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Copyright © 2007 Garden Creations. Page created 6/9/07. The text, html, or graphics on this page may not be reproduced, republished, mirrored, or displayed in whole or in part on another webpage, website, or blog.

7 of the flower photos below have a small white spot on the lower right side. These 7 are the courtesy of Free Nature Pictures

The small flower photos above really don't do justice to the beauty of the flowers, so I'm planning on taking them off 'flicker', and uploading them to my own webspace. I have to 'test' each flower photo, to make sure that it doesn't show up blurry, while trying to adjust the resolution and size. All of these flower photos were taken with a borrowed camera (Kodak EasyShare CX6200, 2.0 Mega Pixels). I'm hoping to have my own camera by Fall, and desire a Kodak EasyShare Z812 IS 8.2 Mega Pixels.

It may take awhile, please be patient; as I'm also busy trying to adjust every page I have here to fit and look good with the new layout changes site-wide.

Geez, I've got to get this all done soon! Spring is here, and I want to be outside tending to my flowergarden!

Here's one of my photos for your enjoyment, and I've inserted 2 more of my back yard flower garden below my garden design diagram.

How My Flower Garden Design Started

I bought my home 16 years ago. It had a double lot with 2 trees in the back yard, and that was IT. As you can see, I've been busy filling up that back yard.

The first thing I did was build a dog pen around the boundary. The house points to the east, so the dog pen is on the west, north, and south boundaries of my back yard, about 15 feet wide. My 3 dogs love it, and get quite a bit of exercise running from one end to the other.

On the outside fence of the dog pen I planted pampas grass in small bunches spaced 5 feet apart. It took 2 years for the pampas grass to completely fill in, but now I have a natural border!

The next step was to create my flower garden. My son lined the inside fence of the dog pen with a row of rail-road ties, and then put another row on top of the first one.

Working inward from the rail-road ties is the flower garden, which is about 8 feet wide, and it borders the whole back yard, just like the dog pen, on the west, north, and south. The house has the whole east side, so it's kind of like I'm closed into my own little oasis.

I like my privacy, and don't want or like the feeling of people watching me!

I have built a fire pit close to the center of the yard with rocks found in the country, and thoroughly enjoy sitting out there with a fire, a beer, and my 3 dogs, planning my next project.

This is a very early photo of my garden design. The view is from the garage door, (that little brown lip in the above diagram) looking SW.

That small little bit of flower bed nearest the fire pit is now gone, making room for my desired pond! I usually have a comfy chair next to that spool table with a bucket of ice for my refreshments.

My flower garden is my joy. It keeps me busy, it gives me exercise, and it also is my special place to just 'chill' and thank God for my life.

This photo was taken at the same time as the above, but is a view from the south, and inside the dog pen, looking north.

Most who read this may not think too highly of my flower garden, I know; because anyone can pay a landscaper to build them a beautiful garden or team up with their spouse to build one together, but let me explain, and maybe you will be inspired to get out there and get your hands dirty too!

The only help I had with my flower garden was my son and his friends, who drove the fence posts for the dog pen, and moved the rail-road ties.

98% of the flowers and plants were free. They have to be for me, because I live on a fixed income. I can't go and buy flats of flowers.

I'm a shrewd bargainer with sharp eyes when it comes to flowers. I can spot a flower that I don't have from a mile away! I trade flowers and seeds, I dig up abandoned flowers from old homesteads or ditches, and I hit the greenhouses when they're throwing away at season's end.

Planting and maintaining my flower garden takes quite a bit longer time for me than for you, because I'm disabled.

I may 'work' for 10 minutes, and then go sit down for 15 minutes.

I'm not in a wheelchair, but my different problems cause me to either change my position frequently or render me unable to move certain ways.

Yea, I know.........everybody's got some problems, right?

Ya gotta take it all with a grain of salt; if my back doesn't hurt, (which is cracked, with nerve impingment, spinal stenosis, and a blown disc,) my hip will, if they don't hurt, one of the 7 arthritic spots hurts. I can't walk too far from intermittent claudification, and I get 'wrung out', hyper, then sleepy if I have to use the asthma inhaler. There's a few more things wrong with this old 'bod of mine, but what's above should be enough to give you an idea.

I sit on the ground most of the time and just scoot where I need to go when I'm working in my flowerbeds.....really comes in handy when you're weeding, much easier on your back or knees!

I really want to put a word in here about gardening and the disabled. There are foundations that help communities build gardens that the disabled can tend and grow whatever they want. It's awesome, the gardens are built for the height of a wheelchair, and spaced wide enough for easy maneuvering.

There have been studies done that prove gardening enhances the lives of seniors, disabled, and the mentally ill.

Of course, to get the funding for your community, they require a Horticulture Therapist.

Now, major learning institutions are offering courses in Horticulture Therapy.

It is very important to give those who are not physically or mentally fit and 'normal' an opportunity in their lives..
an opportunity to nuture something,
an opportunity to learn,
an opportunity to have pride,
and an opportunity to have something to look forward to.

I can truthfully state that my life would be empty and without quality if I didn't have my flower garden and my pets.

If you have the time, check out the link below about Horticulture Therapy.
You may be just the right person to get the ball rolling, and help the seniors, disabled, and mentally ill in your community!

I've decided that I would like to extend this page. It's pretty large now.....so when I'm done, I will be putting some kind of big photo to direct you to the next page.

What I'd like to do is show you all the things I desire for my flower garden; like bird baths, solar lights, furniture, accent rocks, benches, fountains, beverage coolers....all kinds of neat stuff I've found, that all fit into the theme and colors of my flower garden. Thanks to another great lensmasters' suggestions, I really don't want to ruin the concept or feeling of this page by offering products, or displaying banners.

I know everybody has their own taste and style, but hey..if you don't like what I show you, (because it will complement my flower garden), you can always click the links I'll provide in the future on the corresponding pages and find something that fits your taste better!

I'd also like to start documenting the making of my indoor greenhouse. Right at the moment it is pretty near being a stripped room, needing new windows, roof, and skylights. With my lifestyle, it is perfect, and I won't at all miss my old family room.

My daughter (in-law) but always in heart.. and I stripped ceiling, insulation, floor, and walls late last summer because I had water damage (from needing a new roof) that had accumulated mold.

I've always had a desire to grow out of season vegetables and fruits, I suppose it's from living in the past in better climates than where I am now.

My sis says I should really try to get a business loan, but what I really want to do is supply my family with fresh veggies and fruits during the winter.........and either invite the dis-advantaged to my home a couple times a week for dinner, or make deliveries to them with my fresh food. I really don't want to think of it as something to make money with. I just want to be able to feed people.

March 30, 2008
Yea! I finally had the energy today to spend a few hours outside and start my Spring clean-up. There's triple the amount of work to do this year.

To show you what I'm up against this year with my flower garden, I've inserted photos from the 1st day of a really bad ice storm I had this Winter.

When the storm finally ended, on the above photo - the ditch that has some limbs in it was completely filled all the way to the right to the driveway where my truck is. and that's just the front yard

There was 3 days of hearing trees cracking and falling from the weight of the ice.

I endured 4 1/2 days of no electricity, which also included no heat. Thank God I have a gas stove and gas water heater. Everyone nearly state wide had no electricity for at least 3 days. I had to wait a bit longer to get an electrician replace my pole, and then hook me back up to power.

These photo's in no way show all the limbs that fell in my backyard flower garden.

It really felt good to get out there today and try to achieve the look of something similar to a front yard and back yard flower garden!

2 weeks ago I had started dragging the limbs from the back yard to the front ditch. The next weekend, my neighbor was kind enough, with his 2 boys, to take all of them, cut them, and burn them for me, plus come into my back yard and cut the limbs that were too heavy for me to drag.

Today I've got the last load of big limbs in my truck from the back yard. Now there's only little sticks, that I can pick up before I mow for the first time this season. YEA!!

Oh how I wish Squidoo would allow Javascript! I made a slide show of the most gorgeous flowers, but it won't work on Squidoo, so I put it on my blog - DCinIowa. BIG photos of unusual flowers that you can grow in your flower garden! I went through 100 pages of Amazon, and really enjoyed picking them out :)

Passion Flower Seeds
Flower Seeds
Different Sunflower Seeds
Flower Garden Seeds
Wild Flower Seeds
Click the Banner and Enjoy the Show!

I made the above flower garden markers out of sheets of steel that I cut with tin snips.

I filed the edges down, then sprayed a coat of primer on them. When that dried, I sprayed them with black paint.

I hand-painted the scriptures and quotes on them.

You could do it too, it's easy, and so much cheaper and bigger than store-bought flower markers!

The 'Lord Make Me' flower garden marker photo's words are:
Lord make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me show love.
Where there is injury, let me show pardon.
Where there is doubt, let me show faith.
Where there is dispair, let me send hope.
Where there is darkness, let me show light.
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
13th Century Prayer

The 'Man's Way' flower garden marker photo's words are:
Man's Way Leads To A Hopeless End
God's Way Leads To An Endless Hope

The 'Never' flower garden marker photo's words are:
Never Will I Leave You,
Never Will I Forsake You
Hebrews 13:5

The 'Of Him' flower garden marker photo's words are:
Of Him,
and through Him,
and to Him
are all things
to whom be glory forever
Romans 11:36

The 'She Who Kneels' flower garden marker photo's words are:
She Who Kneels Before God
Can Stand Before Anyone
(my very favorite quote of all time)

I've created another that's not pictured:
When I stand before the throne
Dressed in beauty not my own;
When I see Thee as thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then Lord, shall I fully know -
Not till then - how much I owe.

I love quotes, and of course I love Scripture. I think they're both beautiful displayed, and there's so many ways to display them!

Flower Garden Quotes are perfect for creating a quote garden, So Come On! Get Crafty! Who cares what it looks like, you made it, and you think it's beautiful!
Here's a few flower garden quotes that I've collected to get your crafty juices flowing:

Your talent is Gods gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God Leo Buscaglia

The best place to seek God is in a garden. You can dig for him there George Bernard Shaw

Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul The Koran

He who owns a garden, however small it be, whose hands have planted in it flower bush or tree; who watches patiently from nutured, who thrills a newly opened bloom is very close to God Katherine Edelman

We were born to die and we die to live. As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven Russell M. Nelson

Kind hearts are the garden; kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the blossoms, kind deeds are the fruits author unknown

Garden: one of a vast number of free outdoor restaurants operated by charity-minded amateurs in an effort to provide healthful, balanced meals for insects, birds and animals Henry Beard and Roy McKie

Where flowers bloom so does hope Lady Bird Johnson

The Lord planted a garden in the first white days of the world, and He set there an angel warden in a garment of light enfurled. The kiss of a sun for pardon, the song of the bird for mirth, one is nearer Gods heart in a garden than anywhere else on earth Dorothy Frances Gurney

Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into Henry Ward Beecher

I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers Claude Monet

The Amen! of nature is always a flower Oliver Wendell Holmes

Flowers are not made by singing "oh how beautiful," and sitting in the shade Rudyard Kipling

He who is born with a silver spoon in his mouth is generally considered a fortunate person, but his good fortune is small compared to that of the happy mortal who enters this world with a passion for flowers in his soul Celia Thaxter

In friendship's fragrant garden, there are flowers of every hue, each with it's own fair beauty and it's gift of joy for you Friendship's Garden

Nature is God's greatest evangelist Jonathan Edwards

More Flower Garden Quotes......

Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds, the harvest can be either flowers or weeds author unknown

Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees, that half a proper gardeners work is done upon his knees, so when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray......for the glory of the garden, that it may not pass away Rudyard Kipling

When all the chores are done, the avid gardener will invent some new ones Anon

Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul Luther Burbank

Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow author unknown

Half the interest of a garden is the constant exercise of the imagination Alice Morse Earle

Gardening is ultimately a folly whose goal is to provide delight Deborah Needleman

The great challenge for the garden designer is not to make the garden look natural, but to make the garden so that the people in it will feel natural Lawrence Halprin

All the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today Indian Proverb

Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity Lindley Karstens

When the world wearies, and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden author unknown

Living Nature, not dull art shall plan my ways and rule my heart John Henry Cardinal Newman

Flowers are restful to look at. They have neither emotions nor conflicts Sigmund Freud

Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years author unknown

If it's rare, we want it. If it's tiny and impossible to grow, we've got to have it. If it's brown, looks dead, and has black flowers, we'll kill for it Ken Druse

There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments Janet Kilburn Phillips

Advice on dandelions: if you can't beat them, eat them Dr. James Duke

My green thumb came only as a result of the mistakes I made while learning to see things from the plant's point of view H. Fred Ale

Tickle the earth with a hoe, it will laugh a harvest unknown

Everyone Could Use A Bit Of Motivation At One Time Or Another.....

These quotes seem to fit people that have limitations, but they can also help anyone who's experiencing a depressing time in their life.
Not a 'crafty' person? That's cool, get those fingers workin' in your computer's art programs, then print and frame them!

Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive. Josephine Hart

To have become a deeper man is the privilege of those who have suffered. Oscar Wilde

A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn. Author Unknown

You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far. Uncle Remus

Turn your wounds into wisdom. Oprah Winfrey

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey. Kenji Miyazawa

When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something's suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful. Barbara Bloom ~ love this one

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Mary Engelbreit

Adversity introduces a man to himself. Author Unknown

It's not easy taking my problems one at a time when they refuse to get in line. Ashleigh Brilliant

That some good can be derived from every event is a better proposition than that everything happens for the best, which it assuredly does not. James K. Feibleman

The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears. John Vance Cheney

Adversity is the first path to truth. Lord Byron

Diseases can be our spiritual flat tires - disruptions in our lives that seem to be disasters at the time but end by redirecting our lives in a meaningful way. Bernie S. Siegel

Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don't have any problems, you don't get any seeds. Norman Vincent Peale

The difficulties of life are intended to make us better, not bitter. Author Unknown

A problem is a chance for you to do your best. Duke Ellington

Have the courage to face a difficulty lest it kick you harder than you bargained for. Stanislaus I, Maxims

The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them. Bernard M. Baruch

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us. Voltaire

Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessings to counting your troubles. M.D.Babcock

More Quotes For A Quote Garden

If we will be quiet and ready enough, we shall find compensation in every disappointment. Henry David Thoreau

The darkest hour has only sixty minutes. Morris Mandel

It is foolish to tear one's hair in grief, as though sorrow would be made less by baldness. Cicero

Rock bottom is good solid ground, and a dead end street is just a place to turn around. Buddy Buie and J.R. Cobb, "Rock Bottom" (song)

Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course. William Shakespeare

Pessimist: One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both. Oscar Wilde

In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip. Daniel L. Reardon

A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties. Harry Truman

Optimism is the foundation of courage. Nicholas Murray Butler

A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn't see the clouds at all - he's walking on them. Leonard Louis Levinson

Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Letters to Lucilius

Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow. Dan Rather

Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. C.S. Lewis

One man with courage makes a majority. Andrew Jackson

Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. John Wayne

Courage is never to let your actions be influenced by your fears. Arthur Koestler

Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul. Michel de Montaigne

Have the courage to live. Anyone can die. Robert Cody

Well all.......I've finally tackled a job I've been putting off for quite awhile.

The link to my old website has always been live, but I didn't want to let you know about it until I got time to fix it. Most of the flower pictures wouldn't load, and the navigation menu was all messed up. The site is still needing some work, as alot of the links to purchase the flowers are broken, but at least it's still a great reference.

Deb's Iowa Flower Garden

Showcasing 130 flowers and plants that have a Christian name or association. If you'd like to design a 'prayer garden' or a Christian themed garden, check the site out, as it will list flowers and plants you could use, plus their growing information.

Garden Stepping Stone

Create a walkway of love in your flower garden! Each step is etched with any name, up to 12 characters. Each stone measures approx. 11"Dia. All stones are crafted of durable cast resin for years of enjoyment. Wouldn't these stones be great for the Christian name of a plant!

Heart Stepping Stones

Whether placed on a favorite pathway or in a garden sanctuary, these stepping stones are sure to bring a smile to your loved one's face. Crafted of durable resin (for years of enjoyment), the garden stepping stones have a realistic stone texture. The large, 12" round stone with heart cutout is available with either "I" or "We" and any title up to 9 chars. Each of the smaller heart stones (6 3/4"H x 6 3/4"W), are available with any name up to 9 characters.

So it's kind of like my 'home' page, and very close to my heart, as I let you see pieces of my personality. I created this page on the first day I joined, June 9th, 2007, which also happens to be my deceased Father's birthday.

As of today, Sept. 19, 2007, I have been accepted into a prestigious group with Squidoo called the Giant Squids. I'm not real sure what all the criteria was, but one stipulation was having over 50 quality lenses that were personally reviewed by the Squidoo staff.

I have, and will continue to deeply research all of the topics of my pages. Please rest assured that I am not some kind of scam artist. If there is a product on one of my pages, that means I have thoroughly checked it out.

I'm here at Squidoo to offer my insight, knowledge, and passions to others; and hopefully help them.

To see a categorized list of all my pages, you can visit Flowergardener

(the page also has more info on me, and a couple of pictures of me and my family)

I have a series of pages on Dog Health

A series of pages on Dog Breed Collectibles

A series of pages on Vitamins

A series of pages on Natural Medicines

and lots of other stuff I find interesting!

Click The Envelope For An Automatic Email Script With This Pages' URL and Email This Page To A Friend

Or you could end up with one of these: