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

A Crime Scene on a Beautiful Day

Recently, Garden, the cat who does not belong to me, and I were walking near the lady garden when we came across a crime scene. 

That's gross! 

Garden couldn't stand it and covered her eyes.

Warning: the following image is graphic, so if you have a weak stomach, you better not look, either.The bloody guts, upon investigation, was actually red and white sap coming from a stump. Lou had cut down a tree. I have never seen a bleeding tree before, but I think this one qualifies!

Garden and I went looking for more pleasant things, and we saw this vignette in the lady garden:

We saw summer snowflakes, leucojum aestivan:

And many other lovely flowers:

Here's my watering can:

In the front garden we admired the weeping cherry tree:

We saw the Jane magnolia overlooking the woodland garden:

Then we entered the woodlands and got another perspective on the Jane magnolia:

Morning light shown across some spirea shrubs:

Gauzy spiderwebs hung like hammocks among the branches:

We stopped to look at some variegated ivy:

A treat for the eyes, blooming redbud trees were sweet as puffs of cotton candy:

Finally, on our way out of the woodlands, Garden stopped to speak to the rabbit:

We enjoyed our walk. The air was refreshing and the sights were beautiful, except for the crime scene. It was a day too fine for murder, and I told Lou he shouldn't have cut down that tree. A tree that bleeds will probably come back to haunt you.

Happy Spring!