Morning Sun

I could see the sun highlighting the pink Astilbe from the kitchen so I sped outside to take a picture.  This one is called Amethyst.

Creeping Jenny has found it's way around my gardens and likes to creep along the stone walls.  You can see it on the ground in this picture.

Tucked down in there is a daylily called Orange Buttons.  It needs full sun and don't ask me why I planted it here.  I should move it and give it a better home.  The hosta behind it is called Bright Lights.  I've had it for years.  The ones that follow the curve of the fountain area are called Gold Standard.  Both of these have been super reliable.

The giant Sum and Subtance Hosta never failes to amaze me.   The pink plant in front is called Astrantia (Great Masterwort)  Star of Fire. 

These bi-color impatiens seemed to take forever to amount to something but they finally are now.  

The Japanese Forest Grass Aureola (Hankonechloa) took a long time to fill in.  Several years back I split it up to spread it across this whole area and then it seemed to take years for it to amount to anything.  It does like to be well watered so I don't recommend it if you aren't good about watering.  The dark plain green hosta is called Fujibotan.  I wanted to create a consistent color to be next to the Japanese Grass.

The little wagon of white impatiens is getting real nice and full now.  I hung a watering can on a shepard's hook near it.

Have a great day!

Birds, Butterflies and Blooms!

A few random pictures of the garden

I followed this busy Swallowtail Butterfly around trying to get a shot of it. 

 It was going crazy feeding on the Dianthus.

This Robin nested here on our light fixture and lost her eggs to a crow.  We went away for a few days and came back to find out her nest had been ravaged.  I had run off the crow before but I think it figured out we were gone.  She came back and this time was more successful in raising her brood.  She wasn't very happy with me taking pictures.  I suppose the big black camera and lens seems a bit imposing.

The Rose Breasted Grosbeaks and Cardinals are constant visitors. 

The kids gave me this little garden/tea cart that was green.  I painted it black and finally got it outside to use.  The little clay pot guy was found at Cracker Barrel.  I was always going to make a life sized one but never did so this little guy will have to do! 

 The planter with the impatiens has really taken off.   Loving the look of this and I'm sure I'll repeat this look each year.  

Empress Wu- sooooo slow to get going.  I heard it could take 8 years to be mature.  I'm thinking I might dig and move some of the nearby hostas to give it more room in hopes it will start growing more vigorously.  My other hostas have filled in quite heavily so I can move them with little feeling of loss.

You can see Empress Wu on the right size just barely taller than these.  There is a mix of Bright Lights and Gold Standard hostas grouped together here.  

 All of these I had dug and split and spread around back when we created this area for the fountain.

You can see my post about that "here"  Our pump for the fountain pooped out and is being replaced.  We just opened it up but haven't got it running yet.

I put in this Astrantia (Masterwort) Star of Fire several years ago and love it.  I enjoy each phase of the flower and it blooms into August- can't beat that!

In the early evening the sun reaches this back area for a brief time.  

This year I opted not to put the flowers all the way around the fountain area because the hostas were covering them up so much it didn't seem worth the effort.  I popped in some of the orange wax begonias that I used in the planter up on the deck on the right side but only a few feet worth.

Lastly we added a shepherds hook with two lanterns for a new accent to the garden.  I got the idea when I saw my friend Linda's blog.   She did a walk through of the gorgeous landscaping around her home in California as seen "here"

I've got a bun on to move this arbor several feet down the garden path to the entry of the patio.  This year the clematis and rose that grow on it have barely started so I won't be destroying much of anything.  

Well that's all for now- wishing you a wonderful weekend!  

  

 

Crisp Mornings

Crisp mornings have arrived.  We've been dropping into the mid 50's at night and every morning there is dew on everything.

I was staring out my kitchen window at the pretty purple Vinca flowers and noticed how nice the the Limelight hydrangeas looked in their background so I decided I should pop out there and snap a picture.

I captured a morning shot of the fountain.  It was chilly though so I didn't stay out long!

These little begonias have done well.  I'm about to give up on Lobelia though.  It seems like the slightest misstep on watering and they poop out on you too easily.  These are scraggly and some of the other ones I have are all browned and gone.

Love these fuchsia's.  They've done well and of course the hummingbirds love them too.  I love to plant flowers and shrubs that the birds, bees and butterflies enjoy.

The last flowers are out on these Hostas.

These guys are super tall.

  

Fujibotan Hosta.  A plain medium green leave with a slightly wavy leaf.  A late summer bloomer.

The Browallia took over the window box.  The pink New Guinea Impatiens I planted in there are buried underneath.  

The Limelight Hydrangeas are still looking good.  This set of shrubs is on the backside of my house and bloomed later than the ones out front.

  The arbor is loaded (all on top) with a combination of the Sweet Autumn Clematis, a climbing rose, and some Morning Glories which I still  haven't seen flowers on.  Any day now I'm sure!

Everything is still healthy and growing here.  Some of the pre-potted hanging baskets I bought look terrible though.  I think they over pot them and use cheap soil.  

The one I planted myself looks great, but the others are done.  

I sent my daughter home with a pitcher full of my hydrangeas.  

We mixed some Limelights and Endless Summer ones together.  

How's it going in your neck of the woods?