My Deep Green Summer Garden

It's late afternoon, just after a thundershower. The sun has returned and shines more gently than earlier in the day. The air is as cool as it will get, on a day in my deep green summer garden. I grab my camera and take a tour, breathing in the moist air.

First I step onto the patio. To my left is a view over the front garden. Across the lawn, lavender crepe myrtles are blooming. They were sold to me as dwarfs, to reach about three feet high. They are triple that and still growing. To my right is the herb bed, centered on a birdhouse and bordered with knockout roses, reliable bloomers even in the summer heat.

I walk down into the arbor garden. This is my favorite spot to sit and listen to the birds.

A  couple of striking plants catch my attention. The first is a magnolia seed pod and the next is caladium with the sun glowing through the leaves.

I stroll across the drive and down into the woodland garden. It is verdant and dripping wet, the sun glinting off raindrops.

Colorful foliage with multiple textures and shades of green provide interest in the summer garden.

I hope you enjoyed this walk through my garden. May the work of your own hands, whatever that may be, bring blessings to those around you.  Deborah

Snowflakes in July

No, I'm not talking about frozen precipitation, though that sounds delightful as our temps and humidity head toward the triple digits. I am talking about Hydrangea quercifolia 'Snowflake'. I don't have any of these in my garden, but I was completely smitten by them when I recently visited Aldridge Gardens in Hoover.

Snowflakes are a native of Alabama. The blooms are double and last far longer than the species. I saw them a couple months ago when their blooms were white; and although they were pretty, I didn't note that they were superior to the species. On my most recent visit, their blooms were turning pink and were spectacular, with their ruffled blooms really standing out.

The world didn't know about these wonderful shrubs until the 1970's when Eddie Aldridge and his father, Loren, patented them and began propagation, using a single cutting from a shrub discovered in Libscomb, Alabama. Now they are grown worldwide. You can read about care and cultivation of Hydrangea quercifolia in my post Oakleaf Hydrangea for All Seasons.

My own oakleaf hydrangeas are well past their prime. Their pure white color has rapidly progressed through pink to rose to brown. Snowflake is far prettier!

My Lady in Red hydrangeas have also undergone changes in the summer heat. Here is what they looked like in May:

This is what they look like now. Still beautiful!

A few other hydrangeas, in different stages, are blooming in my garden now:

Clockwise from upper left: 'Annabelle' has turned from white to shades of pale green; 'Limelight' is just beginning to bloom; 'Niko Blue' has a single bloom remaining; I thought 'Endless Summer' was finished blooming, but it is now developing new buds. Maybe it will live up to its name!

I can't wait for cooler fall weather so I can add some Snowflakes to my collection!