Summer Garden Images

I started talking to the lady in front of me at the check-out at the store, and soon we were mutually lamenting the steamy, sauna-like weather. As she departed, she gave me a big smile.

"Welcome to Alabama in the summer!"Crape myrtle is the iconic summer bloom of the Deep South. It loves the heat and humidity.

It's true. Should one complain about what is completely normal and expected? It would be far worse if we did not have air-conditioning, and I wonder about my ancestors who came to this part of the country without benefit of modern comforts. As I stepped from the store's cool indoor air, I was blasted by the sultry heat. It was a shock to my system, an event repeated many times a day as I go in and out. Would I get used to the heat if I did not have air-conditioning? Probably, but I really like my air-conditioning!

I walk in the garden in early morning or late afternoon. It is quite noisy. There are little birds everywhere, chirping and celebrating life. A young male cardinal keeps visiting the weeping yaupon holly tree outside our kitchen. There were cardinals nesting there recently, and I assume he was one of them. Last week I caught this baby wren in a one of the birdhouses by the patio, the day before he fledged:

Here are some more recent images taken in the summer garden:Hydrangea 'Endless Summer'

Boston Fern in the arbor garden

'Coral' Drift rose

This "Easter lily" originally came from a friend. It blooms reliably every year, but long after Easter! Thanks to commenter Erin Baily who gave me this information: "It is an asiatic lily which faces upward, may or may not have spots and blooms early in summer. It is a tough and reliable grower."

Gardenia. This shrub originally came to me as a cutting from my next-door neighbor.

Japanese Painted Fern and Red Dragon Persicaria

Hosta bloom

Zantedeschia foliage. No blooms have appeared yet this year, and I wonder if they will. Nevertheless, the foliage is lovely.

Marjorie Fair rose, a rose that will bloom in partial shade. This one is in the woodland garden

The blooms of Snowflake hydrangea are double, unlike its common oakleaf hydrangea cousins.

Clockwise from top left: Hosta 'Sum and Substance'; A Bromeliad I received at Christmas. It was inside through the winter, and I thought it had died of neglect. When I put it outside, thinking to throw it on the compost heap when I got around to it, it came to life! Now it is putting out buds; Variegated Toad Lily; Hardy Begonia; Acer japonica 'Aconitifolium'; A colorful coleus in the woodland garden.

 You may also enjoy these previous posts:

 A Gardenia For Me

Summer is Here!

Summer Proof the Garden

Have a great week!    Deb

Patterns in the Woodland Garden

White sun may be glaring beyond the trees, washing out the details of summer; but inside the woodland garden, shadows and light create intricate patterns and points of interest. Light shines through the foliage of a Chinese fan palm in the woodland garden. It is one among a handful of palms that can survive the winter in my 8a hardiness zone.It is a mysterious place where I can easily imagine hidden eyes peering out from corners of darkness. It is no coincidence that many fairy tales are set in woodlands.This is a recent photo of the deep green summer woodland garden.

From the above photos, one could think that green is the only color in the woodland garden. That is not far from the truth, but there are spots of other colors, even a few flowers. One must pause along the path to find them; they do not shout for attention.Top: I have long ago forgotten the name of this lily, once an Easter gift. Below the lily are Snowflake Hydrangea and a purple Calla Lily, and at the bottom are a Variegated Hydrangea and a Gardenia. The fragrance of the gardenia bush fills the garden. The subtle color of Snowflake Hydrangea is echoed in the background by a variegated redbud, 'Whitewater'.

Flowers come and go like ethereal mists, but foliage is always the star in the woodland garden. The top photo below is hosta 'Sum and Substance'. The others are seedlings whose parents are Francis Williams and Elegans.

My deep green summer woodland garden is full of little surprises, thanks to an assortment of plants with colorful foliage: 

I always pause to examine their dots and splashes and stripes and frills. The woodland garden is dark and green, but never dull. Happy gardening!