I managed to get back into my garden the other day.  We've had a lot of dull weather and I guess I am a 'fair weather' gardener - I like to garden when the sun is shining!

I had another patch of day lillies to remove - this time by myself.  It took ages, but they are gone and I've popped these plants in for now.  Not too sure what I want to plant there, just knew it desperately needed to be tidied up!  As I worked I had plenty of time to think about roots...

I had 2 main trails of thought.  The first ('pro-root') was about being rooted securely in the Lord.  The days are evil  (Eph 5:16) and I think that unless we are secure in our love for Him and His love for us, it would be all too easy to be uprooted.  Life has a habit of buffeting us and I know several folk who have abandoned their faith because they had few roots.  Reading the Bible, prayer, gathering together with other who love Jesus; these things are essential to have good strong roots.

My other trail was 'anti-root'!  Have you ever asked the Lord to help you in a certain area, thought you'd won a victory and then fallen flat on your face again?  I certainly have.  I do not deny that the Lord had helped me, but sometimes our sin and our hurt roots go very deep within our lives.  I believe the Lord can help us once for all with all kinds of things, but other times we come back time and again to deal with issues.  These roots go deep and sometimes they are hidden away.  (I have no doubt I will get at least a couple of day lillies next year; the roots were everywhere!)  Sometimes past sins invade places we never thought they would.  How glad I am that the Lord helps us every day, and when we surrender to Him He works away at those bad roots, exposing them and helping us to cut them off.

I also finished my winter planting: in all the tubs and hanging baskets too.- This one is outside my kitchen - has to be pretty for when I'm working at the sink! 

I found some old bulbs in the shed so planted several tubs just with bulbs.  As I have no idea what they are I could have crocus, daffodil and tulip in the same pot!  Should be colouful at the least!

One of our dear friends gave us this lovely 'pot' a while ago and I love to have it brimming with flowers.

The geraniums hadn't finished flowering so I took them in and put them in a vase.  The need to get my new flowers established before the first frosts won over keeping the old plants as long as possible!

And today I've been and bought another acer, the Japanese maple.  I think they are so pretty but they are rather expensive.  A couple of years ago I bought 4 for £5 (about $8).  They were tiny, but I figured it was a better deal than one for £5 which was the other possibility.  I have managed to keep two of them alive and they've grown very well this year.  I thought I might get a bargain as it's not really the time to be buying acers, they are deciduous and not too pretty already so I got one for about £4.  The bonus is that it was reduced from £16 and is already nearly the size of my other two.  (So, could I sell them for £16 each?  That would be a good profit!)  It's also a 'red' one, where my other two are both green.  Just hope I can keep it alive until next year!

(I wonder if I'm getting into this gardening thing........)