Category Archives: gardening

Green Bay Botanical Garden

August 4, 2019creativity, gardening, Memories, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

There are many pretty places in Wisconsin. One that is not far from our home is the Green Bay Botanical Garden.

One lovely corner (there are many lovely corners) is this spot in the Kress Oval Garden. The statue is of George Kress playing his violin for his wife.

This photo was taken late in the season.

I always like it as it depicts love in later years….Too bad Bob doesn’t play the violin, or any instrument for that matter. If we ever had a statue of us together, we would be sitting on the bench together.

Another photo that was taken late in the season.

This old apple tree reminds me of those living on our farm as it has seen many years. A nice place to stop and ponder the ups and downs of life.

Sharing beauty

July 31, 2019Friends, fun, gardeningsusanmanzke

I have bought a number of flower bulbs and tubers over the years, but my favorite ones have come from friends.

Gardeners like to share their beauties with others. It’s their way of adding color to the world.

This dahlia probably has a name, but I forgot it. Flower names don’t mean so much to me. I’m sure my friend, Bridget Staley, would know. There’s a lot of flower and garden information in her head. She’s a Master Gardener and the tubers for this dahlia came from Bridget.

I lost a lot of my perennials over the winter. Either the cold killed them or some hungry creature ate the bulbs. Having dahlias blooming here today is a wonderful gift. Thanks for the gift and sharing the beauty, Bridget.

Lost in the middle

July 10, 2019gardening, writingsusanmanzke

Sometimes it’s a struggle to sit at the computer and write, especially when it’s a beautiful day. My writer friends think I should be working at my writing, no matter the weather. My gardening friends see it differently. They think a day working inside is a waste.

I try to do both sometimes. When that happens there are too many weeds in my flower garden and not enough words on the page.

It’s a good thing some flowers bloom, with or without my help. Writing is different. If I don’t put words down and say what I want, no one else can do it for me–at least not exactly.

Along the roadside

June 20, 2019gardening, naturesusanmanzke

There’s a section of ditch where I have been tossing flower seeds. I’ve always had faith that some would take hold and grow, but none of my seeds have set down roots, at least not in this spot.

Now, without my help, wild roses have appeared and added their pink color to the countryside.

Today, I was walking along, my mind on other things, and suddenly I caught the sweet aroma of these wild roses on the breeze.

They are simple, compared to modern, cultivated roses, but their beauty can’t be denied. Even their buds are something to see.

It’s so nice that they have found their way into our neighborhood, and I didn’t even have to ask them to come. Now I can share them with you.

Blooming bush

June 15, 2019gardening, naturesusanmanzke

I love perennials. They come back every year, well mostly. Some just don’t work for me. I can’t get daisies to grow in my garden, yet they grow wild in our ditches. Daffodils never return to bloom for me no matter what I do, same with alliums. Good thing I do have others that don’t hate me.

It looked like my grandmother had alliums in her flower garden. She never told her neighbors what she grew. Of course, she told me. The big round heads were onions gone to seed.

This week my bridal wreath is blooming. Last year it didn’t do so well. Half of it seemed to be dead. This year it is full–I have to look close to see any of last years deadwood.

Bridal-wreath closeup eliminates any view of weeds.

Too bad it won’t bloom all summer long. Since it won’t, I will appreciate its beauty now.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person