Bees, Butterflies & A Dragonfly

It seems we have had more bees, butterflies and dragonflies this year than ever before or maybe I've had more time to enjoy. Hot, hot days and they just flutter around the garden drinking in their nectar. It is a beautiful sight.

bumblebee on false dragonhead

dragonfly (snake doctor)

on one of our concrete benches

and we seen a chicken snake later that afternoon

butterfly on the zinnas

which they dearly love

another on the butterfly weed

and another on the false dragonhead

This past weekend was very nice, 80s and no humidity and it was easier to work outside. We are back in the 90s again this week with slim chances of rain for the weekend. We have been trimming, cutting down and trying to get the garden back under control - yeah right. Don't know if that will ever happen but we are sure trying. We are going to start watering on Friday and Saturday nights so we can pull, dig and get the weeds/tree sprouts out and mulch down. We have our work cut out for us and hopefully will have a garden we can enjoy more and work less next year. haha

Bargains

More Bargains for the Garden

beautiful coneflowers for $1 each

on clearance at a local nursery

2 cute thatched nesting pockets

on sale at Duncraft

2 metal crosses

on clearance at Hobby Lobby

and the best for last

2 concrete pedestals at a yard sale

Friday evening & YES they are as

heavy as the look

New Daylilies

Our Newest Additions

Tropical Heatwave

Leanne Bilsborough

My friend Lynn was so kind to provide me with a link to the Lily Auction and I of course had to go and check it out. Didn't take me 5 minutes to find plenty of beauties to bid on and these are the 2 I won. They were shipped fast and arrived in perfect condition and now are planted in a light fixture planter waiting for better weather to go into the ground. Now to go back and see what else I can find that we just can't live without.

This & That

Around the Garden

white coneflowers

didn't even know we had these

pink coneflowers

keep coming back every year

new hostas

awaiting better weather to plant

front - raspberry sorbet (to have mauve flowers)

left - abiqua drinking gourd

right - pizzazz

foxgloves bought on clearance are blooming

yippee

rose of sharon bush

blooms don't even need limbs anymore

magnificent tiger lilies

bigger & better every year

This is turning out to be a very dry summer for us. We have the water sprinklers out and going 3 nights a week with us using watering cans for the pots around the house. At least we seem to have left the high 90 degree days behind and hopefully they won't come back. Our humidity is so much easier to deal with when the temps are in the 80s and low 90s.

Hosta

Ming Treasure

my favorite hosta

enormous 6" pure white flowers

2 down and lots more to go

finally a homes that it likes

After about 12 years and 6 plants I finally have one that is blooming. It has the most wonderful fragrance, almost as strong as the honeysuckle vines in full bloom. It is a delight to sit on the patio or just going in and out the back door. The fragrance is strong enough to stop you in your tracks so you can enjoy it to the max. I am so glad I finally have the perfect place for it to grow and us to enjoy.

Surprise

Pink Surprise Lilies

a real surprise since we didn't plant

one in the new hosta and hydrangea bed

these hostas were moved from behind Alan's shed

2 of the hydrangeas were from Walmart's clearance

and the other from our friend Lynn's garden

thank you so much Lynn

left behinds in the corner garden

in the bed next to Alan's shop

up close and gorgeous

These lilies are a continuous surprise every year. We seem to finally be getting more and more of them, not always where we move them to but still gorgeous where ever they decide to come up.

For the Birds

Birdbaths

starting in the backyard

in Mom's bed of roses

seen from the kitchen window

in the bed of peonies and lilies

hanging in the Bradford Pear tree

over the patio for the hummingbirds

hanging in the tulip magnolia bush

off the front porch for the finches

in the knockout rose and peony bed

very shallow - have to fill every 2/3 days

2 cute little ones for the new

hosta/hydrangea bed - they

don't even hold water for 1 full day

looks good though

walking into the garden

new birdbath from Lowe's

surrounded by daylilies and peonies

at the front of the garden

surrounded by daylilies

walking around the other side of the garden

new flower one from the Wild Birds Unlimited Store

I just couldn't resist - very shallow and

have to fill every day

sure looks good surrounded by weeds!

I worked Saturday morning at the back of the garden trimming the dawn redwood and bald cypress trees up a little and cleaning out the dead limbs. I also managed to clean up and trim the crape myrtles that came back from our cutting them down this spring along with the tulip magnolia and rose of sharon bush. Two daylily beds also got cleaned out and mowed down for the summer. It is now possible to walk into the garden from the back driveway without bending over or sliding through anything since one of us is usually carrying Bella. It sure made our walk to the stock tank to feed the fish Sunday evening so much more enjoyable.

Cross Stitch Quilt Blocks

Finishes

for LDI Flower Quilt

Funky Flowers

By the Bay Needleart

"Beatrice"

14 ct White Aida, DMC Floss

Funky Flowers

By the Bay Needleart

"Cassandra"

14 ct White Aida, DMC Floss

For the Birds

Birdcages

white cage hanging by the patio

with the bluebird of happiness

red cage hanging by the driveway

new bird we found at Ross' to grace the cage

we just have to smile every time we drive by