Creating a Butterfly Garden

I have wanted to create a more beautiful space since I first saw the ugly tables that sit on the top floor of our parking garage.  I had a vision of a small garden in pots.  But I worried about bringing them to such a harsh landscape.  But in many ways, every part of South Florida is a harsh landscape of penetrating sunshine and periods of drought mixed with flood.  I continued to dream.

As I thought about beautifying the space, I thought about butterfly plants.   They're usually hardier varieties of plants, and they have the added bonus of attracting beautiful butterflies.  Plus, my pastor knows a lot about creating a viable butterfly garden out of ugly space. 

I reached out to him to see if he had some seedlings.  He said sure, and on Monday night, I picked them up.  I was expecting a few sprouts.  He gave me full grown plants:

My friend who is moving to a smaller space donated the pots that I put them in:

Once I had the area set up, I realized I had room for more.  My pastor had additional plants, so yesterday, I picked up two more plants:

Late in the day, I had a vision of inspirational rocks, so I picked up the chunk that I had on hand and painted it freehand:

Yes, I have the kind of office where I have a paintbrush and a variety of paints.  And yesterday, plants!

Yesterday when I opened my office door, a co-worker joked that my office is like the general store in the country, with plants here, and a bakery there.  I said, "All I need is some chicken feed, and I'd be set."

But as the day went on, and I worked on the butterfly garden in between my traditional administrator tasks, I thought that my office is more like the office of a retreat center.

And now I'm dreaming of a labyrinth in the ugly parking lot . . .