Red Days of Summer

Each year I select a color for an accent and red was my choice this year.  I'm enjoying seeing it from the kitchen.  I've done pastels before and they are pretty but this stronger color catches the eye more.  Red also looks good as the fall season starts.

These impatiens really bulked up a lot recently.  The plant tag reads Super Elfin Red. 

All those hostas you see around the perimeter I planted the year we put this together.  

I dug them out real early in the spring and split them up.  I replanted quickly and kept them watered and they took right off. 

You can read about the garden patio beginnings in the link below: 

Patio Garden Beginnings  

Little by little it's developed into what we have now. 

These impatiens have a nice shimmer to them.  I tried to capture it with this picture- if you look closely at the flower you'll notice what seems like a shimmer of gold on them.

I love the yellow color Hakone or Japanese Forest grass color looks with the red impatiens.

My hostas and day lilies are blooming.  I leave the hosta flowers (some cut them off) because I like them and the hummingbirds do too!

My favorite daylily called "Sunday Gloves".  

 A quick check in on the "forgotten garden" area.  There are some day lilies that should be blooming any day now too.

 The Mardi Gras Helenium, Sneezeweed is finally blooming.  I think it's a real cute flower!

 More cone flowers blooming with the Tuscan Sun, Heliopsis 

 I love this cone- it's a raspberry red color and keeps getting prettier as it matures.

I thought these cones were long gone.   There used to be more of them but it never was a very strong grower.  This one is called Sundown.  It came from a series called Big Sky.  

Do you think I like red? 😉

  

While we were gone on our short trip the Zagreb Coreopsis went into full bloom and so did the Shasta Daisies and more Cone Flowers (Little Annie)

My galvanized watering can planter has been doing great! These geraniums are called Patriot, Soft pink.  I put white Bacopa with them to drape along the sides. 

By the garage I have little planter full of white alyssum, vinca vine and Dipladenia (mandevilla family) I love the tropical look of this plant and how it blooms consistently.

Love their pretty flowers- so summery!

 These (Calliope) geraniums seemed to take so long to get blooming but now they're really going for it!

Fuchsia color with red mix- they seem to glow.

 The fairy garden is more secluded now with the big Annabelle hydrangea hanging over top!

 This flower head is absolutely huge!

Ha ha- my hobby decided to be a reference for the size! 

Thanks for joining me.

I'm linking up to Gardens Galore 

Hydrangeas and Garden Fountain

Happy Friday! 

 This are quiet around here- not much going on.

 Having my morning coffee and noticed the sun prancing through the hydrangeas.

I didn't see any bees but I noticed a lot of ants on them today.

First signs that these are starting to turn to the next stage of color.

One of the late blooms on the Endless Summer Hydrangeas.  

 I cut a lot of my Annabelle hydrangeas and staged them in this pot to dry.

I walked out back for a few pics of the fountain.  

I took a quick video you can watch and listen! It was longer but a big noisy truck went by on the road and ruined the sound so I had to trim it.

Evening shot with the sun once again!

I need to get productive and dig my iris out and split them up as well as move a few other plants I have in mind.  Right now I just feel like looking at it all and not working on it!

Hope you have a great weekend and don't "Labor" too hard over this Labor Day Weekend!

Tickled Pink!

I'm so happy I'm tickled  pink!

 My Pinky Winky Hydrangea has actually turned pink for the first time!

I guess it is either just right conditions this year or more likely it just needed to get established.  I was lazy this year and didn't even fertilize. 

 This was it when I first planted it in 2010 

Little things like this make me so happy!

These Limelights are so huge this year.  They're so soft and fluffy!

 Last of the Blackeyed Susans -

Rudbeckia

These are ready for drying.  They'll be brown before I know it.

All the rain has greened up the drying grass and the Rose Of Sharon is blooming better than ever.  Last year I gave it a good trim to re-shape it. 

This has been a rewarding summer!  

 This is a video I took in July of the bumblebees collecting pollen from the 

Annabelle Hydrangeas

 

 For some reason the quality isn't as good as it should be but I don't know how to fix it.

Crashing On my Fairy Garden

I debated on sharing this story but since I feel my blogging is a bit of a diary about my life I decided to go ahead and share it.

 Early last Thursday....

 

....we were under a severe thunderstorm warning.  Since were were warned of high winds and possible haile I decided to use this spare umbrella to cover my hydrangea so it wouldn't get damaged.  

I toddled out a while after the storm to remove the umbrella.  Then I proceeded to walk up and around to the flagstone patio area to add some stakes to the Annabelle Hydrangeas.  They tend to fall over easily and it had been on my mind to do for 2 weeks.

This should have been posted for me!

 This is where I started walking towards the hydrangea. 

I later figured out that this cement leaf shaped piece is what caused the trouble I am about to unfold.   The bottom side is round and I unknowingly stepped on it so it was like trying to stand on a ball.   Over I went like a building collapsing and I came down hard.

I crashed across all of this and left a path of destruction as shown below.

 I fell into the cement cottage, broke the light and some small pieces.

 My upper arm and head crashed into this area.   Thankfully these pieces fell over easily.

I knocked the wood stump over and broke a bunch of the hydrangea plant off.

 The little garden cart was smashed to smithereens.

 Somehow I didn't damage a thing in this area.

Graphics...

We have a trail camera mounted on a tripod that we often run in the evenings to see what is visiting my gardens.  It was still on and it captured part of my fall.  This is the only picture I'm sharing!  I got back up as fast as I could and when I  stood up I looked down and saw that my leg was inured and I was bleeding.  All I could think to do was to get inside. 

If you are squeamish you might not like this next picture.

 Both legs and knees got injured but this was the worst.

I took this picture in haste to send to my hubby because I was hoping he could come home.  I have never been hurt where I bled so badly and frankly I think I was in shock. 

I have giant bruises on my upper arm, and my ankle/foot area bruised up too.

Dan was on his way but by then I had made it to the bathroom to clean up my leg and get something on the wounds.  I sobbed a bit and in my silliness worried more about the destruction of my fairy garden than anything. 

 Later on when I got my courage up I went back out.  Dan had to take the light apart and was able to restore it.   

 He went above and I handed him the stakes and he helped me get the hydrangea standing up again.  I lost about 1/2 of the stems but frankly I thought it was worse.

 I haven't been doing much because I have new aches that appear each day.  I decided to lay low and let my body recuperate.  I took the wheels from the smashed garden cart and placed one along side of the cottage.

 I set the other wheel inside this grape vine wreath and I think it looks nice there. 

See how the corner of the brick is missing a little bit!  I think that's what got my right knee so badly plus the metal arbor and flower pot.

The bunny which had been setting near the garden cart got a new safer home on the rocking chair.

I'm much better today and ever so grateful this didn't turn out worse.  

Who knew gardening could be so dangerous!!