Thursday, August 6, 2020

August Brings It's Own Beauty

The Oriental lilies are blooming!

The Cana in the patio pots have been sending up bloom stalks and now the first ones are opening. There will be orange, yellow, and red ones. Very August color. 

When Tom picked flowers for me to arrange last week, he also filled the blue bottle vases I put out each summer on a patio table. I was so pleased that he did that, as they had been sitting empty all this time. Now I will make an effort to keep them fresh. 
Everything still is an effort these days - I was back at urgent care for more digestive tract issues on Wednesday - but I am hopeful for smoother days ahead. I want to be able to enjoy the rest of my summer.

In one of my walk abouts in the yard - that's where I get my exercise these days - I carried my phone to see what was looking new or good. 

There is a very tall sunflower growing over the top of the dahlias, 
And another with multiple faces. 
Finally, the first few blooms on the sweet peas. They have been poking along since spring. Because tall trees now shade the vegetable garden much of the day, especially in spring when the sun isn't as high, our garden doesn't produce very well, and most things grow tall reaching for the sun.

Down at the bottom of the garden the butterfly bushes are blooming but I hadn't seen many butterflies. 
Just then a Western Swallowtail landed. Sorry for the unclear photos. My phone camera was pressing it's limits. 

More lilies are blooming down in the island bed in the lower garden. 
Clematis and roses.

From these photos you can see that the exuberant growth of summer had produced a bit of a ramble. It will just have to stay a bit unkempt this year until fall clean up. The chief snipper/groomer is on recovery leave. 
Japanese Anemones are invasive, so we have tried to eliminate them, but they are also pretty, so we tolerate them when they do show up. They bring freshness in tired August.  
After days of bright sunny weather and temps in the low to mid eighties, we are having a cool, cloudy, lightly rainy morning. It's refreshing. We are assured that blue skies will return. 

14 comments:

  1. Blue bottles with flowers are one of my favorite things.
    Are the digestive issues somehow related to the surgery? Well wishes for good health.

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    1. Yes. it's all related to the anesthesia, the opioids, the other meds, and just trying to get my system back in balance.

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  2. Always lovely to see what you grow and what you do with them!

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  3. We moved our Japanese Anemones from the front yard to the back, into an area with concrete on 3 sides!! They are lovely though, so we keep them.
    Sweet Peas were slow here and only in the last 10 days have they begun to bloom. I'm sure I sowed short ones but these are over 6 ft. now.
    Sorry your recovery isn't going so well. Hopefully soon you'll be out there snipping and grooming again.

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  4. You have some great blooms for the beginning of August.

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  5. We have a few days ahead of cooler weather, which I appreciate. Your pretty pictures make me feel uplifted. And I do hope that your issues are resolved, so you can return to your beautiful garden with your snippers. :-)

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  6. Your garden is so beautiful! I'm sure it must bring some relief just to be out in the fresh air enjoying the beauty.

    Hoping for more improvement as you continue to recover.

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  7. So sorry you are still struggling and hope this all resolves itself soon. Know you are ready to put it behind you. Love those blue bottle vases.

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  8. Tired August is a good title for most of us...your blooms are lovely! Take care of you, so you can bloom again too.

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  9. Beautiful as always. My sweet peas refused to sprout. My mother's were always so lovely in Colorado. Need the cooler nights, I guess.

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  10. Everything looks so green and lush. Love your garden. Hope your digestive tract issues go away soon.

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  11. What a beautiful exuberant garden you have. I bet it does miss your attentions. I don't have an excuse and my garden is a wreck. ha.. I love those tall lilies. Speaking of tall the sunflowers are great. I hope you get to perking along soon. It is such a drag to be puny when the weather is so nice.

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  12. What beautiful lilies! Hope you feel better and better everyday!

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  13. It's always so enjoyable to see your beautiful flower gardens. I am glad you are feeling better, and feeling like getting out and about. Your flower display in various blue vases was so pretty. I love cobalt blue vases.

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