WHAT’S IN BLOOM

 In this summer heat my blooms didn’t disappoint.  It has been an unusally hot and dry start to summer.  I wanted to share what’s in bloom is mid June.  

I found this hanging basket of Calibrachoa outside the grocery store in the almost dead sale section for $5.  I knew I could revive it—and I did.  It’s an annual so I’ll have to look for it next year.

CALIBRACHOA 

I had to look up the name of this perennial.  It’s very low growing with lovely purple/blue blooms.  The bees are feasting on it.  It’s perfect under my bird bath.

WALL GERMANDER

My Evening Primrose is a real fighter.  The aggressive Black Eyed Susans invaded their space.   The Susans were much taller than the Primrose but that feisty plant grew taller and bloomed above the Susans.

EVENING PRIMROSE

I planted this Lamb’s Ear last year and it is thriving.

LAMB’S EAR

My Russian Sage never disappoints.  I’ve been dividing it. And sprinkling it around the beds.  It is unaffected by drought.  Love it.  So easy care.

RUSSIAN SAGE

How does your start of summer garden grow?

GARDEN SNIPPETS

I wanted to share some of my garden blooms.

GARDEN CHIPPINESS AND BLOOMS

GARDEN PATH AND AZALEAS

 

CLEMATIS CLIMBING THE ARBOR

These roses bloom then rest for three weeks and bloom again.

ROSES 

EVENING PRIMROSE

My evening primrose are super stars.  They normally grow low to the ground but they're competing in this bed with some tall Black Eyed Susans.  The primrose took on the challenge and stretched beyond the aggressive Susans.  Flower power!

How does your garden grow?

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The First Blooms In My Perennial Garden

Last year I created a perennial cottage garden in my front and side yard.  It was late in the summer so this actually is the first time I'm enjoying all the plants as they take turns blooming.

I received these lilies as a birthday gift from a friend.  They surround the mailbox.

LILIES AROUND MY MAILBOX

All but one of the lilies is yellow.

I always think that a yucca plant is not very attractive, but when it blooms,  I totally rethink my opinion.  I couldn't choose just one shot of it.

EVENING PRIMROSE

My lime green hostas near my front porch are my absolute favorite.  The tall blooms are a bonus.

LIME GREEN HOSTA NEAR THE FRONT PORCH

The phlox isn't new to the garden but I always enjoy seeing its color near the screened porch.

PHLOX NEAR THE SCREENED PORCH

I also add some annuals for all summer color.  These vinca are very happy in their vintage cement planter.  How fun is the gargoyle?

VINCA IN CEMENT PLANTER AND GARGOYLE

How is your perennial garden growing?

An Unexpected Surpise Under the Sun Room

When we added the sun room to the back of the house, we not only created my favorite space in my home, but we also gained an unexpected living area on the patio below.  Before the addition, we hardly used the brick patio.  It was very sunny and it seemed that I did nothing but sweat and pull weeds that sprouted up overnight in the cracks between the bricks.   I have to confess that the patio was the place where I'd paint my furniture in the warm months.  Those paint spot speckles on the bricks prove it is my workshop.  Eventually my sweet friend, Nancy, found some chinoiserie furniture for me and I decided to clean up that area. 

My Unexpected Space Under the Sun Room

 

The photos in this post were taken by C.M. Glover, the photojournalist who did my photo shoot for Houzz.  She kindly came back to my house at a later date and took some more photos.  These photos were taken at dusk.  Below is a view from another angle.

Another Angle of the Area

This is the before picture, complete with my son's sports net pitch back and a trash can.

Before Back Yard

To give you some perspective about the space, you can access the back yard and patio from either side of the house.  If you come down the driveway, there's a path to the patio between the garage and the screened porch.

Path From Driveway to Patio

Or, you can enter from the kitchen side of the house and follow a different path to the back yard.

Path From Kitchen Porch to Patio

 C.M. suggested that before she returned, I should style the area as if I were hosting a party.  
I couldn't believe it when I went to Trader Joe's looking for flowers and found some in the exact colors of my cushions.

Styled Table

 

 Here's a closer look at the flowers.  Did you notice that I found a spot for those orange shutters?  I just couldn't part with them after I purchased them.  They hung around for a while in the garage, with everything else in my secret stash, but I knew I'd use them.  Their orange color was my inspiration for the space.  I still have a few more hanging around.  I'm hoping to pry them from my greedy little pack rat fingers and put them up for sale.

Table Setting With Chippy Shutter in Background

 You know how I love clocks and demijohns.  They were perfect on the bar cart with some ferns from my garden.

Clock and Ferns in My Demijohn on the Bar Cart

I put candles in the candelabra I suspended from the pergola.  I even did place settings on my 

clock face table.  You can see that I really got into this styling. 

Under the Pergola

I had some faux cabbage leaf place mats to go under my cabbage dishes.  I paired them with some leopard print flatware and glasses--gotta get that animal print in somewhere.

All Ready to Eat---Where's the Food?

I thought the flowers looked especially nice as the sun was setting.

Building Fragment, Sphere, and Lambs Ear

Sweet Woodruff, Hosta, Lamb's Ear, Nandina, Ferns

 

Hosta, Dracena, Impatiens Along the Path

       I'm very happy with my surprise living space and guess what??   
The shade from the sun room also took care of the weed problem.  I still paint on the patio and the sun room offers me shade and protection from raindrops too. 

Kathy

I have to show you the "before" of the Chinoiserie settee and chairs.

 

Before the New Upholstery

If you missed my Home Tour Feature on Houzz, go here.

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More Garden

It's been a great year in the garden.  I just wanted to share more blooms. 

Enjoy.

Side Yard and Screened Porch

Hibiscus

Evening Primrose

Ferns, Jack in the Pulpit, Sedum

Perennial Begonia

Clematis

Hosta

Hydrangea

Phlox

To see my early Spring garden if you missed it, click here.

How does your garden grow?  Please share.

Kathy


Just want to say that these were taken before the power outage and the heat wave.
 I'm so glad to have my power restored.