumps at all.

Flowers can overwhelm our little gardens, stuff can overwhelm our house, and multi-tasking can overwhelm our lives.

Simplify your garden, your house, and your to-do list. Create some breathing space for your plants and yourself.

What one thing can you let go of today?

Photo from www.landscapinggallery.info