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June is in Bloom! Come to My Garden Party!

© Naomi Mathews

It's the magical month of June -- the month when flowers begin to bloom in profusion. Butterflies and hummingbirds have already begun to take advantage of the nectar found in many of my early blooming perennial.

This month, I decided to take advantage of Nature's glorious beauty in my own backyard and throw an early summer "Garden Party!" My guest list includes all butterflies and hummingbirds, a few of Nature's other wild critters, and of course my most special guests--YOU!

To please my butterflies and hummers, I'll be serving up their favorite sweet nectar from a variety of colorful, nectar-rich flowers blooming amidst gorgeous green foliage. The party fare for my daily wild bird visitors is their usual favorite black sunflower seeds, a mix of delectable songbird seeds, and any creepy-crawly worms or bugs they want from my garden. They already know where there picnic feeders are, and can later finish off their feast with a drink of fresh water--or even a bath--in their favorite "spa."

For my most special guests--all of my faithful readers--I've opted to have a catered luncheon, and I assure you we won't lack for great cuisine! This will save me both time and effort, AND allow us more time to visit and stroll through my garden. If you're already a butterfly or hummingbird fan, it's my hope that you will pick up a few more ideas to help you attract even more of these special beauties of Nature to your garden. Should you just be aspiring to grow a butterfly or hummer habitat, you're welcome to come back anytime to ask questions or share your triumphs or concerns with me.

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TODAY IS GARDEN PARTY DAY!

I woke up early this morning to prepare for my special garden party, and quickly prayed for a bright sunny day. My prayer was answered as I peeked through the mini blinds and saw rays of early morning sunshine casting soft hues of pastel colors on the distant hills that surround our beautiful valley. Eagerly, I raised the blinds that cover the window facing to the west in our master bedroom, and this lovely view met my still sleepy eyes! The pink Simplicity Rose hedge beneath our bedroom window is now in full bloom. I caught this picture right through the window with my handy digital camera. These roses reach well above the windowsill now, their soft pink blossoms nodding a pastel good morning to me. In the background is our weeping cherry tree, its branches with their lush green leaves also waving a cheerful morning greeting. Only a month ago those branches were loaded with thousands of dainty, pastel pink flowers and hundreds of busy bees were buzzing happily amongst them. You see, there wasn't so much as a dandelion on our property when we moved here some ten years ago. Just some not-so-healthy green turf planted over a lot of rocks and what used to be an old apricot orchard! We planted this tree as a baby in this spot that very first year, hoping it would someday provide cool shade from the hot western afternoon sun, and also offer us privacy from our neighbors across the street. That was my plan early on and it surely proved to be a good one!