FRONT PORCH HOLIDAY SPARKLE

I’ve been using gold accents in my home for several years, but I’ve never been able to let go of these silver sequined deer or my disco balls.  My front porch is all silver sparkle for Christmas.

I placed urns on either side of the bench, filled them with clippings from my garden, and plopped one of my large disco balls in the center.

Do you prefer silver or gold for the holidays?

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BEST BLOOMS EVER ON MY BUTTERFLY BUSH

I planted my Butterfly Bush in front of the chimney last year. and wanted it to spread up and out and fill the space.  I was very disappointed with its performance, but this year it's everything I was hoping for and more.  It has taken over where the Limelight Hydrangea left off, creating a burst of white blooms as a follow up to the fading hydrangea. 

MY VERY HAPPY BUTTERFLY BUSH

A CLOSER LOOK

SIDE VIEW

The bees love the blooms.

BEES LOVE THIS BUSH

Unrelated but I had to share how the Lantana and Vinca have grown around my French Bulldog.

FRENCH BULLDOG HIDING IN THE VINCA AND LANTANA

How does your Fall garden bloom?

MY SUMMER GARDEN

Even though it has been an unbearably hot summer, my garden doesn't seem to mind.  I guess we've had enough late afternoon thunderstorms to keep the flowers happy.   

  

DOG IN MY SUMMER GARDEN

My French Bulldog sheltered on the porch this winter then rejoined the Vinca in the garden once the weather improved.

FRENCH BULLDOG IN THE VINCA

I always mix annuals with my perennials.  Their advantages are that they add color and bloom until frost.  I use Vinca and Lantana because the deer don't eat them.   They also don't seem to mind that I totally neglect giving them any care.

VINCA AND LANTANA ALONG MY GARDEN WALKWAY

Once I discovered Vinca, I never bought Impatiens.   

DEER RESISTANT VINCA

I like my Carly Rose grass, but it really grows quickly.  I have to divide it every other year.  If I had a do over I'd choose Fountain Grass instead.  It looks the same but stays more compact.

CARLY ROSE GRASS

Recently I wrote about my Dragon's Eye Pine and how its spikey branches contrast with the softness of the flowers and add texture too.  The Big Blue Fescue that outlines the stone wall adds sharpness and color.  You can see the Dragon's Eye Pine in the foreground.

BIG BLUE FESCUE FOLLOWING THE LINE OF THE STONE WALL

My Russian Sage never disappoints.

RUSSIAN SAGE

What's blooming in your garden?

To see my post about the Dragon's Eye Pine go here or click on the image below.

DRAGON'S EYE PINE IN MY GARDEN

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I ADDED A FRENCH BULLDOG TO MY SUMMER GARDEN

My perennials have started taking turns blooming in my summer garden.   The annuals that I planted in the Spring are blooming too.   I always have a mix of perennials for variety all summer and the annuals are my constant color.  This year I added a french bulldog to my garden.

FRENCH BULLDOG IN MY GARDEN

I planted some vinca around the rocks.  I like to use vinca because it's deer resistant, unlike its look- alike impatiens.  I add rocks in different shapes and sizes to the flower beds.  

The ones with fossils belong to my geologist husband.

DEER RESISTANT VINCA

You know that all the dogs in my home wear necklaces.  This bull dog wears rhinestones.

BULLDOG WITH A RHINESTONE NECKLACE

One of the early garden bloomers is this fabulous lime green hosta.  The chartreuse color is spectacular and the leaves are huge.  The deer love it, but I have it in a protected section so it won't become deer salad.  It divides easily, so it pops up in different sections of the beds.

MY SPECTACULAR CHARTREUSE HOSTA

This time of year it sprouts bell-like flowers from a stalk.

BELL SHAPED BLOOMS ON A STALK

HOSTA BLOOMS

I found these geraniums on the $1 plant rescue shelf at Lowe's.  

They were droopy and the leaves were brown, but they really perked up.

MY BARGAIN GERANIUMS

The primrose are also blooming near my chippy fence.  They've really taken over the bed.

PRIMROSE SURROUNDING MY CHIPPY FENCE

What do you plant in your garden?  Perennials, annuals, or a mix?

What do you mix in with your flowers?  Found objects, rocks, statuary?