I don’t know about you but after that flush of gardening enthusiasm in Spring….by mid summer…..I could care less……
It’s HOT and then HOTTER. I take my 5 mile walk (just threw that in so you’d realize I’m not a total loss) at 6am and even then, I come back all “dewy” , if you know what I mean.
Often, I will stop and yank some weeds when I get back since a little more dew never hurt anybody. But, in general, the garden goes to H-E-double hockey sticks in the summer……
I did decide to show you a few pics of what IS surviving well. My gardening goal is simple….LESS WORK FOR THE ELDERLY…..that would be ME.
So, I use lots of perennials, lots of flowering bushes and trees and…this is a new decision….much fewer under plantings. I am clearing out a lot of those “time saving” ground covers because they are NOT timesaving. I found instead, that I was spending a great deal of time pulling out weeds that had cleverly disguised themselves as the plant they were growing with…God DOES have a sense of humor……
So, the new garden undertaking is defined plants with mulch so I can see what the heck belongs there and what doesn’t. Don’t write to me and try and convince me otherwise, I don’t want to hear it. I only have a defined time to live and I don’t intend to use up any more of it pulling out buckets of little weeds.
I’m not irritable…..I’m just hot. You haven’t LIVED until you’ve had menopausal hot flashes in 100 degree weather…trust me, it’s more fun than anyone should be allowed to have!
On to the garden…….
I could lie and say this is a cleverly done “artistic” photo but really, I walked outside with my nice and cool air conditioned camera and the lens fogged up. I took the shot anyway but didn’t realize quite how blurry it was until I sat down to upload them. This is what you get…I’m NOT going out there again…
So….mid-July….
The gardenias on either side of the screened porch are done. They smelled wonderful while they were in bloom. A real Southern flower….
Eventually the lens cleared but not until I took a few more AWARD WINNING ARTISTIC pictures!
We have a really pretty crape myrtle tree that blooms all summer. I love the purple shade.
It’s the largest form of the tree and it is really gaining height…almost to the gutter on the second floor.
The flowers are reminiscent of a lilac in shape.
The hydrangeas are really fading and getting that nice papery feel….time to start drying!
They still look so pretty though with the greenish, pinkish way they fade……very vintage looking.
The border looks so much different now than when I showed the hydrangeas in the Spring.
Before we leave the backyard….I’ll show you the nice grapes we are getting on the vine. Concord grapes. Now, we rarely get any, the bits eat them…someone should throw a bird net over that vine….
The flowerboxes with those re-purposed coat hanger trellises for the morning glories have filled out.
Morning glories close up in the heat so there are more showing this morning on the back side…..
I found one left open….
In front of the porch I have a huge bunch of Shasta daisies….I really need to thin them out……
Remember in “You’ve Got Mail” when Tom Hanks brings Meg Ryan the daisies? She says ” I think daisies are the happiest flower, don’t you?”
I think she’s right….
Out near the mailbox the rudbeckia or Black-Eyed Susan is blooming.
Another, super easy, no maintenance flower….
Growing around the mailbox is another popular Southern vine….Confederate Jasmine.
It smells wonderful and when it’s in full bloom the bees love it. I’m not sure how the mail carrier feels but the bees like it just fine……
It’s pretty much done now….so I’ll prune it tighter around the box.I like to get to it before my husband does because when you prune it, a sticky, white substance comes out of the stems and he complains on and on about it…….so, it’s better if I do it….
I'm Lorraine. I have a love for home & design and I enjoy sharing that passion with others. I'm so glad you're here to join me.
email: missflibbertigibbet@gmail.com
Lorraine I know how you feel. Gardening in this heat is no fun at all! Your flowers are so pretty. I absolutely love the pinkish hydrangea!!! I have all different color crepes. I think they are so pretty when they bloom. Your oics are great too!
Gee Lorraine….you are really making me re-think some of my landscaping!! I feel the same way though..I was out pulling weeds from my mulch and groundcovers in my pajamas early this morning. Totally drenched by the time I was done. Your pictures really do look cleverly artistic, but keep your camera dry!
Danni@SiloHillFarm recently posted…A THRONE TRANSFORMATION
Daisies are my daughter’s absolute favorite! For some reason mine don’t bloom very well. 🙁 As always, your hydrangeas are gorgeous. I think mine has one bloom on it. 🙁 And what can I say to your crapes and grapes? I’ll take a chocolate-filled crepe and let me know when your grapes turn into wine and I’ll be there in a jiffy!!
Thanks for making me feel even more inept when it comes to my gardening abilities… 😛
-andi
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Now, Now, Now….no feeling inept here….you may not have noticed how cleverly I only photographed the small areas looking OK….not the weedy beds, the pots growing something the birds planted last year, or the totally vegetable-less garden plots. If I get a grape, I’ll let you know…..it takes an early bird to beat a worm like me….
Great photos, I love dried hydrangeas they are so pretty! I am with you by mid summer I have had it with the garden to some degree. It is just to hot and then the humidity doesn’t help. As soon as step outside you can’t breathe.
Cynthia
Cynthia recently posted…What a sight!
Hi Lorraine, yes, gardening is a bit of work, but with results like yours, it is so worth it. Your gardens are gorgeous. Keeping the plantings pretty has become a challenge here now with the high temps. Enjoyed seeing your summer blooms.
Celestina Marie
Gardening in the heat? Total insanity, isn’t it? I went out to water this morning and thought- WHY did I want to do this again this year? lol But then a cool day comes along and I am reminded of the beauty of it all. YOUR pictures are just gorgeous- the work you put in shows up beautifully- xo Diana
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It’s so hot out I’m not sure what’s going on outside the 5 foot perimeter of my deck.
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I know how you feel…..after a month of close to triple digits, I’m really tired of watering stuff! LOL! Your gardens are still beautiful! I just saw “you’ve got mail” yesterday!….love that movie….and that line! Have a great week!~~Angela
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It’s all so spectacular Lorraine – GORGEOUS!!!!!!!
I was named after the black eye Susan’s ( my father was driving by a field of them and decided then and there – except I have blue eyes LOL )
XOXO
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LOL! Lorraine, you are too funny! It is way too hot to be outside, but I’m trying to make sure I go out and water my plants. My poor hydrangeas look like someone beat them up. Intelligent me purchased a Knockout Rose on clearance at Kmart the other day and I still have to plant that in the ground. Although I’m warming up {no pun intended} to the plastic pot it is in, sitting in my gardening bed.
Still going to Haven? I know a lot of people had things come up and had to change their plans, so I’m trying to figure out who is still going that I want to stalk – I mean seek out. : )
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Plant the rose in a big pot…I bet it would do just fine!
YES!! Still going to Haven and you can stalk me all weekend….I’ll be in the bar with my cronies (literally, they are QUITE old)…LOL…I can’t wait til they see THAT comment!
I love your yard! I have gotten that foggy lense quite a few mornings this summer. YOur pics are still gorgeous!
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Your yard is so large! I love those daisies. When we first moved into this house I planted a package of seeds and got about a million daisies out of it. I have sense pared them down to just a couple of borders. My entire garden could now be full of daisies – all from a 1.29 package of seeds. I love your crepe myrtle. I really miss crepe myrtle. I read once that there is one that is hardy for Michigan. I should look that up… I don’t blame you for not working in the garden when it feels like 100 degrees outside. It’s so hot right now I can’t walk out the door without a super hot-flash. Thankfully it’s not always like that here. See you soon!!!!1
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I’ll take hot any day over cold…not that I love it…but I HATE being cold. 😉 Gorgeous flowers. Gardenias smell heavenly and I love Hydrangeas!
Nancy
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You have a gorgeous yard, but it does look like a lot of work. Five miles every morning? Are you a super woman or what?
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