The garden is like a jungle in July

Yesterday I braved the heat in the afternoon after a large Strawberry milk shake! That seemed to do the trick & I had lots of energy! I re potted some of my volunteer tomatoes. I planted some volunteer perennials that had popped up in pots back into the garden. My summer Squash & Zucchini have lots of flowers but are not bearing any fruit? My cucumbers are growing but very slowly! I guess I'm not really a vegetable gardener :-( My Basil, Rosemary, Mint & Thyme are all doing well, the Sage is OK but my Strawberries not going well at all. I've had quite a few Tomatoes! Oh well I'll just concentrate on my flowers they make me very happy! Oh dear there are so many weeds I think this is why so few Americans have perennial gardens they are a lot of work, dead heading all the time to encourage new blooms. I think it is the intense heat that is making it so difficult for me. I'm loosing the energy needed for such gardening. Oh my Oregano is doing fabulously well that definitely deserves a mention! I have seen a few glorious Hummingbirds this summer but not a lot of Butterflies I wonder why & not nearly so many Bees I wonder if Michael has moved his beehives? lots of birds at the bird feeder! Cardinals of course, Goldfinches, & all sorts of little finches *~* & of course the odd greedy Squirrel try's to munch in there too!

HOT IN ATLANTA JULY 2011

Perennial Hibiscus

 Today was hot in the 90's again but we enjoyed a nice breeze making it a good day to do some tidying up in the front garden which is a mass of perennials and lots of weeds too. My perennial Hibiscus are just amazing the flowers are the size of a dinner plate! I have them in three different colours, pink deep pink & red!




 
The Star gazer Lily comes back faithfully every year. It was a gift to me when I was going through radiation all those years ago from a dear Dr I worked with *~* It is perfect that is flowers around July 4th they are my fireworks in the garden*****

                                                                              

The Glorious Star Gazer Lily***

JUNE 2011

Easter Lily

Cone Flowers

Calla Lily

Homestead Tomatoes

Daylilies

Provence Lavender

The garden is in full bloom, daylilys, crepe Myrtle, huge perennial Hibiscus in red & pink, roses coming back for their 2nd bloom. I have gathered several large bunches of glorious Lavender and it is drying ready to make my lavender sachets. But the deer are having a ball!! They ate 10 tomatoes the other night where I had left my potted tomatoes plants on the front path to get more sun, sure enough they found them and they were large green tomatoes just ready to turn red :~( oh well what can I do. They also ate all the tomatoes off the large plant I had my trusty helper Juan plant near my compost heat, so I rushed out to buy netting and when I got home they had eaten all the leaves too, and my yellow daylilys. I love the deer so I'm not going to get upset. Its very hot outside these days so my time out in the garden is early and not for long. I can see several little cucumbers growing, & lots of flowers for my summer squash & zuccini, so there is hope but not much sun back there.

The May garden in the South

Tiger Lily's

I want to go to the beach but I don't want to leave my flowers isn't that ridiculous!

Glorious Gardenias

Hydrangeas are beautiful this year!

My ? Beach Rose

Calla Lily's dotted around the garden

The deepest Blue Hydrangeas ever!

Pure White Hydrangeas under the Curly Red Willow

We have had very little rain and it has been very hot. A lot of dead heading and weeding. But loving the bounty of glorious flowers I see every day. The greatest joy is from the volunteers that spring up in the strangest places. Miniature petunias growing out of my brick steps, and in pots I've planted other things in. This year I am growing cucumbers and they are beginning to show tiny fruits!

The May Garden

Red Yarrow

Juan arrived at 11:30 am I cann't tell you how thrilled I was to meet him! A lovely young man who assists a master gardener in Alpharetta, he was my gift when I retired from Northside Hospital from my darling co workers!! He weed wacked all the Ivy that had taken over my secret garden, he dug holes for me so I could transplant some of my beautiful Iris, he rediscovered my stone pathway to the Arbour where Becca & Rick were married. My garden suddenly looked twice the size. We worked together for 3 hours and my goodness we got a lot accomplished. Later this afternoon as I sat on the bench in the secret garden I watched red cardinals flying all around me, sitting in the serene River Birch watching me. American Robins were interested in the newly uncovered earth where all the ivy had been. It was so peaceful my, beach rose was in bloom, sitting in the shade of the Budlia & Forsythia bushes all of which I have planted. Tiny birds were in & out of my birdhouses. Such peace in the garden! I just love my garden, the lawn needs work but the front lawn is great! I refilled the bird bath as we have had no rain and the birds were splashing all about, I transplanted Black eyed Susan's. There is now so much shade in my back garden but I do love the enormous trees that David so wants to cut down, they give us total privacy. Today I have spent the entire day in my garden! I feel so happy when I am here alone or with a friend I just feel so relaxed and love what I see if i just sit a while quietly, such gifts come to me! An American Robin right at my feet, he does not even know I am here. A Chipmunk hoping across the grass, such tranquility. Evening primrose and Hydrangeas blooming, my curly red Willow looks fabulous! Do I have to go inside and eat dinner and watch the aweful news ~ No I am staying here. I could be in Aruba or England but no I am happy here! Maybe the beach? As long as the sun is shining I want to be outside. It is 7 pm ~~~~ the birds are singing and I have a mint julep to sip on. A tiny plane flies overhead, how beautiful it must be up there ~~~. I see a lot of Mint!!! Oh dear! The Lavender is beginning to bloom, Oh heavenly Lavender!

The so fragrant Confederate Jasmine

The Rose by my mailbox

My Peony Roses are glorious this year!

 My pale pink Peony Roses have been glorious this year, I think because I divided them up last fall, they have had more blossoms than ever before! They are wonderful for picking and the fragrance is divine *~*

fruits of the garden

Made my first batch of Gazpacho today Yum yum delicious! The peone roses are gorgeous this year, I divided them up last fall & oh boy such a reward ~ lots of blooms. I'm picking them for the house because we have had some pretty stormy weather in between the glorious sunshine *~* Praying for Alabama! so sad so many poor people still missing! thanking God for Emily & Andrew & sweet puppy Jackson being safe.

Beautiful day in the garden!

Peach bearded Iris!

      What a beautiful day it was today not too hot, windy, clear blue sky and lots to be done in my garden. I haven't been out in my garden too much this last week with Easter and Royal weddings and lovely visit from my dear friend Vivi. I weeded and staked tomatoes and dead headed my iris's which have been so glorious this year! So far I have counted 35 stalks of flowers more to come. Just wonderful.

Pale Pink

Just glorious!

Miniature Iris Phebe gave me last year

Beautiful Lavender

Irises

my garden is full of beautiful Irises ! I am so happy they are at least 6 different varieties. I shall post pictures when the sun comes out tomorrow if there is time. I have a lovely houseful of gorgeous family for Easter week end it is going to be a delightful ZOO! I shall love every minute!!!

Roses galore *~*

 The Roses in front of my front porch are in bloom now such a heavenly sight! We have had some pretty stormy weather with marble sized hail and 70 ml hr winds fortunately for us no damage just small limbs off trees but sadly some people were not so lucky especially in Alabama. We had 2 1/2 in rain the night before last. My peonies are budding and I had transplanted and split these last fall and it looks like I am going to enjoy lots of blooms this summer.

  Yesterday I was invited to a party at Sister Red Shoes house where 12 of my lovely co workers helped me celebrate my nursing career that I sadly brought to an end last week. It was lovely I was given so many flowers and also they have given me an assistant Master gardener to help me one day in my garden! What a treat *~*  We will have to decide what is to be done. I have never ever had help in my garden. David takes care of the lawn & I do everything else because I just love it so!!

Golden Showers Climber

IVY

I spent most of my day pulling up Ivy that has taken over my back lawn. I discovered a path I had made out of large rocks and some Daylilies & Pampass Grass that had been completely smothered. It was a beautiful day & time just disappeared. I planted my Basil & some Texas Tarragon! I know nothing about Texas Tarragon except it has pretty tiny yellow flowers but I presume I can use it with chicken.

Planting herbs

Lady Banks Rose on my front porch

Here are my beautiful blooms in the garden this week!

Carolina Jasmine is so fragrant

Pale Yellow Lady Banks Rose

Yesterday afternoon after a lovely visit from Sister Red Shoes I had  beautiful day in the garden *~* I love to get muddy in my gardening togs. I planted Parsley, Sage, & Cilantro. My Rosemary, Oregano, Mint & Thyme have survived the winter. My Basil is still at seedling stage but we will have lots of that for my yummy Pesto! For a change I planted some veggies too. This is a first for me apart from the Tomatoes & Peppers I usually plant. Green Okra, Banana peppers, Green Bell Peppers, Cucumber, Strawberries, Zucchini, & Summer Squash. It will be interesting to see what produces fruit with the deer that wonder into my garden.  I need to remember to buy some Tarragon so delish on barbecued chicken. It was a productive day and peaceful too since all the children are away on spring break. I had so much fun that I forgot to have lunch & all my problems too! & before I knew it was 5:30 and nearly time for a Mint Julep. So there sure is therapy in my garden  *~*