The Garden in a Different Light

The majority of my garden photos have been taken in the mornings. For years I was up and out every am to see what I could see and water the hoardes of potted plants. As I have creeped ever deeper into the world of web enterprise the frequency of my morning outings has changed. My fresh morning mind is directed to the task at hand~ monitoring blogs, posting products, promoting in any way that I can without spending money. All of this has added up to less and less photos being taken in the past month or so. As luck would have it I was in the right place yesterday(at home) at the right time(5ish in the afternoon) with camera in hand to capture a few new photos of the garden. I guess I needed a different perspective to inspire me.

Signs of recent rains can be found in fresh growth.



I have really enjoyed my Arbor Day Foundation Crape Myrtle this year. It was a slight bloomer until the past year or two. This has been the kind of summer here in the Carolinas that makes you appreciate these trees that are so often taken for granted by those of us who have known them all of their lives.




The faithful Rudbeckia triloba has been joined by the little Lantana 'Miss Huff' that could:) I thought I had removed her years ago but she has a strong will to live in the wilds of Rudbeckia and Blue Love Grass(2 heavy self seeders for me)




Daylily 'Volcan Fuego' is not for the faint of heart or the pastel garden but it's a great late season performer nonetheless~ Pretty strong color for a daylily in the late afternoon.



The Japanese Beautyberries ripen in the same order that they bloom ~from the insides of the branches out.



Even 'Diamond Frost' Euphorbia has perked up a little from the rain. Rudbeckia 'Goldstrurm's blooms have been munched pretty badly this year. I made an effort to show you a better looking bloom.



Verbena aff xutha is a textural delight that has taken off blooming in the past week.



Feather Reed Grass blooms in front of an overgrown section of the big bed that is mostly full of 'Fireworks' Goldenrod and Hawkweed. A red accent comes from Malvaviscus, Turk's Cap.



:)))))))




So... when's your favorite time to shoot?

Blasted Garden(Snowflurry in July)

It's not just me~ since the beginning of June this summer has been a real scorcher. The garden is crying out for attention that I can't give it. There will be casualties but some recent rain has helped many plants revive and a few plants are just survivors anyway.

A little Verbena 'Snowflurry' in July is a wonderful thing. This plant amazes me with its transient nature. It dies out here and pops up there with fresh blooming plants appearing at any time of the year~ willy nilly,lol.



This is what I would expect to see thriving in this weather. This sedum was a special trade with Gardenweb friend Nancedar. I'm afraid I haven't labeled it so its identity is in question. Have yet to see blooms from this one.



You can't keep a good wildflower down. Rudbeckia triloba is a welcome sight with fresh blooms and a visitor.



The bronze fennel has been a pleasure this year for the gardener and the insects. Black Swallowtail caterpillars in all stages were feasting on Tuesday morning.



A little less than perfect but the bees still love the Bog Sage~ Salvia uliginosa.

My casualties from last year's round of new plants from Plant Delights Nursery were numerous~ this new ironweed, Vernonia lettermannii was not among them.

The last of my Bachman seedlings to bloom~ this was the last flower:(

and the Energizer Bunny award for daylilies this year goes to 'Cripple Creek'~ I can't praise this one enough. Mwah!

Blooming Friday- As Time Goes By

For Blooming Friday this week our hostess Katarina had two examples of flowers aging beautifully from first opened to the end of its life cycle. I also have two examples of bloom cycles from my garden. Both have a long season of bloom with the first photos coming from July/Early August and the last two photos taken this morning.

Rudbeckia triloba







Salvia uliginosa, Bog Sage







For more Blooming Friday posts from around the world visitroses and stuff.