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.