My husband and I began a six-week mindfulness meditation class yesterday. Among the exercises for the first week is one to choose an activity that you often do in automatic pilot and pay special attention to the activity, to what is happening right now.
My mind jumped immediately to the garden, thinking a stroll around the garden would be a great activity for noticing what is happening in this moment, becoming aware of sights, sounds, textures, colors. But this is expressly one activity that I never do in autopilot. Being in the garden naturally leads to curiosity, exploring, slowing down and savoring each moment.
Here is a sampling of the garden in early June, a few things that help me pause and just notice.
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Plant)
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Tradescantia (Spiderwort)
Verbena bonariensis (Tall Verbena)
Hemerocallis (Daylily) (possibly ‘Michael Arnholt’)
Hemerocallis (Daylily) (possibly ‘Michael Arnholt’)
Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ (Spurge) and Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood)
Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon)
Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ (Spurge)
Dahlia ‘Fireworks’
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) and Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)
Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) and Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)
Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage) and Monarda didyma (Scarlet Beebalm)
Salvia uliginosa ‘Blue Sky’ (Bog sage)
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Gladiolus
Gladiolus
Gladiolus
What are you savoring in your garden this June?
pbmGarden 
There’s a lot to love in your garden this June, Susie. The Gladiolas alone are spectacular. Achillea ‘Moonshine’ and Agapanthus are the stand-outs in my June garden.
Thanks Kris. One set of gladiolas surprised me by opening all at once, a nostalgic favorite in my garden. I’m a great admirer of your Agapanthus and you have some of the best achilea ever. Tried leaving a comment on your recent post but it disappeared. Will try again.
Those hemerocallis! One of my favourite plants. There is nothing like a flower for a spot of mindfulness.
The hemerocallis are from a daylily farm near where I grew up. My sister took me and my daughter a few years back and treated us several.
All your plants are looking great. I really like your Butterfly plant, which is different from the kind I usually see here.
I tried for a while to get rid of the butterfly plant because I read they are invasive here. But it keeps coming back. With all the rain we had this spring it looks better than usual.
It is all lovely, and certainly requires detailed inspection! The rich red day lily is gorgeous and I envy you your Echinacea and Monarda – either the slugs or the mildew get mine so I have given up! Enjoy your garden this June Susie. 🙂
Thanks Cathy. I’ve seen slugs this year but not something I’ve had trouble with in the past. Mildew can be an issue with Monarda here too but for now the plants are still fresh and strong. It has spread something terrible though. Fortunately I and the hummingbirds enjoy it.
Indeed, that is the wonderful thing about the garden. You don’t need to practise mindfulness and living in the moment, you do it automatically. You have so much to enjoy, such an abundance of beautiful blooms.
Thanks Liz. I think gardens certainly can teach us patience as well.
Actually I am savoring your garden,lovely. I had the same glads in Atlanta.
Thanks so much. Oh, I love glads. My grandmother used to go out every morning and cut fresh glads and add to a vase on her sun porch. I have her little clippers she used.
I love little bits like that, I have my grandmother tiny watering can.
That’s very special. Nice.
As you say, the garden is always a place that it is easy to be mindful in. Did you choose something else that might be a harder test? Your garden is still going strong this year, many of these flowers had finished when I met you two years ago (gosh, or was it three)
I chose eating mindfully. It works for the first couple minutes, then I have to bring my awareness back when I find I’m just gulping the next bite. Honestly it is very effective and has carried over into other activities. You and R. were here 3 years ago to the day, I just found the pictures June 16, 2015 of us at Duke Gardens! You saw my garden at its very worst Christina and I appreciate that you didn’t laugh out loud! This year the rains have carried it along nicely.
You’re well ahead of me! I’m still waiting for verbena, shasta daises and monarda. And I love Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’. Just looked it up.. I can get it here. Yay!
Oh I think you’ll enjoy Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’. I had it for many years in a pot, then lost it during a bad drought. This spring I replaced it and am trying it in the ground.
Oh, gladiolus already. Most flowers in other regions are behind our schedule, but your gladiolus are a bit earlier.
I felt the gladioli were a bit early too, but I haven’t checked back through my records.
We have several favorite plants in common – butterflyweed, spiderwort, bee balm – but ours are not yet blooming. Here we are going through our “blue period” – spiderwort, hardy geranium, clematis, nepeta.
Those blues are hard to beat. My Jackmanii Clematis started out ok but hasn’t done great this year. Spiderwort has done too well and needs culling.