Milder and cooler temperatures moved in this week, making sitting on the veranda a real joy. Recent rains have brought the hydrangea into bloom too. The lime I put on the ground under the plant is helping the blooms toward the purple color I like best.
Lots of beautiful blooms are all over this shrub.
The vegetable garden is coming along, with tall tomatoes and lots of squash. I set the pot of petunias in front for a bit of floral color. The squash plants are blooming so well, lots of yellow flowers to enjoy.
This might be a spaghetti squash, there are two of these that I can see and I have moved the vines so both are on the bricks.
Now, I hope Oliver will leave them alone. I don’t know if squirrels will get into a garden or not.
But this little guy and his buddies might. I am hoping the height of the brick planter will keep him out. We’ll see.
It is day lily time, and this ruffle edged one is pretty.
It is a prolific bloomer too, with lots of new blooms every day.
Behind it, the dusty miller has started its summer show.
I have several tiger lilies now, and I didn’t plant any of these. I’ll be digging up these interlopers to give away. I’m kind of tired of the day lilies anyway, and want to put some different perennials in their place.
Another day lily is a nice yellow with a ruby throat.
And I have another one which is the opposite, ruby color with a yellow throat.
The snapdragons continue to bloom nicely too.
In the front, the hostas are getting ready for their blooming time.
The June lily did bloom, lovely pure white. It produces a single spectacular bloom each year.
So the blooming season continues. Lovely mild days and cool evenings are making these first few days of summer a delight. It sure makes it nice to play pickleball in the mornings at an outdoor court. I feel for those in the west dealing with record heat and drought. We have a picnic scheduled for Saturday, and we hope the scattered showers predicted pass our venue by until afterwards. How’s your garden growing? Is it hot where you are? If you are in the southern hemisphere headed into winter, is it getting cold yet?
From My Carolina Home 
You have such beautiful gardens! My lilies are just getting started blooming and the day lilies and hostas will come later. We lost a large tree during the derecho last year and all my hostas are burning up. Put down carpet and bags of mulch to try and choke out a large colony of Lily of the Valley so I can move some of them to that location. I read that this technique will kill the Lily of the Valley after a season but I’m thinking about leaving it there a couple years just to be sure. It was out of control and taking over everything. My hosta collection is large and diverse and though unsightly right now I think it will be ok. I do have a couple smaller very prized hostas that I may be able to move this fall. I jokingly told my husband I was going to buy a bunch of beach umbrellas for them. I have some very large specimens that I’m not sure I’m going to be able to dig up on my own. Trying to find homes for some of them.
I don’t remember ever seeing dusty miller bloom before. Those are sweet little flowers. I’m growing chamomile this year for the first time and harvested my first batch of flowers. Kind of a shame to pop the flower buds off right at their peak but I’m going to package and share with some of my tea drinking friends at Christmas.
I harvested strawberries three times from the bed I put in last year. Very nice berries and even with all my protective efforts I still have to share with the chipmunks. We ate most of them fresh but I made one batch of strawberry jam that will last us until next year. The rhubarb is not as big and I’d like so I decided to not harvest any this year and let it get established better. Next year I will make strawberry rhubarb pie and jam. yum!
The weather has been very strange here (and just about everywhere else too). We had brutally hot weather early, then unseasonable cool and finally some rain that we need very much. I was out in the gardens yesterday and noticed how much the weeds appreciated that rain, I pulled a lot that seemed to have come from nowhere.
Enjoy your picnic, I hope the weather is perfect! I’m thinking about heading back to the pottery studio to make some art. Haven’t been there since the start of the pandemic.
Such lovely floral displays…….
Very nice! Love the daylilies. Have you seen or read about the bird disease that is spreading? Our state DNR is asking people to take down bird feeders and suet cakes until further notice (hummingbird feeders are okay as long as kept clean and clear). I swear, it sounds like COVID for birds – eyes swell shut and are crusty, breathing difficulties, and death. It’s affecting many types – bluejays, robins, cowbirds, etc. Check your state’s wildlife agency to see if you’re affected!
Thank you. I looked up the disease in NC and VA, and it is salmonellosis. We do clean our feeder with diluted bleach often. We will keep watch on our birds, thanks for the information.
thanks for mentioning cleaning your feeders – I haven’t even gotten my hummingbird feeders out this year – I need to do that. I love all your plants they are so pretty. I need to get some house and garden spray and take care of the white flies that are all over the purple coneflowers
Your yard and garden are so lovely. I am so jealous. OK, my latest fight with wildlife: Several days ago I was hearing this light tapping. Went to the front door and there was a pair of pileated woodpeckers with the male hammering away at the deck railing. He has made terrible holes in his need to impress her. There are no insects in the wood. We thought this species was gone after houses were put on their territory, but they are back. Must be delicious wood since a hairy or downy(have trouble identifying them) pounded holes in the other end of the deck railing several years ago.
Your yard and gardens are so lush and pretty! I love seeing all the blooms. Where do you think the tiger lilies came from? Do squirrels dig up and replant those? We have been hot and dry all month, but had a lovely thunderstorm yesterday in the evening. I was just glad there wasn’t any hail!
We only have yellow day lilies, so appreciate the variety you have! We have a cool week ahead of us, and we plan to enjoy it! We had .45 of rain last night, much needed! (The storm last night was to be 1-2 inches). I need to take advantage of the soft ground and cool temps and do some serious weeding!
Carole, the daylilies and hydrangea are showing beautiful color! I know you will enjoy fresh tomatoes and squash.
Oh your garden is sooo pretty! I love watching squirrels, wish we had them here, but I guess they can be a pest too… thanks for sharing all these lovely photos! xx
We live in Northern California (about an hour from South Lake Tahoe, Nevada) and are in the middle of a heat wave plus a long extended drought that is really getting scary. So tired of the 100+ degree temps! Our hydrangeas are varying shades of pinks, but started out the lovely purple colors & are full of blooms. Those are planted under the shade of a Chinese Pistache tree and oak in a huge rock garden we put in last year and everything is LOVING the location, including the Hibiscus (which I have to cover each winter during frosts). With hostas, azaleas & a bunch of different sedum & succulents and other plants the varying colors, textures & variety are really lovely.
Such a variety of color and all so beautiful. It sounds delightful to sit on your veranda and enjoy the view, especially with comfortable weather. Lucky you!
Beautiful flowers. After the spring bulbs all I have are wildflowers in my meadow yard. Dame’s Rocket is about over, Anemones are blooming, waiting for Joe Pye, Milkweed, & Jewelweed. The deer had their way with my hostas. While we needed rain, it arrived Wednesday along with winds over 60 mph that took down some trees & large branches. Afterwards the neighborhood hummed with chainsaws.
You have such beautiful flowers. Squirrels have gotten my tomatoes 😦
It’s gorgeous, Carole! Every single bit of it. (And squirrels can get in everywhere! Especially during nut-burying season!)
Everything looks gorgeous! Oliver looks quite content with his snack. My ‘Friendly’ is the only one still coming around and I have switched from peanuts to a tiny peanut butter sandwich for him. He seems to enjoy it
The garden is flowing nicely…… Yes we are in for some nice winter weather after the rain we get today……. It’s been a pretty wet month……. The road has been closed lots of days…….
Love seeing the hydrangeas looking so pretty.