Summer Garden

Happy Summer!  Is yours flying by as quickly as mine?  I'm afraid I haven't quite kept up with the pictures of my little perennial garden.  The "Stella D'Oro" and "Happy Returns" daylilies have come and gone (a little disappointing this year...probably time for a divide)...the Spirea has completed it's first flush of bloom...and some of the earlier-blooming plants are ready for a haircut!

This is the garden as it looks right now...with the Summer blooms taking center stage.  For a peek at how it looked earlier in the year, look here...here...and here.

I love to try different plant combinations.  My biggest challenge is getting my chosen companions to bloom at the same time.  Here's a pretty combo that actually works!  Blue Globe Thistle...red Bee Balm...and "Becky" Shasta Daisy make a patriotic centerpiece for the summer garden.  

See the dragonfly?  It's a sprinkler in disguise!  I found it at Home Depot several years ago.  It's solid copper...was only ten bucks...and is the PERFECT size to water this little patch.  My only regret is that I didn't get TWO! 

This is my favorite Daylily..."Gypsy Skirt."  Not only is she beautiful...but she comes from the garden where The Mailman and I were married!

I love aged copper in the garden.  This birdbath was a "retirement" gift from TM...special-delivered right to my work station on my last day! 

The purple blooming spikes are Laitris...or Blazing Star...unusual because they bloom from the top down...instead of from the bottom up.

This violet-purple climber is Clematis "Jackmanii"...happily growing on my copper obelisk.  

I'd admired these columns in garden catalogs...but they were extremely cost-prohibitive...even several years ago, when copper was still fairly reasonable.  Not a problem.  Armed with some copper tubing, a little bit of know-how and a bunch of creativity...my fearless hubbin created one just for me...complete with a fancy-schmancy toilet float finial!  

Here's the view from the garden gate.  I had to trim back the creeping phlox, as we were losing our walking space!

And here's the view from outside the fence.  We love summer suppers out on the patio...under the umbrella...so peaceful.  Just to the right...a glimpse of our water garden...which is TM's domain.  I should introduce you to our fish sometime!





And there you have it!  I had a lovely time...I hope you did, too!