Midsummer Blooms in the Back Yard

7/13/14

The Asiatic lilies finally opened!  Here they stand between the hosta and cosmos blooms.

A close-up of a lily.

Now that the tulips are gone, I added some begonias under the pink dogwood tree.

My large deck pots are lush with blooms.  Here is a pot of tuberose begonias.

Another deck pot of New Guinea impatiens.

My favorite pot of standard impatiens.  I realize this is a no-no to plant because of the fungus that is wiping them out, but I couldn't resist.

This is a railing pot of diascia, a favorite flower of mine.

I have some red and white begonias in another pot.

Petunias are another favorite flower that graces my deck.

This coleus needs some water.

I was finally able to catch one of the resident foxes with my camera, trotting across my driveway in the middle of the day.  We usually see them at dusk.

Not long after the fox visit, three deer went through the yard and crossed the street.  It was a day busy with wildlife

     There is a toad that has suddenly started to sit at my back sliding glass door each night.  The dog doesn't know what to make of it, and she just walks around it and barks at it.  I will try to take a photo of it soon.

     Our family will be leaving for a week long vacation next weekend to New York state.  I hope to bring some great photos back to share with you.

Garden Growth On The Fourth of July

7/4/14

seashells cosmos

     In the back yard garden there is a pause between spring and fall blooms.  The seashells cosmos that reseeded are one of the few plants that are blooming.  The following photos show what else is blooming there.

The hostas are all blooming.

There are still some blooms on the hellebores.

The Asiatic lilies have still refused to show their blooms, although I have seen some blooming in the neighborhood.

I added solar lights all along the perimeter of the garden.

In the garden surrounding the electrical box, the milkweed  are blooming, and I hope for some monarch caterpillars this year.

The daisies in front of the electrical box are in full bloom.

In the full sun side yard garden the zinnias are producing a riot of colorful flowers.

Although the daisies by the electrical box are blooming, the ones in the side garden that the deer/rabbits ate, are finally recovering under my netting, but no blooms yet.

The under-the-netting balloon flowers that were also eaten are recovering nicely and are starting to bloom.

The oriental fountain grass "Karley Rose" is beautiful now.

     In our area it is a delightful day with plenty of sunshine, breezes, and low humidity.  Hope everyone has a joyful fourth, with good food and fireworks.