Wow, after all the holiday posts, it is nice to get back to the garden for a bit. The weather did cooperate for me, giving me lots of cool and rainy days to post about Christmas ideas, then turning back to warmer and sunny for getting back to the present. Unfortunately it is now maddeningly hot. Heat absolutely makes me wilt and I hate it. While we were making holiday projects and getting new ideas, my flowers kept going. The torenias are spilling down the sides of their baskets, and I managed to grab the camera when the hummingbird paid a visit.
She comes regularly, but only stays a short time. By the time I notice the movement and run for the camera she is usually gone.
I am pretty sure she is a girl, there is no red on her.
July is the time for my gladiolas to bloom, and they did. I thought they should bloom in June so I was disappointed in them then, but I just needed to wait another month for gorgeous flowers. A couple of hard rainstorms broke the spires, so I had to cut them and bring them indoors to a vase to enjoy. One thing about glads, the flowers will continue to open even after cutting. Here is the white one…
and the yellow.
This gorgeous deep apricot one is in the back on the mountainside. It is either a volunteer or was planted years ago by the previous owner of the house.
DH was kind enough to get out there on the slope behind the chain link fence after a rain, and dig up several by the roots to replant in the front flower bed with the yellow ones. I cut the spires for the inside vase and planted the bulbs. The little daisy was a gift from a friend, and I think I’ll plant it too.
The lighter color apricot is also from the mountainside.
Lovely together aren’t they?
A misty, foggy morning during the Christmas in July event shows the layers of hills across the valley. It is so thick that you cannot see the next high ridge that I show on my header photo. By the way, I changed the header photo to a summer pic.
My caladium seems happy in its place, another gift from a friend.
I planted the johnny jump-ups too late and they never bloomed.
But the little dianthus flowers keep going.
These yellow torenias continue to bloom too, I just love these flowers and so do the bees.
All the impatiens are getting huge and blooming profusely.
It is just too frazzling hot to get out and deadhead the hydrangea, and I need to clean up the torenias and the geraniums. On the bright side, the lobelias don’t need any tending, and they are still blooming nicely.
The super belles are getting a bit leggy, and the blooms are few and far between.
And I was very surprised to find a squash plant growing in the middle of them! How it got planted there is a mystery, but I suspect a squirrel did it as I keep running one off the porch that has been digging in the pots. The squash plant has produced some flowers but no veggies yet. Well, at least it has some flowers, maybe I’ll get a squash or two. The others have been eaten by something, the plants are completely gone. Rabbits or some other leaf eater got them all, and my broccoli too.
The tomato plants have only produced a total of three little tomatoes, and I do not understand why they won’t grow better. They get 7 hours of sun a day, plenty of water, and I have given them marvelous soil and fertilizer. So, I am still buying tomatoes at the farmer’s market and the produce stands. Also in the front bed, the verbena is still going strong so why the veggies aren’t doing well is beyond me.
What’s blooming in your garden?
Sharing with some of the great parties on my sidebar.
From My Carolina Home 
I have a lot to do in the yard, especially trimming and dead heads.
I threw seeds in the garden last spring and a lot of plants are growing, only a few that got topped off by the bunnies.
I have a huge tall sunflower in the back yard.
I also hate heat and humidity. I used to tolerate it, but now….. it just makes me feel icky. Also, waaaa, last week I was in the yard for just a short while, trimming and a bug got in my eye and I went inside to get it out in front of a mirror – but it did bit me or something so my eye in the corner was all read and itchy for about a day.
I have not been out in the garden much, so every plant if for themselves here on out. I have been too busy with mom and dad, Sarah, or sewing, or cleaning.
Your yard looks just wonderful .
Misty, foggy morning would make a lovely landscape quilt wall hanging… SO hot and dry here, our lawn never got going after the winter snow was gone and our sprinklers in this new house had to be rehabbed, and my pots out back do fairly well when I keep them watered. DIL put in an older peony from her parents’ house that was wilty, but looking healthy now, although it was past the bloom time. We’re hoping it’ll bloom again next spring. I despair at all that needs to be done. Workers this week fixing my tiny shower from 29 inches square to a huge comparatively 36 inches square! We’ve gotten the boxes empty but we pushed everything to one side so the workers could navigate. I’m working at home the rest of the week to be here for them. Looking at how much still to do makes me ferklumpt. You cheer me up dear lady!
sharon in Colorado.
Just beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful photography, Carole! You are such a talented lady in so many areas. I enjoyed this “tour” very much.
I love your gladiolas, especially the white and the mixed. I’ve never heard of ‘johnny jump up’s’; what a cute name – I had to google, to find out they are violets – I love violets 🙂
My garden is crab grass so the only thing blooming is Roundup!
Beautiful photos…you are so very talented in so many areas. Thank you for the smile the little hummingbird brought….I needed one today. Your flowers are just glorious. Mine did not do as well this year….and alas…my beautiful glads and iris are already gone. The heat has been nearly unbearable this week. Stay cool…and keep the beautiful photos, quilts, recipes, tutorials and humor coming!
Good Morning Carole! Your pictures are lovely and I so enjoyed reading about each and every one of your flowers. Got a little chuckle about the squirrel. Our squirrels moved out of our area for the summer, just yesterday we heard one of them barking a warning to others about the hawk sitting on a branch, as soon as the birds all started in…the hawk took off. With a whole lot of health issues concerning my Father, my flowers have been neglected quite a bit this year. Surprising though, they are all doing pretty well. We are hitting the 100’s all this week and hopefully, I will be home all the time and can get them watered every night. Come this fall, I am going to go and thin out my Mother’s flower beds for her and split the bulbs up. It will be great to have some new varieties in my garden and for Mom to get some new varieties in her flower beds also.
I am off to do quite a bit of Christmas gift sewing today and pretty much everyday until Christmas! Thank you for sharing and have a fantastic creative day!
Beautiful flowers! My geraniums are doing well. My impatients look wonderful in red and white and my daylilies were si pretty even the deer liked their taste!!😏
You definitely have ‘green fingers’, Carole. I’ve enjoyed looking at these photos.
What a great photo capture of the hummer. Your garden looks well tended and beautiful. I was so happy to see the “glads”. When I was growing up it seemed every garden had them and I rarely see them anymore. Flowers seem to go in fashion circles the same as other things.
Beautiful flowers and your photo of the fog on the hills is so neat! I would love that view!
Lots of bromeliads are blooming in my garden. Love the photos of the hummingbird in your garden.
Beautiful Glads!!! My Dad loved Glads and I can remember going to a big farm that specialized in them and there were rows and rows… It was so beautiful. We got to walk the rows and write down the ones we loved and then order the bulbs for the next spring. So much more fun that ordering from a catalog 🙂
Such beautiful pictures. Thanks for sharing
Kudos to you for your hummingbird capture…i think that I’ve gotten just one or two in my lifetime. They are in and out so quickly….:) I’ll be out on my porch and hear the helicopter sound….I freeze….I look…I marvel…gone!!! 🙂 in a split second.
Enjoyed the pictures, especially the gladiolas, just so beautiful!