The Best of the Rest: 2017

Happy New Year, everyone! I can't believe it is already 2018. I remember so well when we reached the year 2000, and everyone thought the world was going to end!

I am partied out; no wild shenanigans for me tonight. Instead, I end the year working on a blog post, as it is time for my annual "Best of the Rest" feature. These are photos taken from my garden through the year that, for various reasons, did not make it onto the blog. At last, I present these never-before-seen images! (They may or may not knock your socks off.) 

January:

February:Bright yellow Forsythia promises the end of winter and the arrival of spring.

March:Above top:Red trumpet honeysuckle grows on a fence that divides my vegetable garden/work space from the patio. Small photos above left to right: Japanese maple blooms; Alabama Croton bloom; Summer snowflakes (Despite the name, they bloom in the spring.)

April:Robin Redbreast

May:This Eastern Phoebe has nested at the top of a downspout outside my bedroom window for the past two years. I enjoy listening to the birdsong!

These succulents grow in a hypertufa pot on the patio. I bring them inside for the winter.

June:

July:This variegated hot pepper is called a Fish Pepper.

August:An annual begonia that bloomed constantly in the woodland garden until frost.

September:Burford holly: The green holly berries promise bright color to come.

October:Bench in the fern glade

Dappled sunlight covers one of the woodland garden paths.

November:Spiders are good guys in my garden.

Look at the top of the pine tree to see a hawk nest. Hawks have been nesting there for several years now.

This is a young red-shouldered hawk who hatched in that nest; he is getting big!

December:The holly berries are red now!

One of our birdhouses during our December snow.

Night view of the arch by the patio, decorated for Christmas and covered in snow.

The year comes to a close. Winter sunsets are dramatic.

Did you have a favorite photo or month? 

Wishing you all the best in 2018, and if you encounter thorns, may you also find blooms and berries!  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?