Late July in the Garden

It's almost August! Summer is sliding by quicker than a six year old on a Slip 'N Slide. It has been a few years since I launched myself onto one of those dangerously watery plastic sheets. I can't count how many years, though I do remember doing it! I did ask Lou to spray me with the water hose the other day. It has been hot and humid, but we have had some pleasant days thrown in now and then to make it bearable. August still to go.

Meanwhile, a quick tour of the garden shows that most non-foliage color comes from lavender and bright pink crepe myrtles, 'Coral' drift roses, and a few flowers such as yarrow and coneflowers. Here are images taken in the front garden:

Yarrow is a perennial that has long-lasting blooms:Hydrangea 'Limelight' positively glows in the midsummer garden:The woodland garden is noticeably cooler than the non-shaded parts of the garden. It is deep green with golden summer lights:

Stromanthe tricolor, a tropical plant I bring inside when winter arrives, and Solomon's Seal are just a couple of the foliage plants in the woodlands looking good right now:

'Waterfall' Japanese maple is a highlight in the woodland garden:

Rabbit keeps an eye on everything:

Finally, I have been seeing lots of dragonflies this year. This one reminds me of an old bi-plane:

Isn't nature grand? Blessings to all of you.    Deb

Late Summer in the Front Garden

We have had rain almost every day in August thus far. The vapors of summer have settled over us like a warm wet towel. Yesterday I was able to get out to my dripping garden.A view from inside the front garden.It wasn't raining at the time, but when I returned to the house I was damp. I didn't mind. The rain has moderated our usually high summer temperatures, and the plants are loving the moisture. The garden feels mellow and ripe, like the golden figs I picked the other day. My little White Marseilles fig tree produced a total of four figs this year. They were very sweet, and Lou and I gobbled them up. I hope my potted tree will grow bigger and produce a larger harvest next year.

In the front garden, Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' is putting on a show. Its chartreuse tinted white blooms glow along the hydrangea walk, where earlier blooming hydrangeas have faded.This shrub blooms reliably every year from midsummer till fall, when its blooms will acquire pink tints.

Another plant that is gives a reliable punch to the summer garden every year is Canna Lily 'Tropicana'. I have loved it from the first moment I saw it. It was the plant that began to nudge me toward the tropical side of my semitropical climate.Before Tropicana, I dismissed most tropicals, but now my tastes have broadened considerably. Some of these shamelessly brazen plants are much more suited to my sultry climate than the pastel delicacies that were my first love.

Farther down inside my front garden is the peculiar Voodoo plant. I think it may be mature enough next year to bloom. I am looking forward to that! Meanwhile, I enjoy its tomato-like foliage and its creepy patterned stems, which feel like human flesh!

If you don't know anything about this plant, you must read my previous post, Under the Spell of the Voodoo Plant. I have two voodoo plants, both growing in large pots. I was shocked to discover a third voodoo plant in the ground about fifteen feet away from the originals. Since those have never bloomed, I don't know how this has happened. Perhaps a squirrel dug up a small corm and planted it for me!

A summer view of a rustic birdhouse inside the front garden:Summertime, and the living is easy!

Finally, here are some simple summer flowers:

 May these August days bring you many blessings.   Deborah