An act of giving something to others is an art of flowering your heart.
– anonymous.

The calla lilies somehow volunteered on the other end of our side yard garden in spring and surprise me still with a bloom every now and then. Some of the dahlias came up early, and there are still many dahlias in early stages of development in terms of height and heads. The lilies in the front yard bloomed something fierce, though mine are starting to slow down and the shoots that are coming up are not as tall a they were in the spring. Even the hydrangea are taller and crowded with blooms.

As a result of all this early dancing in the garden, I was able to begin my delivery of bouquets a month earlier – to the winner of my donation to Portola Middle School’s auction this past February. The garden has been prolific, even as the dahlia blooms mysteriously become spent within a few days and are not as long-lasting as they have in previous years.

A late May bouquet, the front side.

A late May bouquet, the back side.

I have been an attentive gardener this early summer, something I haven’t been for years. I stopped the cucumber beetles and snails from feasting on the leaves and heads. The tattered leaves are giving way to full-bodied ones. I dutifully fertilize and continue to pinch back multiple dahlia heads on a stem. I clip away spent leaves and blooms. I water wilted flowers and feel great satisfaction when I check even an hour later and find their leaves refreshed and robust-looking once again. And I’m being handsomely rewarded with bouquet after bouquet.

Hello summer!

An early June bouquet, the front side.

An early June bouquet, the back side.

A mid-June bouquet.