Dead-Heading Tips & A Giveaway
Published June 29, 2011If you’ve popped over from my Encouragement For Today devotion, welcome! If you haven’t click here to read it. Then be sure to come back! 
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Is your spiritual life in need of a good dead-heading? Try these 5 tips:
~ Realize growth never happens without death. Just as a seed must ‘die’ before it begins to germinate and grow, we often need to go through pruning seasons in our spiritual lives. Death must happen–of our selfish desires, our wishes, our rights, our reoccurring sin struggles. Rather than be frustrated, thank God for the pruning process that brings forth new, vibrant life.
~ Nip early. You know when you are beginning to drop your guard and let negative thoughts, destructive habits or counter-productive behaviors seep in to your life. At the first sign of it, stop. Think through the consequences that will occur. Call a friend for accountability. Go take a walk. Divert yourself. Think before you react. Sin must be stopped early before it snowballs, taking many others in its path and leaving a wake of destruction.
~Fertilize often. Plant God’s word in your heart and mind. Saturate yourself with scripture. Place a sticky note on your mirror. Make it your computer’s screen saver. Turn it into wallpaper for your cell phone. Also take longer periods each day to read and absorb God’s directions to us in His word, the Bible. We cannot grow properly if we don’t feed our souls scripture. And they certainly can’t thrive on a steady diet of the world’s offerings.
~Water regularly. Wash your soul in the forgiveness only Jesus can offer. Go to Him and repent (which is a fancy term for changing your mind about sin). Decide you no longer think sin is no big deal. Wipe the slate clean and begin again. Be sure to ask for forgiveness from anyone you may have wronged. (Ouch!)
~Emit a sweet scent. When you react differently, even pleasantly, when you are bumped, wronged or slighted, you stand out as stars among the universe. Others won’t quite know what to do with you when you return a blessing for a curse. The aroma of Christ will permeate the air and draw others to Himself.
Are you ready to give your heart a good dead-heading? The results are simply beautiful!
Now for the giveaway! Here is a garden-themed gift package one of you reading this will win. It includes items to pamper your hands, your feet & yourself after a long day working in the garden including:
~ Cucumber-Melon Bath & Bodyworks shower cream.
~ Crisp cucumber Bath & Bodyworks hand lotion.
~ Garden Grogg coffee–a blend of butterscotch, hazelnut & caramel.
~ A bloomin’ flower card. You plant the actual card and it grows a variety of flowers & herbs.
~ A pumice bar & emery boards.
~ Some cucumber-mint foot scrub.
~ A foot-shaped scrub brush.
To be entered in the giveaway, leave a comment telling us either your favorite flower, herb or vegetable to grow. Mine would have to be either pineapple sage or chocolate-mint. You?
318 Responses to Dead-Heading Tips & A Giveaway
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My favorite flower is knock out rose. I planted one of these in memory of my sister after she passed away from brain cancer in 2010. It’s little flowers remind me of how much we are loved by our heavenly father and although small at first we grow into full grown flowers if we follow in His path daily. Thanks for sharing. This was a great devotional for today. Jean
I love lemon verbena! I blitz it together with sugar in the food processor and add it to everything all summer long: iced tea, baked goods, etc. Thank you for today’s post – too timely.
Thank you for the reminders in your post today. I certainly needed them. My favorite flower to grow is the calla lily.
Basil is my favorite herb to grow. I like the flavor and the scent. Fresh tomato and basil salad is a wonderful summer treat. This excerpt from your blog is the reminder I needed for today: “Emit a sweet scent. When you react differently, even pleasantly, when you are bumped, wronged or slighted, you stand out as stars among the universe. Others won’t quite know what to do with you when you return a blessing for a curse. The aroma of Christ will permeate the air and draw others to Himself.” Thank you for planting this seed in my mind. I don’t recall ever visiting your blog before. God is so faithful to provide what we need. Alita
I love to grow eggplant.
I also love to grow any type of flower. I love fresh cut flowers in the house.
Love (and need) the devotion today! My favorite flower to grow is a hibiscus! My father was in the navy and we spent 4 years in Hawaii. The hibiscus reminds me of our time there.
I love to grow tall grasses. I love to see them sway in the breezes and their beautiful plumes. Then when you think they have no more to offer they hang in there through the winter towering over the deepest snow.
Thanks for a great devotion this morning.
Thanks for your act of selflessness in providing the inspiration of God’s PERFECT word through cyberspace. I absolutely love to garden (vegetables and flowers). I have so many favorites. I try to grow varities with the shade of purple. My most dependable ones are the bell flower and the spiderwort, commonly called ‘meet-me-at-the-gate’. I am looking so forward to meeting my Savior at the pearly gates one day.! The flower has 3 petals reminding me of the trinity. Praise God for His goodness . . . ALL the time!
Thank you for this great reminder. I really needed it today. My favorite flower is a daisy. They are so simple yet beautiful and intricate. Probably not seen as a “fancy” flower or “precious” or one you would give to someone you cherish. To me the daisy represents me and others like me. One of those people that others may not think of as valuable but intricate, beautiful and precious in God’s eyes.
thank you for this devotion, I know I needed this reminder to keep on moving closer to God and to not be lax and let my guard down. My favorite flower is a tulip, i love that when you plant them you hide them deep in the ground and they bloom at the time of year you are longing for warmth. They are just so beautful!
I love growing my own tomatoes. There is nothing like the flavor and freshness of a home-grown tomato, makes a great sandwich!
Thank you for a great reminder of a lesson I learned years back. While our family was stationed in Spain, I attended a ladies’ retreat titled “Bloom Where You Are Planted.” At the time I was down because of being away from the US and missing family. I was also having difficulty with one of my girls. That topic at the ladies’ retreat hit right on and God sent messages just for me. Your topic today reminded me of that weekend and those messages that God knows where you are and that you’re there for a purpose, not a mistake. That’s a reminder I need from time to time. I am attempting to grow sunflowers this year, a first try. They remind me of my dad who passed away five years ago. Thanks for your message!
I totally enjoyed this devotional…right on! I was reminded that I have “dead-heads” in my heart that need to be examined and plucked. I need to spend more time daily in God’s word to refresh and replant. I love all flowers and don’t really have a favourite…though I must agree that there is nothing like fresh, homegrown tomatoes for the best flavour. I love it! Thanks so much for this timely message!
Love to grow mint! It brings back a sweet childhood memory of a young Japanese mother who befriended me as a child. She grew herbs in her sunny window and introduced me to mint tea at a young age. Aside from evoking a pleasurable memory, its fragrance is clean, pure and refreshing. The unique scents of nature are such great reminders of the awesome creativity of our God. That He would challenge all of our senses to be reminded of Him is an amazing thought.
Thank you for your encouraging words. I have a teenage daughter with whom I am constantly battling. Today has reminded me that I can choose my reaction and if I react with God’s love and not Satan’s wrath, then I can change the situation for the better. I will be reading the Bible to search for a verse to recite when I feel my anger rising. God is good! My favorite herb to grow is basil. I love to use it on everything. My children love panzella salad! I have also grown hollyhocks this year that are lovely. My dad in Florida gave me seeds from his plant which makes it extra special!
Dasies are my favorite flower.
My favorite flower to grow is the Orchid, of course indoors, but it’s such a beautiful flower. When taken care of correctly, it keeps blooming – and in cycles, reminding me of the conitual need for care in order to bear “fruit” in my soul.
I loved this devotion! I am not very good and growing flowers. I don’t have a green thumb in my DNA although I love flowers. My favorite being roses. I just might try to plant some roses!
I love to grow tomatos. I like to eat them,can them,cook with them,etc.There is nothing like a home-grown tomato in my humble opinion.
Karen … Thanks for the devotional, today. I’ve often thought about the spiritual aspects of gardening, but never about deadheading – but it makes perfect sense! I’ve been looking forward to summer with dread; our children have all grown and moved away, and my husband is working out of town. It really is time to do some dead-heading in my own life and bloom for Jesus this summer.
Thanks for today’s encouragment. I am new to gardening however I always had a different take on the dead blooms. I thought if they stayed attached to the vine of the flower some part of it was still alive and worth saving. I always felt guilty and would sneak and hide the fact that I just completely mutilated something that was once so beautiful. Never thought how lovely the new bloom might be or how great that there is even the possibility for another. So far, my favorite herb is thyme. I use it a lot and it feels good to be a part of God’s wonders..
Impatiens…they surround my house…they are in deck boxes, hanging baskets on the front porch and I love my posey pouch out back under the maple tree! Perfect for shady areas! And they are me…impatient. God has a plan for me and I tend to fight and ignore how much he loves me when I get frustrated. One thing about impatiens is they don’t need dead-headed. The old just falls to the ground and new begins, thank you for reminding me to keep working on how much I am loved and how we are all so loved( I get frustrated with others way to easily some days!) until all that was unneeded falls and new growth begins. I will sweep the front porch with a more thankful heart : )
Thank you for such a lovely lesson today. The Encouragement for Today was great as was the continued lesson here on your blog.
My favorite flower to grow is the hydrangea. I planted 3 this year and they are blooming like crazy. I had to learn to tie them low with strong twine though, because the blooms get so big and beautiful they weigh down the stalk of the plant.
Beautiful devotional. God’s working. Deadheading my soul is the stage I’m in exactly right now!
Marigolds that remind me of my mom and lavender are my favorites.
Yay for giveaway blessings!
I am not the best gardener because I often neglect the dead-head process, in the garden and in my own heart. But I do persevere each year. I love pansies because even after the harshest cold and snow they will perk up at the first hint of sunshine proudly displaying their colors for the world to see. Sometimes, I am like that. I close up at the first hint of stormy weather and will hunker down to pray and wait for God to point me in a direction. When I follow his leading I always stand up a little taller in the glow of His love and grace. Thank you for this devotion and for all the wonderful comments. They are all so helpful for realizing we are not alone in our struggles.
Zinnias – so colorful and cheery. Thank you for your devotional. This was my first time on your blog. I will check-it out again!
Karen, your devotionals are shaping my heart as I speak. I just came out of Rehab for sedatives to calm my nerves. I leaned on them versus God. Now that I have surrender to His ways, His path to anxiety attacks, all is beautiful. Its a day by day process. But I know now that I can lean on Christ for comfort. My favorite flower would be the “orchid”. Its beauty and elegants is refreshing and amazing. Showing me how God as made us the same way. Thank you for God’s Word.
Today’s devotion was something I needed so desperately.. Thank you for being obiendent.. I love growing Gerber Daisies.. They just make me smile. Anything that makes me smile I try to keep around.
Thanks for the tip about dead heading…not only in my plants but in my life. I will remember this when something creeps into my life that shouldn’t be there. My favorite vegetable to grow is the tomato. I love a fresh picked tomato…yum!!
Beautiful sweet words first thing in the morning…definitely a word in season. Ok to be honest, I have never tried to grow anything. I know, that’s pretty bad, lol. However, I love blue hydrangeas & may try to grow them eventually…I have always been pretty initmidated by gardening, but this post has been so inspiring thanks so much!!
Your devotional was encouraging and just what I needed in my life today. So many issues that only God can control if I give them over to HIm and obey His Word. My favorite flower is the daisy. As a child I would go into the fields and pick the wild ones. Then we would do the game of “he loves me not….he oves me..” yes, I have a heavenly Father who loves me and has redeemed me. Glory!
I love zucchini squash! It is so yummy and can be used in so many different ways.
Thank you so much for allowing God to speak words of truth through you. Loved todays devotional. It is so true!!! My favorite flower is the panzy, there are so many colorful varieties. God is such a wonderful Artist, His creation is Beautiful, I am thankful!!!!!!!
Thank you for your timely devotion and blog today! Often my thoughts need deadheading, which is as important as what I say. Our family has been hurt recently by betrayal of a friend and employee and we have been praying not to let the bitter root take hold of our hearts and to let God lead us through this trial. Living in a small community puts us under the microscope and how we handle this issue as it falls into the hands of the justice system will be a witness to others. I love to read the book of James as a reminder of how we should carry ourselves as Christians. I love to let the sunflower seeds fall into my flower bed below my deck and grow into tall sunflowers that the goldfinches feed off in the summer.
I really needed this devotion today. It’s so easy to be trapped by the world and to fall back into the world’s ways. Thank you for the reminder that we all sin and yet God still loves us and that with His help we can overcome the thoughts and actions.
My favorite flower is the stargazer lily.
I love gardening… my favorites are azaleas, shasta daisies, marigolds, and hydrangeas… but we are going through a terrible drought this year, so it hasn’t been pleasant. My poor flowers haven’t bloomed enough to deadhead! It’s interesting how if we would just observe God’s work… deadheading flowers to make the whole garden more beautiful, for example… we could see how to live our lives. Thanks for the encouragement today…
ah yes another example of God’s perfect timing and your obedience…i seriously needed this dead-heading reminder. Now to be purposeful and actually do it! Today is the day for me. Regarding growing things, I like many flowers, herbs, vegies and fruit trees but I think my favorite is the simple yet steadfast marigold. Enjoy your blessed day!
I look forward to summertime and my favorite vegetable of the summer “Tomatoes”! There is nothing better than a good fresh tomatoe sandwich! Some of my favorite memories of childhood with my father is his backyard vegetable gardens.
I’m new at gardening, but I love it. I’ve had the most success growing impatients! They give my shady flower garden a splash of bright red that puts a smile on my face every time I admire it!
I know it seems kinda crazy but I LOVE cilantro! Easy to grow and it just adds flavor to everything! Maybe it’s bc I LOVE Salsa!
I also love the simple flowers like colorful daisies ..
I love my rosemary plant. I use it alot when I cook and when you touch it, it smells so good.
My favorite flower to grow in my garden is the black-eyed susan. I love the bright contrast it adds to the rest of the garden.
When I have doubts about my abilities to do things well, I must remember to dead head these thoughts and have faith that God will see that I do it with a sincere heart and that thru Christ all things are made perfect.
I enjoy growing mint that I can use to serve guests practically “authentic” Moroccan mint tea!
I love lavendar it is a scent that just cant get enough of. The devotion today was an answer to prayer, thankyou for sharing from your heart and life.
Oyy, I needed this today. Work has been so extremely stressful these last few weeks, it has put me in a perpetual bad mood. I’ve GOT to turn this around. Thanks for the words of encouragement and hope. I’m going to print this out and keep it next to me all day!
I LOVE fresh flowers and have a bunch of them outside-all different colors, sizes and types! I’ve got to do some deadheading today., both physically and spiritually. Thanks again!
Your post today truly spoke to me. Recently, I’ve found myself dwelling on negative thoughts (conflict, hurt feelings) throughout the day, rather than the many joys in my life. So I decided that when I catch myself “wallowing in the pit”, I say Psalm 139: 23-24 and pray for someone on my prayer list. It’s amazing how praying for others helps me to “Nip Early”!
My favorite flower is the daffodil… the first sign of spring in the south!
Your blog really spoke to me today. I am in need of some serious dead heading. But it was your number 2 comment about “nip them” or as we say in North Carolina (thank you Barney Fife) “nip it in the bud”. I do not have a green thumb but I keep trying and I love working in my small flower garden. This year my lavendar is thriving so I will see my favorite plant is lavendar. The blooms are lovely, the bees and the butterflies are all over them. And the smell is fabulous.
Thank you Karen! I loved your message about dead-heading. It will take on a new meaning as I dead-head my favorite flowers this morning — zinnias and sunflowers. I grow basil to add to my chocolate bark I make. My favorite vegatable is the cucumber. My Nana loved her “cukes” and I’m no different. They just need to be washed, given a stripe peel, refrigerated in raw apple cider vinegar and once good and cold they can be scooped out with just a little salt and pepper to enjoy. I love the bounty of God’s love shared through our gardens.
I love gardening. My favorite flowers to grow are lots of varieties of day lilies. I love hydrangeas and roses. My most favorite vegetable would be tomatoes! Nothing beats a fresh tomato sandwich and fried green tomatoes!
Loved your devotional today. Another great life lesson. I am always using garden analogies when talking to my children or teaching. God teaches me so much when I am working in my garden.
I love to grow basil and rosemary. They are easy to grow and I love to have them handy for cooking. Great tips. Thanks so much for sharing.
It was like you wrote that devotion just to me. I was talking to God this morning about this very thing and here comes the answer. I’m really feeling encouraged. My favorite flower is the carnation with its spicey sweet smell. My mom used to grow carnations so the scent really brings back wonderful memories.
MY FAVORITE PLANT TO GROW IS THE BLEEDING HEART. ITS NAME REMINDS ME OF THOSE AROUND ME THAT ARE SO CLOSE TO ME, YET SO FAR TO REACH. THE ONES THAT HAVE “BLEEDING HEARTS”. I SEE THEM AS THE PLANT. THEY ARE ALL SO BEAUTIFUL ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT LIKE THE SEEDS WITHIN THE THIS BEAUTIFUL PLANT THERE IS NOT MUCH GLAMORE TO THEM.
IN ADMIRATION I LOOK AT THIS PLANT IN AWE OF THE GREATNESS OF OUR LORD. HE TAKES THIS SIMPLE SEED (NOT SO BEAUTIFUL) AND WITH ALL HIS GLORY CREATES THIS UNIQUELY BEAUTIFUL FLOWER.
MY “HEART BLEEDS” FOR THOSE AROUND ME THAT DO NOT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR FATHER. I CAN ONLY PRAY THAT THE LORD’S WILL BE DONE IN MY LIFE TO LEAD THEM OR IN THEIR’S TO FOLLOW.
I KNOW WHAT THE LORD CAN DO WITH THE SIMPLE, AND NOT SO “BEAUTIFUL” PERSON. HE TRANSFORMS. I ONLY PRAY THAT ALL THE “BLEEDING HEARTS” HAVE SOMEONE WHO LOOKS AT THEM, SEES THEIR POTENTIAL, AND TAKES THE TIME TO NURISH THEM, SO THAT THEY TOO CAN BLOOM INTO SOMETHING WITH GREAT SLENDOR.
Thank you for your devotion. I was truly blessed. My favorite flowers are yellow and pink roses.
I can’t grow them but my favorite flower is rose.
Love to be entered in your giveaway
ABreading4fun [at] gmail [dot] com
I like my roses and this devotion reminds me so much of how the roses are. You will not see much in the way of new buds or growth unless you trim the old dead blooms off.
My favorite fruit would have to be grapes…long after harvesting the grapes and making jelly…you have the vines that can be used t make awesome wreaths and home decorations.
Thank you for your thoughts today. They are very encouraging. I love Butterfly Bushes! I planted two with my kids at our former home. It was the first (and only thing so far) we have planted in our new home. We watch for butterflies almost everyday.
This is exactly what I needed to read today! As I dead-headed my hydrangea (my favorite flower to grow) I thought about how I was in need of a good pruning. Thank you for your word this morning!
I seriously can’t choose just one favorite, because my favorite is whatever is currently blooming in the garden. Today the first of my lilies are opening up. I love daylilies, but they do need daily deadheading!
My favorite vegetable to grow is Cherry Tomatoes. They are fun because you get so many and you can always just pick one and eat it for a little treat. They are also so fun to share.
My favorite flower to grow is a gardenia. I did not inherit my mother’s green thumb at all. All my family knows not to give me a plant. My gardenia bush is taller than me and I know it survives because I don’t go near it.
I love to plant and try to grow geraniums! My mom had a wonderful green thumb and loved geraniums so i try to grow them in memory of my wonderful mother!Thanks for the chance to win the great giveaway!
Your devotion today was a “head on!” for my heart, Karen!!! Thank you for sharing!! Last night I dreamed that someone gave me a huge batch of red geraniums which was my Dad’s favorite.. . . . he used to help me plant them in my flower boxes and gardens. Now that he is gone, I always get at least one red geranium and name it in his honor, my flaming red, “Jack” geranium!!! This year, we are concentrating on putting in new rose bushes which our neighbor has given us and have been in her family for over 100 years!!! We are very excited! I love it when people give me flowers, bushes, trees because as I tend to the plants, I pray for that person as well as have beautiful memories of them . . . just like remembering my Dad. ~Amy S.~
My favorite flower to grow is the sunflower. I love their tall beautiful majesty, and just as the flower follows the sun during the day it reminds me to follow the Son during my day.
The devotional this morning was right on…much needed! Thank you for your “real life” sharing! I love gardening – I talk a lot to God when I am working in my plants. A couple of my favorites are lavender and lemon balm. It is really awesome to think of all the intricasies of God’s creation!
My favorite flower to plant is black eyed susans. They are bold, beautiful and vibrant. They stand alone or in a group well. Their daily beauty keeps on giving to all who come close enough to take a look.
I have been enjoying my climbing clamatis with tiny, delicate blossoms toward the end of summer. A few seasons ago in my impatience for it to get going, I planted another larger purple blossom clamatis on the same trellis which has, this year, overtaken the space. I must divide and transplant for the health of both. A metaphor for my life. I pray God will continue to tend to me, to grow me, and to blossom me for God’s glory.
I love growing sunflowers…they almost always give a spectacular result.
I’m one of those that followed the link in the Encouragement For Today devotion. It was beautiful and it meant a lot for me to hear this message this morning. Thank you.
I love the smell of sweet pea and pineapple.
I like having cherry tomatoes in my garden, but my favorite the past couple of years is raspberries. When a close friend had to move out of state, she dug up a few of her raspberry plants and gave them to me for my garden. Now they are flourishing and they always remind me of her. Plus, fresh sweet raspberries are delicious!
Thank you for your devotion today. It’s just what I needed this morning!
Laura
Wow. I needed this today. I think I will print and laminate it for it seems to be something I struggle with often.
My favorite thing to grow is lemon mint. I don’t really do anything with it, but rub it between my fingers to smell.
I know where the deadheading needs to start. What a great visual. Thank you. Now as for my favorite thing to grow it’s hostas. They are faithful, abundant, diverse, and each year a delight..
There are so many….. tomatoes {sliced tomatoe on homemade sourdogh bread}, cucumbers for cucumber salad, lavender, mint for refreshing iced tea……Love your devotional,just what I needed this morning! Barbara
I love to grow tomatoes and snapdragons! The snapdragons remind me of when I was a girl!
Thank you so much for this devotion. It seems every day the devotion hits the nail on the head about something I am going through at the time. It is definately a God thing. I think my favorite flower to grow is the simple periwinkle. It is very easy to grow, it withstands anything I throw at it (or don’t throw at it) and in the spring when the gorgeous little flowers appear it is like a blue-purple iredescent landscape. It also covers up what is not so pretty underneath. I love to see old homesteads where the house is gone but the periwinkle insists on thriving, reminding us of what was once there.
I like to grow peppers the most, I think. There’s lots that I can do with them, and it’s so much fun to watch them get bigger and bigger!
I enjoyed reading your devotion this morning and clicked on your site – Loved it! I signed up to receive your devotions each morning on my e-mail, very excited to receive your messages. My favorite flower to plant in the summer are zinnias. They are so colorful and bloom all summer long. I didn’t realize you have to prune the dead flowers or they will take nutrients from the entire plant. I will start today with pruning my flowers. I also enjoyed how you compared that to our sin. I’m going to print your devotion out and place it with all my favorites to read. It was a keeper. I also have a teenager that needs to understand how sin can corrupt you. What a good way to teach him by reading your devotion and 5 tips. Thank you and I hope you have a blessed day. Terry Smith
It is funny how your blog reminded me of what I said at the beginning of the year. I told God that I was cutting off all the dead weight so that I can fly! Too many things and people holding me down. I called this year,”NEW BEGINNINGS” and believe me God is showing me all the “new beginnings” in my life. I feel like this was written about me, for me! God Bless You!
I can’t really say that I have 1 favorite flower or vegetable because, just like each of us, the Master Gardener has made us beautiful in our own special way, a struggle we, as women, deal with often. (This would be one of my “dead-heads” ) I have always thought of gardening as therapy both in the flower garden and the vegetable garden, all the way to mowing the grass. I use it as a time to reflect and relax my mind to spend time with my Saviour in prayer and thought. He is the Master Gardener. Your devotional has put a new perspective to “dead-heading” and I appreciate the addition. My drive home each day is 30-40 minutes and I use this “down time” to ride along marveling at the beauty we so often take for granted Thank you again for this wonderful thought!
I love to grow yellow squash and zuchinni squash. I love coming home from work and going out to my little garden spot to gather a few very fresh squash for dinner. I cut the squash in cubes and sautee with onions in olive oil. Absolutely delicious. Thank you dear Lord for the soil, the sun, and the water, that assist in the growth of this wonderful squash. May it nourish us so we might serve you.
I was not able to plant my garden this year; I lost my Mother in March, and I have been dealing with emotions and all sorts of business; I am looking forward to my garden next spring. But, I still cook squash that I purchase from my local grocer at least 3 to 4 times a week. I just miss picking it myself, and I miss my Mom.
The peace lily is my favorite – after my Dad passed in 2001, I brought home one of the four plants given to my family – I thought I had killed it yet after taking it to the garden center and following directions, it has come back again! Reminds me so much of my heavenly Father and my Dad – new life comes from death. Somehow I feel as if a living part of my Dad is still with me.
Loved your message today – thank you! I will never forget the time that I told my husband that I was having someone remove three trees from our property, and he said that he wasn’t sure about that, because he didn’t know what it would look like with them gone. My response, “they are DEAD!” Sometimes we hang onto the “dead” or what I call the “yuck stuff” simply because it’s what we know or uncertain of life without it. Here’s to pruning away!
As silly as it sounds, I love myself some “TopsyTurvy” – there is just something so fun about it!
I like growing wave petunias. I love it when they spill over and cascade down the container. I like to mix in an ornamental sweet potato vine in the brightest shade of green I can find.
I love growing roses. I also love having a strawberry patch.
Orange mint! Then I love to add it to a big cup of iced tea.
You wrote to my weary, burdened heart 2day. I search for & pluck the dead from my flowers(that I looooove)-your anaology to do the same in our lives is blowing my mind! My fav plant is boganvia(sp). I survives the extreme heat here in TX. I want to be a boganvia for the Lord!!!!!
We grow mint for our summer iced tea drinks! The mint sprigs also makes for beautiful decorations on desserts! Thank you for the timely devotional. As a mom, I struggle with so many “dead-heads.” Getting ready to “nip” those today!
I love to grow tomatoes because I love to eat them!! My parents always grew them when I was growing up. There’s just nothing like home grown tomatoes. We have 10 tomato plants in our garden right now. There are lots of green ones; we’re just waiting for them to turn red!
I love growing tomatoes and mint. Mint because we use it so often and tomatoes becuase it is fun to let the kids pick their own for lunches and suppers
i just love all flowers. It’s a constant reminder of God’s beautiful love for each one of us. Some of my favorites include hydangeas, baby’s breath and roses. This is my first time visiting this site. Thank you so much for your encouraging words.
I really needed this word. It was an answer to my question to God yesterday and gave my heart such a needed boost! My favorite herb is spanish lavender. With just a hint of it’s aroma there is a feeling of peace and well being. Thank you for this post as my mind feels that peace and joy once again. God is so faithful to answer us!
I read you devotional today from P31 and I must say that was EXACTLY what I needed to hear today!! I definitely need to learn how to ‘dead-head’ more of the icky thoughts that I sometimes find myself dwelling on. Thank you for letting God work through you!! My favorite flower to grow is the Tulip. ALthough it’s only here a short time I love how tall and slender it is and I enjoy seeing my yard awash in Tulips of every color!!
Thank you for this wonderful message today, it really spoke to me and gave me some thoughts of “dead heading” that I can do. It was a very timely message for the thoughts that are creeping in my head. My favorite flower is tulips, though they are for a very short season. It is so wonderful to see them and their variety of colors after the long and cold winters that we experience here in MN. They remind me of God’s promise and provision. Thank you Karen for your ministry!
My favorite herb that we’ve planted this year is rosemary.
Recently, my 9 year old disabled daughter and I planted some flowers and vegetables while her sisters were at camp. We had so much fun planting the seeds, picking out exactly which pot to put each one in. It has been almost two weeks ago now, and each day, we go outside to the front porch and look at how much each one has grown. She gets so excited that she has a “happy seizure,” holding her hands together and shaking with excitment! While she gets so excited over the plant growth, it reminds me daily to stop and be thankful for the little things in life. So, while she is shaking with excitement, I shake with excitement over each miracle God has provided to me and my family. Makenzie’s disability is hard to deal with. She wakes up at about 2 am every day, and is followed by 14 doctors, so we are tired folk! Growing these plants with her reminds me to make sure I “water” myself with God’s word so I too can grown and be healthy. God is amazing and reminders of the love of His children can be found all over our gardening adventures. I pray for each of you today that God’s blessings flow into your lives…and your plants.
Thank you for the devotion – very timely. I love planting and growing flowers in pots. I enjoy having ferns on the back porch during the summer -
I like to think that love grows in my garden. We grow many things tomatoes, squash, okra, green beans, blackberries, raspberries, etc. We always plant enough to give to neighbors and family. It is a blessing to give and share!! My favorite thing to grow is probably raspberries!
Lavender is a favorite of mine. Many thanks for sharing this fragrant blessing!
I absolutely LOVE to grow peonies. they are my favorite flower and it does my heart good to go outdoors during the spring and see the gorgeouse green bush bursting with pink peonies…even if there are ants crawling all over them!
I loved this blog entry! I need to do a lot of pruning in my garden and in my spirit. I love to plant tomatoes. Summertime, a BLT or a slice of home cooked tomato pie….mmmm good!
Pansies are my favorite flower. They are so cute and so vibrant and love the cool weather.