The First Bouquet

Dispatches
Written By dawnatella
A small summer bouquet of deep red zinnias and yellow shrimp plants in a vintage glass Ball Ideal mason jar, sitting on the white window sill of a historic Greensboro craftsman bungalow.

Our little bungalow is in bloom.

Today we cut our first flowers, zinnias and shrimp plant. We had a little bit of a head start on these; we received the plants as a housewarming gift when James’s brother and sister-in-law visited this past weekend with their two kids. I really wanted to start a cutting garden when we moved into the house, but it was just too late in the year to start such a project. This little bouquet is a reminder that small is a great way to start. Chalk up yet another win for good-enough gardening!

dawnatella

Dawn Shepherd is a writer, a professor emeritus of writing studies, and an enthusiastic amateur of many things. After stepping away from higher education in 2025 to pursue a cross-country van journey and travels through Spain, she is currently exploring the art of the deliberate return. Through dispatches, sketches, and snapshots, she documents the magic of everyday life. She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she’s figuring it all out. Probably. Maybe.

https://thedawnatellaedit.com
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