For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
And as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all the nations.
— Isaiah 61:11

I’m more than a little bit addicted to the Olympics right now (you, too?). Perhaps this post will encourage you to take a few moments away from the games’ coverage to walk through a garden. Today marks week three in the series of tours through some of my California friend’s gardens.

My friend whose garden I feature today loves sharing goodies from her garden. When I was going through a rough patch this spring, we met for coffee, and she showed up with a bouquet of camellias from her garden. They cheered me for days.

She’s one of my writing group friends, and invariably, she brings herbs from her garden to share. The last time we gathered, she had mint by the bag full for us.

Tons of delicious mint

She has a happy rosemary plant, too.

As I toured her garden with her, her sweet fur baby accompanied us. He was happy for an excuse to be outside enjoying the sun.

My friend’s husband opened the window of his home office at one point to give me tips for growing strawberries. I had no idea, but if you pinch off the blooms, the strawberry plant will send out feeders that become new strawberry plants. Pinching off the blooms sacrifices berries for this season but can bring better strawberries the following season. The things you can learn from your friends.

New strawberry plants

A strawberry shoot becoming a new plant

A tiny Meyer lemon tree has surprised my friend and her husband by forming so much fruit so soon. It must be happy where they planted it.

An already abundant Meyer lemon tree

I was excited to see a fig tree in the corner of my friend’s yard, but the tree had no figs. Perhaps the drought is to blame?

A figless fig tree

Aside from fruit and vegetables and herbs, my friend’s garden also has some lovely flowers blooming, even this time of year, when days upon days of triple digits threaten to dry up all flowers.

Delicate violas add a hint of color.

A perfect pink rose

Red roses in the making

I almost missed this beauty, a lily hiding in a shady spot by my friend’s back door.

I loved finding garden whimsy here, too. My friend told the story of this birdhouse: a handmade wedding gift for her and her husband. It’s empty now but delights my friend whether it is housing baby birds or not.

You might think this fountain is drained because of the drought, but my friend drained it even before the drought came. The fountain had proved irresistible to a family of really loud frogs, and she couldn’t bear their croaking any longer. They moved on, but the dry fountain remains. Will it continue as a home for flowers? Or will my friend some day decide to fill it with water again?

A fish that attracted frogs

My friend is an amazing prayer warrior, trusting in God’s willingness to hear our prayers. Praise and prayers spring up from her at all times, and so I think this garden statue suits her personality perfectly. I wonder if this little angel is offering a prayer of thanks for a basket full of flowers.

Do you have a garden? What prayers of thanks or pleas for help would you send up with this little angel’s prayers? Is August a bountiful time or a challenging one for your garden?

I’ll be back next week with a tour of another friend’s garden.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll excuse me. The men’s decathlon is happening now. The bar is set at 2.04m for the high jump (6 ft 8 ¼). That’s good for 840 points for those who clear that height.