~
This weekend marks the official opening of summer for many families. Pools open and families take off on their first road trip of the season.
In our garden, summer flowers open their first dramatic buds in hanging baskets and pots. These Petunias earn their place with their intense hues and hardy constitution. Full sun flowers, we count on them to bloom vigorously until frost.
~
~
Petunias often return to us season to season. These beauties, from seed dropped from last year’s planting, delight us with their unexpected patterns and color.
Perennials in warmer climates, these tenacious flowers want to live, and manage to last through winter in surprising ways. My father kept a pot alive by a window last winter in his unheated workshop. They have overwintered outside in pots beside a brick wall for us, some years.
~
~
Gardening, like all things in life, grows more interesting as we open ourselves to new possibilities. When we push the boundaries a little, and explore new experiences, we find a richness in our lives we may not have expected.
When we open ourselves, a new world of experience opens to us. The first few weeks of summer have always held this promise for me.
~
~
Blogging friend, Y., invited me to join the Seven Day Nature Challenge last Saturday from her new site, In the Zone. I appreciate the invitation and the renewed friendship as we trade comments each day!
For this fifth day of the challenge, I’ll invite you again to join in.
~
~
This challenge has been out there for a while, and many nature photographers have already participated. If you would like to take up the challenge, please accept in the comments and I’ll link back to you tomorrow.
If you decide to accept this Seven Day Nature Photo Challenge, too, I’ll look forward to seeing what surprises May has brought to your corner of the world, even as I share the beauty of ours.
Woodland Gnome 2016
~
Forest Garden 
I really like the point about being open to new possibilities – oh and from the reader – well the first photo had such Detail to where I thought it was lamb’s ear! Well it is lamb’s eat at all! 😀 Also liked the way the last photo had that bloom but with the chains included / ok – lastly – how nice to celebrate petunias – sometimes I think folks get all into orchids and the roses (yawn) and so the petunia was shown its props here!