August in the Garden

I haven't posted much about the garden lately. Gardening in the South can be a struggle. Just keeping things alive, green and blooming to provide some color in these 'dog days' of Summer becomes a full time job. Daytime temperatures hover around 100, nights stay hot, and the humidity envelopes me like a damp blanket as I step out the cottage door. Water restrictions still apply - only two days a week for a few hours - and we have had very little rain.

I smiled and gave thanks when a few welcome beauties greeted me yesterday morning as I took my garden walk.

Morning Glories climbing the front porch.

Lantana and sweet potato vine in the kitchen window box.

The surprise re-bloom of the clematis on the mailbox post.

Pretty veined petunia, wide awake, while the angel still snoozes through the heat of another Summer day ~ and I surrender to the beauty.

Raindrops Falling on........................

......................everything!

Yesterday the rain fell like the crystals dangling from the front porch. It started gently then changed to 'cats and dogs' - the kind of rain that would be deafening if you were under a tin roof. The roses sagged, their petals sweeping the ground like a ballgown. The Jasmine's perfume was intoxicating making one want to stand still and just inhale........raindrops, scents, colors scrubbed clean and sparkly.

The garden on a wet but wonderful Mother's Day.

Yesterday...........

It was a perfect afternoon and, on arriving home from a dental appointment................
.............I grabbed a pair of old shorts and a ball cap (faded hair color days are here!). I sat on my front steps, stretched out my pale legs and thought I should start using some lotion like this as I no longer sunbathe! Breathing in fresh green air, admiring the clematis blooms, and listening to the music of the water dancing in the fountain, with the sun warm and kind on the perfect Spring day.

Nothing brings more joy than being surrounded by Nature's beauty.

Edited: I have some surprising/amazing news about the baby wrens - will post on this later!!

Trumpeting Angels

I've been fretting over my Angel Trumpets all Summer and into Fall - hardly a drop of rain around these parts, strict water restrictions, and temps. in the 90's almost daily. Would the struggling Angel Trumpets bloom? Didn't look like it until this past week when, despite dropping lower leaves, buds appeared and today these gorgeous yellow blooms started to open on two plants. I'm just thrilled to see them before having to leave on Monday. OK, I have to tell you that the photos below are of the pink ones blooming last year in early October. I do see a few buds on this plant today but doubt they'll open before I leave - so you get last year's to ooh and aah over!



I'll be posting Sunday before leaving for England - please stop by and I'll give you a quick preview of my hometown in lovely Devon.

The struggle for beauty

Inner beauty is important.............................in the garden we usually look for outer beauty. It is often fleeting and we must capture it immediately before it's gone. So, the roses disappointed this Summer (see yesterday's post) but there is always next year. Meanwhile, this morning as I walked the garden bounds, distressed to see so much plant life struggling in the heat and drought conditions, there were these beauties showing off their amazing colors as if to say, " roses we aren't, but goldenrod, mandevilla, morning glories, petunias and hydrangeas we are........and gorgeous too".

The "Fireworks" goldenrod is just starting to add some color along the back fence.

See the terrible state of the grass..................what grass say you?

These "Flying Saucer" blooms are huge.

The gazebo has supported this mandevilla all Summer..........now the blooms are cashing in!

Can there be a Morning Glory more blue than this one?
These were the best white petunias - strong, with ruffled edges, ever blooming in a pot. And here.................one of a few late blooms on the "Endless Summer" hydrangeas. A little smaller but still pretty - living up to their very appropriate name.

Hope you enjoy this little morning stroll around the garden. My neighbor called earlier and said she doesn't want a hurricane of course, but a nice tropical storm would certainly perk up the gardens! This has been the hottest, driest August ever in our part of North Carolina and next week the temps. will continue in the nineties, whew!

I'm off to look at Fall displays at the craft store, pumpkins, russet leaves, chrysanthemums, perhaps that will have the cooling effect!

August in the Garden

Despite the torrid heat - here we have 100 degree days forecast for the entire week ahead - Nature still shines and sends us little gifts to decorate the parched garden. This dragonfly stopped by to rest on the rusty iron obelisk. Yesterday while watering, and without the camera unfortunately, I was surprised by a hummingbird who flew into the spray from my hose as if trying to cool off - then alighted on a branch right over my head and proceeded to do a mini preen before taking off. This was especially thrilling to me - it was a special gift to see the teeny weeny bird so close.

The flowers are struggling to survive. We water as often as possible by hand, the city only permits sprinklers three days a week now we're on restrictions. By the end of the sizzling afternoon the potted plants are drooping - a quick shower from the watering can perks them up and these beautiful colors - don't you just love pink and yellow together - glimmer as the sun drops lower in the sky.

This is a pretty verbena with mixed colors on each flower head - it seems to thrive in the sun.My hanging Boston Ferns are OK despite looking somewhat forlorn when I arrived home from the last trip! Trimmed off all the dry, burned fronds, soaked them well, then mist daily with a spray bottle - add a little Miracle Gro to the water - and I see some new growth starting.
Stopped at SuzAnna's Antiques yesterday (more pics later of that fabulous place) and was presented with this sweet wooden robin for my garden. He's minding the coleus and petunias, both still going strong as they love the heat.

So, it's still quite pretty out there and I'm grateful for all that Nature continues to give to make each day in the garden so beautiful.

In the Garden After the Rain

Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain there would be no life.

~~~~~~~~~~John Updike~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was so wonderful to have a full day and night of steady rain on Sunday....we had not seen a drop in 20 days and the plants, shrubs, grass, and trees were listless and dusty, saved only by helpful humans dragging hoses, hoisting watering cans, and moving sprinklers for hours on end. Soon water restrictions will be in effect. Summer in the South can be brutally hot and dry despite the high humidity.

The potting shed was washed down.

The lilies unfurled their pristine petals.

The dainty fireflies dried out on these seedlings.

The bees collected pollen from the Cabot Rose on the fence.
The thirsty Endless Summer Hydrangeas drank like parched travelers in the desert..........

....................changing their damp green dresses for dry lavender blue ones once their thirst was quenched. My wish is that you all are able to keep your gardens growing happily throughout this Summer. It's a hard job, an almost daily one, and perhaps you, like me, sometimes think you just can't go on and will have to let Mother Nature take over and do what she will. But then comes a day like today. You walk around in the sunshine, admiring the plants and seeing how they have responded to the rain. Peeking into the blossoms you spy the tiny insects at work.................then all the hard work, the love and care you have given is all worthwhile............and you just know you must stay with it for as long as you can.

Heavenly Hydrangeas

Some of you say you have not heard about the Endless Summer Hydrangeas so am sharing a little information on these wonderful plants. I've usually had good luck with all my Hydrangeas, my long time favorite being the Nikko Blue mophead. Then last year I read about these new plants and was able to find them locally and planted five around the garden. These two in the front bed by my porch are really prolific - blooming, as advertised, all Summer long and well into the Fall. I cut these back to about 18" in early Spring, only to have the lovely new growth zapped by the big Easter freeze. I was worried they would not do well this Summer however as you can see from these pics taken today, they are healthy and loaded with pale green blooms which are starting to turn blue in my acidic soil.
The new Blushing Bride is also available now - saw dozens in assorted size pots at my local Home Depot last week. I must find a spot for one of these which are very pretty and cottagey looking !


I really love Hydrangeas - they make a statement in the garden, are long lived and don't seem to suffer from any pest problems. They do of course love plenty of water during the hot Summertime. The flowers are beautiful in the house in that lovely china vase we all found at the thrift shop! The muted colors of the dried blooms are decorative throughout the Winter months.