The gardens have been beautiful with all of our rain and hot weather. We have had many day lilies, tiger lilies and oriental lilies along with bee balm, daisies, black-eyed Susan, purple cone flowers, bachelor buttons and a few Sweet Williams, snap dragons, butterfly weed and some purple strife. Not all are in bloom at once and the colorful addition allowed to grow is our wild goldenrod. It does look pretty even though it is a weed. One marigold is also in bloom from seed! Many early morning hours and late afternoons are spent weeding, but some weeds just seem to flourish. It is a jungle out there.
We had some time today to relax on the porch this morning. I have a chair hammock not frequently used this summer because it was rainy, too hot or too buggy. But this morning was perfect so I used the opportunity to sit there and edit an article while the boys chased squirrels, chipmunks, froggies, each other and whatever else they could sniff. When I was done Gunnarr wanted to sit on my lap, wet paws and all. So both he and Fionnegan got a bit of a swing in the hammock as we enjoyed some really nice peace and quiet. Shorty just sits nearby on the deck and smiles and watches. He is probably thinking there is no way she is getting me up there on her lap!
This is a great chair. It is on the deck surrounded by gardens and flower pots. I adjusted it so I can rest my legs on a chair. And yes, three of us can fit. We watched the birds - in particular a very noisy ivory billed woodpecker. When he flew over the yard, you could hear the wind whistling through his feathers. Magic.
Here are a few garden flowers gathered to share with you. Some of the flowers have little critters - froggies, grasshoppers and bees. See if you can sot them.
This is near the end of the season for day lilies. As the name indicates, each bloom lasts one day. There are 6 to 10 blooms per stem so we can enjoy them for a while. The garden has early blloing to late blooming lilies, so we have color for the entire season.
See anyone inside the flower?
The cone flowers have been in bloom for most of the summer. We are lucky that hte deer did not snack on them as Bucky does jump the fence to visit!
We had more tiger lilies this year than ever in the past. They grew threw the fence and propagated into two separate gardens. They are showy and gorgeous.
This lily is not only beautiful but very fragrant. They greet us at the front entrance with their appealing presence. Many flowers bloom per stalk and they last for a couple of weeks.
A flower garden needs a bird feeder or two!
Shasta daisy.
The golden rod adds nice color to the garden as the day lilies are waning.
Another pink oriental lily that is very fragrant. I have to grow them in post since the gophers and moles like to eat the tubers. Eventually we learn!
Geraniums are still in bloom.
Do you see the little froggie? Am afraid the dogs found him.
Planting for bees and hummingbirds has been successful. We need to do a little more work to get the butterflies here on a regular basis. We had a couple but can try to plant for more. There is an invasive plant that deters them from the gardens in the area and I try each year to pull out as much as I can. The bees don't bother the dogs and vice versa.
Lovely purple lily. Deep and rich in color.
Queen Anne's lace - a wild flower that adds character to the gardens.
We have several different white varieties. They add their own special beauty to a colorful garden.
There also are a few different yellow and orange and purple varieties. There was once a large day lily farm near my house and each year I would purchase a couple more to add to the show. The owners drove by my house every day and would comment on how nice and colorful the gardens were.
See the twins?
One of my all time favorites - wild black-eyed Susans. They grow in a few different places and I try to encourage their return each year. Here they are growing under the rhododendron. A nice safe place I guess.
Another all time favorite - a very fragrant orange lily. Beautiful.
Two stalks of oriental lilies. What a magical treat at the front door.
Purple bee balm complements the magenta bee balm. Both attract the hummingbirds and bees.
And let's not forget the hostas now in bloom. Try to hide them from the deer!
Rain drops on the petals.
Another one of my favorites - a very beautiful delicate purple flower.
My big helpers, never far from my side, unless they are digging holes and chasing chippies!
At some point I should move that broom! It is in more pictures that I care to imagine.
I do hope you enjoyed the garden flowers that bloomed over the last few weeks. And I hope the pictures of the boys do make you smile! They are the sweetest!
And may you do something every day that makes someone else smile, too.
Until next time......
