Currently blooming

Tough mowing!

I started back to university two weeks ago... only 36 credits from achieving my Bachelor's in Communication. This summer I enrolled in two online classes, so homework consists of reading lots of text & writing 3 papers a week. I'm not complaining, I really enjoy school and am so close to graduating that I am doubly energized. I thought I would include mostly photos of what is currently blooming in the garden. We've had lots of rain, heat & humidity. I missed a week of lawn mowing in the back yard and the grass was over eight inches tall! Hopefully soon I will get better a juggling school, work, garden and household chores. It's been about a year and a half since I was in school and I'm a bit out of practice...

Knockout roses are loaded with blooms

All my roses are loaded with flowers. This past cold winter and current heavy rains seem to have eliminated aphids and Japanese Beetles from munching on leaves and rose buds. I tossed around some granular fertilizer the other day as it will be effective longer than fish emulsion with this much precipitation. The climbing roses are also doing well, although the big Queen Elizabeth has fewer flowers post 5 foot pruning this Spring.

Rugosa

We just had a rain shower and I took these photos in storm sky light, so they aren't as brilliant, but everything looks lush. The hand made short trellis is probably on its last season as the deer knocked it over last year. I really like the primitive look from the weathered wood, so we will probably make another to replace it. The garden is always in progress with plenty of plans and potential remodeling projects in mind!

Blaze climber and notice the large green leaves of the hollyhocks

Bachelor's Buttons

The stump garden is full of herbs and what I  call simple bloomers. I've been fixated on growing Bachelor's Buttons for a couple of years, trying a few different brands of  seed. I favor the blue flower ones over the pink or white flowering plants. Last year I found these seeds for burgundy flowers and they didn't do much, except re-seed  for a lovely clump this year on the part sun side of the garden. They are charming and I hope they continue to reproduce, since I can't remember where I purchased the original seed packet!

The yellow yarrow was an early bloomer this year and has formed a nice clump of lacy leaves and large yellow flower pads. It is a cheerful bright spot these rainy days. The background catmint has got a good bloom on as well considering it just got transplanted into the garden this Spring.