A Few August Images, 2016

The steamy weather of the last couple of weeks has been so oppressive, I have hardly been able to force myself outside. Instead, I have been doing some painting inside the house. I know that cooler days with fresh breezes are coming, but meanwhile I am in the doldrums as far as gardening goes. Nevertheless, I have few August images to share from various places:

First, I spent nearly an hour outside trying to get a photo of a hummingbird. We have many coming through to visit our flowers and hummingbird feeder next to the patio, but my reflexes were too slow. Wilted and a bit discouraged, I at last managed one image with a recognizable bird:

Here is the view toward my front garden through the jasmine arch. We have had plenty of rain, so everthing is lush and very green:

Nothing like a wagonload of sweet watermelons to make the hot weather more bearable:

The watermelons were a special treat as part of a Master Gardeners class I am taking.

How about a basket of muscadines (Vitis rotundifolia) or scuppernongs? Sometimes people want to know the difference between a scuppernong and a muscadine.  A scuppernong is merely a green or bronze form of muscadine, which is a native grape of the South. They tend to have tough skins, but bite into one of these for a juicy, sweet-tart explosion of flavor in your mouth:muscadines
Muscadines on the vine at the Chilton County Research and Extension Service.

scuppernongs

We have muscadines growing wild on our property.We once had a black lab named Jasmine who loved to eat muscadines, especially the shriveled, somewhat fermented ones she found on the ground. I prefer them plump and recently picked. 

This butterfly has tattered wings but is still beautiful:

Check out this great-looking rain barrel, located at the Chilton County Extension Service Demonstration Garden:

A very interesting arbor at the Demonstration Garden is made from rebar, chicken wire, and rusty old garden tools:

Finally, I recently attended a cookout in honor of the volunteers at Aldridge Gardens. We were eating under a large pavillion when a funny thing happened. We noticed rain coming down on one side of the pavilion while on the other side of the pavillion the sun was shining in and there was no rain! We all laughed, but this is typical of the scattered showers that are so common in August. After the rain we had a special surprise when a rainbow arched over the Gardens:

Blessings to you all!   Deb

Mid-August in Deb's Garden

Can it be? Summer is slipping around the edges, loosing its intensity, with cool nights and early morns. Humidity is also less, so that even mid-day temps are more tolerable. The garden has taken on a mellow, relaxed atmosphere, hinting of autumn to come.  Fall colors are beginning to show in these Japanese maple leaves.

Lets start a tour of the mid-August garden with images taken in and around the front garden:This trail leads from the patio steps, with the hydrangea walk on one side and the arbor garden on the other.

This trail leads from the jasmine arch by the patio. It borders the main part of the front garden.

This image shows the upper part of the hydrangea walk. The burford holly is laden with berries, which will turn red later in the season.

A couple of loving bugs on the holly.There are a couple of things to note inside the front garden. First, the voodoo lily has grown tremendously this summer. In the pot, it reaches well over five feet tall. Another thing is that I have eliminated the invasive liriope that once grew in abundance on both sides of this path. Since this photo was taken, I have planted about three dozen foxglove plants in this area, pass-alongs from a dear friend. A variety of other plants will also grow here.

Trail inside the front garden.

The first image in the collage below shows liriope growing around the base of a tree in the lower front lawn. This is easily controlled with a lawn mower:Clockwise from top left: Liriope; Crepe myrtle; Variegated fatsia japonica; Easy-to-grow mushrooms!

More photos from the front garden:

A close look at the center of this orange hibiscus.

Some images taken inside the woodland garden:

Finally, a view of the sky, so typical this month. I am thankful for abundant rain.Sky before a summer thunderstormI hope you enjoyed the tour. Can you feel a new season coming?