Today is the last day of July and I must say I have never seen a more unusual July than 2008's has been! Lots of rain, and a few evenings that were actually chilly. We've only had a couple of triple digit days this month, too.
Yesterday I actually sat out on the patio at a restaurant for a noon lunch with a friend!
And this morning we woke up to thick fog. These photos don't quite capture it, but it was so beautiful, lying over the garden like a veil, and making the colors of the flowers and grasses extra brilliant.
[As always, with any of the photos on this blog, you may click on the picture to get an enlarged view.]
Foggy July morning
Rare July rainbow
It's not often we get a rainbow in July...it's not often we get rain in July. But we got both, and this was a stunning, span-the-sky double rainbow.
Determined Dahlberg Daisies
The Dahlberg Daisies have seeded themselves into our yard for the second summer in a row, and I must say they are even more delightful popping up where they please than they were when we planted them in pots. Plucky little patches have popped up in half a dozen spots between the pavers on the back patio and they are in full, glorious bloom in mid-July.
A riot of color
July 9 and the garden is in its prime. The wildflowers along the fence are in full bloom. We have wild bergamot, cupflower, coneflowers in two colors, wild verbena, and a few things we can't identify. Whatever they are, they are lovely, and we are enjoying every minute of watching them bloom. Click on the photo for a larger view.
What (who) the garden was made for
At the end of June our two little grandsons (and their mommy and daddy) came for a week-long visit. The weather was perfect and we were thrilled to get to spend lots of time outside with them. This is the yard at its best, filled with the people we love.
Chilly July morning... Huh?
That's right! It's the 5th of July and the cool weather chased me off the deck. Sixty-six degrees this gorgeous summer morning. Very unusual for July in Kansas, but you won't hear us complaining. Beautiful!
Secret garden growing slowly more secret
We're trying to create a "secret garden" in the space between the garden shed and the house. The plan is eventually to train the English ivy up the side of the shed, and maybe even into an archway over the alley between buildings. It's a years' long project, but already it's a prettier spot than it used to be. The Rose of Sharon screens the air conditioning unit and the flowerbed also hosts Moonlight Broom, Golden Creeping Jenny, and Catmint, which was especially beautiful this year.
Veronica Golden Creeping Speedwell
Golden Creeping Speedwell has done so well this summer. It took two years to get the Stepables established, but now it's taking off, filling the spaces between pavers in the arbor garden. Its bright green color makes a nice contrast to the rose bushes and dogwood.
"Pretty in Pink" Petunias
The petunias have been so pretty this year. We didn't have good luck with them last year, and I think one thing I was doing wrong was packing too many into a pot. We split them up and planted sparsely this year and now, near the end of June, they are going to town! They're such cheery flowers, it makes them worth the little bit of deadheading they require.
The view from the deck
Every morning when we come out to the kitchen for breakfast, we're greeted by such a pretty view out the dining room windows. Sometimes it entices us to have breakfast outdoors. The trees (both ours and our neighbors') have really filled out and are starting to provide shade and privacy. I can't wait to see what this view will look like five years from now.
Green skies
Early June and we've been under a weather advisory all day. This picture doesn't quite capture it, but at times the sky - the whole atmosphere, really - has had that eerie greenish cast it gets in tornadic conditions. It would be rather pretty if it wasn't so scary!
Roses galore!
What a year for roses this has been! They are lovely in shades of pink and yellow and everything in between, and coming on by the dozens. I love roses! (Click on the photos to get a larger view.)
Dame's Rocket
This isn't our garden, but boy, do I wish it was! Dame's Rocket is blooming wild along the roadsides everywhere right now. This gorgeous patch is about a mile from where we live. About three years ago, we dug some up and tried to transplant it into our garden, but so far we haven't seen any signs that it "took"...even though it's considered invasive, and is listed as a noxious weed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It has to be the prettiest "weed" I've ever encountered! Why couldn't dandelions look like this?
The View from My Kitchen Window
This is the view from my kitchen window this morning, May 15. Notice Biscuit lounging beneath the willow bush. The kitties are very happy cats these days.
The Garden at Dusk
Mid-May and the garden is really starting to take off. Columbine blooming on all the hills, fat buds on the roses and the flowers in pots starting to tumble over the sides. With the gorgeous weather we've had these middle-of-May days, it really does feel like a little piece of heaven on earth!
Bleeding Hearts are back!
I was so happy to see these bleeding hearts in bloom today! This was a plant we put in early last summer, but it quickly died back and we thought it was a goner. So it was a pleasant surprise to see it blooming again by this boulder on Rock Garden Hill, right where we put it.
The columbine has started to bloom, too, and is especially pretty this year.
Another piece of history in our garden
There's a lot of family history in our garden, starting with the limestone rocks from Grandpa's pastures in Ellsworth County. Now, my husband's Uncle Bob has given us another piece of history in this baluster from the bridge that spanned the Smoky Hill River in the small town of Ellsworth where Ken grew up. The baluster already had the perfect patina, so we didn't need to paint or restore it in any way. It makes a perfect stand for this heavy dish of succulents we planted. Thanks, Uncle Bob!
A gift of purple kale
At the nursery the other night, inspired by their stunning displays of purple kale, I bought two pots of this gorgeous cool season plant and was raving about it to the owner. As we headed to the car with our bounty, the young girl who'd waited on us came running, her arms overflowing with pots. At first I thought we'd forgotten something, but instead she thrust three more pots of kale at us and said, "These are free, compliments of the boss." Wow! That made my day! And doesn't it look great in the garden cart my dad built as a housewarming gift? I'll probably need to move it to a shadier spot later in the summer, but for now, it makes such a pretty filler for the cart. Thanks, Andy!
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