For Bea, my only regular reader

So, the day after you left, the flower that I so much wanted to be blooming when you came burst forth in glory.  I am amazed at how well this hardy hibiscus has done this year.  I wonder if this will make me complacent, expecting it to make it through every winter, and then losing it one year unexpectedly.  This is a plant that I have no historical knowledge of.  I really didn't ever know about them until last year.  This is the second year here, and it sure came back nicely this time with basically no protection or special treatment.  So, here's hoping that it will be a regular late summer phenomenon. 

Beautiful August

The rains we've had have sure made a difference. Everything is just soaking it up and looking beautiful.  Here is a shot of the deck planter and the coleus plant that was pretty puny when I put it out in June.  I think I'll try to pull out some other "before" and "after" photos in the next couple of posts.  I am always amazed at the change.

After the Rain, the Sun - Again

  Pretty amazing how much things take off once they get just a few inches of real rain.  Even the lawn has come mostly back.  But it has been hot and very dry since last weekend, and things are again showing signs of stress.  We could really use more rain soon - maybe tonight?

But many things a beautiful.  And many are productive.  The tomatoes are finally ripening, there are more jalapeno peppers than I can keep up with.  And the flowers are going crazy.  Here's a photo gallery.

 

 

I can't get over how beautiful the Joe Pye Weed has been this year.  It is still vibrant and luscious.  And the Caster Oil Plant that was a lark in the spring is becoming beautiful - I love the contrast against the blue stained cedar siding. 

 

I know that Dusty Miller is mundane and ordinary, but I can't help loving it.  Such a nice mixture of structure and color contrast.  for some reason, the Dahlia in the same container caught a terrible case of spider mites, and I had to cut it down and spray what was left with a little Malathion.  But the Dusty Miller, a nice coleus, and a new plant I don't really know yet have filled the entire pot nicely. 

Hot and Wet

Finally, a summer weekend.  Friday night we got lots of thunder and lightning, and 2.37 inches of rain!  That is more rain than we've had since June 1st til now.  And then Saturday another .37 inches.  Wow.  I'm being so precise because we have a new rain gauge that purports to measure to the nearest hundredth of an inch.  OK.  Thing is, we have definitely gotten enough rain for the next week.  All around the yard plants are breathing a sigh of relief, and putting on another inch or two of growth.  The Cannas suddenly realized it was time to bloom, and put forth flower stalks that have grown 6 or 7 inches in the last day. 

I took the opportunity to dig up some Hostas that were languishing under the creek overgrowth and moved them out to the new bed beneath the Birch.  Also dug some of the extra Gooseneck Loosetrife and moved it to a more prominent location along the path to the Willow.  Hope that isn't a mistake.  But they look really good there right now, and they are well behaved if checked back now and then with a little Round-Up. 

Last week there was a bat in the deck umbrella when I opened it one day.  I hoped that meant that bats had become inhabitants of this yard.  Tonight, the first hot evening of the year, I sat out on the deck through dusk until dark, and was thrilled to see at least two, maybe more, bats flying through the yard. 

The bare spots in the lawn look like they might recover with the new moisture.  I cut the lawn today, not really because it was in great need, but because I know it will spring into growth this week after the rain and with warm weather.  It's also a good time to pull w eeds, they mainly come out fairly easily.  The resisters will get a dose of WeedBeGone  once the threat of rain is gone, which will likely be after tonight. 

The fish in the pond seem to be almost as excited by the warm wet weather as I am.  I think they might be spawning.  There is certainly a lot of chasing and jumping and hovering and interacting going on. 

This is also the week when the Asiatic Lilies are in full bloom.  The Casa Blanca's at the front walkway are spectacular as usual.  And there are nice Stargazers around the yard also.  Daisies are done, for the most part.  Working on keeping the new Rhododendrons happy, so they survive the winter well.  The grasses we divided this spring are doing very well.  Been taking voice notes on my iPhone about things that need to be done this summer and fall as we prepare for Winter. 

Blooming well now are the coneflowers, the Joe-Pye Weed still good, the Butterfly Weed hanging in, Swamp Milkweed still doing well, and I did see a new larvae of a Monarch today, Sunflowers are really coming on, and the Hydrangeas are beautiful.  I'm disappointed about the performance of the Hydrangeas on the east side of the house - they don't seem to be blooming as well as I expected them to.