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.

Spring Show

5/6/13

tulip garden

     The last two weeks have been downright cold here by late spring standards.  We have been 10 to 15 degrees below normal.  Our heat is still coming on in the early morning hours because the temperature has been in the low 40's at night.

     Some of the trees are struggling to put out leaves.  This is extremely late for trees here which are normally full of leaves by early to mid-April.

     Despite the cold, there are some things blooming.  My tulip garden has been in full bloom for a week now.

     The late spring blooming daffodils in my front garden all bloomed this week.

St. Patrick's Day daffodil

     This St. Patrick's Day daffodil is so named because the perianth segments are tinged green when first opening.

     Last week I bought some pots that fit the deck railing at this house and filled them with diascia and calibrachoa.

diascia

calibrachoa

     Two weeks ago I made a discovery on the side of the house.  Three asiatic lilies suddenly appeared in front of the boxwood bushes.  I wonder what color they will be.

asiatic lilies

    

violet

     I found one lonely violet in the back yard.  I routinely gather violets in the spring wherever I find them as I walk the dog.  I put them in a tiny vase on my kitchen table.  To me they are a lovely and true sign of spring.

Container Flowers

6/3/12

calibrachoa

     So much of the yard is in shade at this house we are renting.  But the two-level deck gets full sun. 

     So this week I went through more unpacked moving boxes and found some of my planters.

     I bought some potting soil and annuals, filled the planters and put them around the deck railing.  Now the deck is bright with color.  These are photos of the flowers I bought.

marigolds

ageratum

     

diascia

     A few of the neighbors have stopped by to introduce themselves and welcome us to the neighborhood.  Our neighbors that live next door brought a lovely potted dahlia for us when they stopped by.

dahlia