Some Things that Make me Smile!

It has been such a refreshing spring. .

in comparison to ANY spring. .

But for sure in comparison to the last TWO springs. .

Where the temperatures were well over 100 degrees in May. .

And consistently over 100 degrees by this time in June.

We've enjoyed nearly SIX inches of moisture over the last few months. .

As well as temperatures in the 80's and 90's. .

Aside from a few days last week that were over 105!

And that has been good for the farmers. .

The gardens. .

AND the gardenERS!!

Come along for a quick flower show!

I have a little jungle area of hollyhocks in the front of my house. .

I think they look a little messy. .

And each year I think I am going to pull most of them out. .

But. .

I just CAN'T bring myself to do that!

The colors are so deep and cheery. .

And so far, even the big leaves still look nice and healthy. .

Not yet riddled with insect damage!

I LOVE tropical plants. .

I just CAN'T ever seem to keep them watered well enough and protected from the blazing heat and wind.

Well. .

The self watering container idea and the addition of that new patio has made the difference!

When I thought there might be a possibility of making a tropical vine work. .

I couldn't leave this hot pink mandevilla at Lowes!

It is starting to vine well. .

And is loaded with these gorgeous pink flowers!!

I'm also super excited about a tropical hibiscus plant that I bought at Walmart a month ago. .

It was unmarked as to color. .

And it was HALF price!!

I don't know why, and I didn't really care. .

In my cart it went. .

And am I ever glad it did!!

It opened up one of the most beautiful pinkish red colored blooms earlier this week!!

With lots more buds. .

promising future color!

I was totally THRILLED!!

Both of these girls are situated on our new patio near the pitcher pump feature.

They are slightly protected from the wind, and get a little bit of afternoon shade.

The self watering planters from Walmart are doing their part to keep them moist. .

SCORE!

Wish I had thought to load a before picture of the honeysuckle vine that we planted near this antique slipper slide several years ago. Jeremy re-staked the slide into the ground. .

 as the weight of the vine was pulling it southward!

I enjoy it's fragrance most. .

early in the morning while I am walking. I think it is always funny to come around the corner from the highway on my walk, and wonder where I will smell it. .

The wind does amazing things with the fragrance. .

And some mornings, I would notice the scent down by my mailbox. .

100 yards from the plant!!

I had to rescue one from the construction zone. .

And recently decided to plant it on the other side of the house, near the bedroom windows!

It didn't mind the move. .

and proceeded to do it's blooming IN the big pot it rested in until I knew where it would go.

This echinacea paradoxica. .

Or plain ole yellow coneflower. .

Came from a packet of seeds that I started a last winter. .

There were a couple blossoms on the plants last summer. .

But it is really doing well this year! I planted them in 3 different locations. .

to maximize the effect of them. .
and to make sure they had at least one location that they would thrive in.

One spot just had too much competition with water and other plants. .

And they stayed tiny all summer.

I was sure they would die out. .

but even THEY are blooming this summer.

This variety is a tolerant winner for sure!

Some day I want to learn how to put my lavender plant to good use. .

I really like it's tiny little blossom stems. .

And always think I will gather some and make a little sachet. .

Hasn't happened yet!

This variety is Hidcote. .

And the plant has gotten huge!!

That whole mass of flowers comes from ONE central root in the ground in the dead center!!

A few years ago, I took a cutting of the plant in fall. .

And it rooted in nicely by the next spring in my greenhouse.

I think I might do that again this fall. .

Let me know if you might want a start of it!

Here's the larkspur patch in the front beds along the driveway.

The purple aster plant in the left front of photo is growing. It won't shine for another month or more, but it appears there will be a lot of shine happenin' when it does it's thing!

My orange butterfly milkweed is blooming now too.

It may be one of my favorite summer blooms!!

My seed list for next winter includes another packet of these for sure!!

They have been easy to start in the past. .

But unfortunately, I only have this clump that has really taken off!

The black eyed susans are looking lovely this year. .

With the nice cool weather and moisture we have been having. .

They remind me of the photos of the luscious susans my gardening friend Sue shows from her cool Michigan patch! They look much better with this weather. .

than with drought and 100 degree temps!

 And it seems lots of flying creatures love them as much as I do!

Here is a tiger eye sumac bush. .

given to me by some friends to plant in memory of my dad!

Now, he was a farmer. .

And since Sumacs can be a little invasive. .

I'm not sure how he felt about them. .

But I have always wanted to have a patch of them for the wildlife that they support. .
Jeremy always nixed that idea. .

Until I was gifted one :-)

It has such beautiful foliage. .

And is starting one characteristic bloom head, that I presume will soon become bird food!!

YaHOO!!

It's planted on the outside of my memory garden. .

With room to spread out a little!

A non descripted lily variety I planted a couple years ago. .

I'm not even sure it came up last year. .

And I surely thought it was toast!

But, it seems to be happy this spring. .

And the big reddish orange blooms are nice!

The little stella de'oro daylilies are in full swing. .

And right in front of the dwindling blue flax. .

makes a nice color combo!

I am super excited about my patch of purple coneflowers! I started all of these in my greenhouse. .

And, now in their third summer. .

They are tall. .

And spreading a little bit. .

And loaded with potential!!

The birds and winged insects LOVE these!

I'm not good with my butterfly species yet. .

But we have been seeing many different kinds. .

As well as tons of moths, including uncountable sphinx moths.

It just all makes me stop. .

And thank God. .

for the incredible DIVERSITY. .

And BEAUTY. .

And ORIGINALITY. .

In His magnificent creations!!

And personally?

I don't think we've seen ANYTHING yet!!

I can't WAIT. .

to see the garden that He is fixing up at my mansion in heaven!!

Take a minute today. .

And appreciate some of God's handiwork. .

And talk to Him about YOUR eternal home!!

Matthew 6:28-29

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Stubborn Blooms

Howdy, Hey!!

Hoping all is well with my friends and neighbors in the blogging world.

Life is good here. .

We are enjoying the changing of the seasons. .

Football will ending shortly. .

and on to a bit of a slower pace.

Tristan has a part in the variety show coming up in November. .

so it will be practice, practice, practice for him. .

and part time jobs starting for both older boys when they no longer have Friday games/practices/team meals!!

The maximillin sunflowers were just radiant as usual. The sparrows will be enjoying their seed pods very soon.

Devin and Cami have been busy creating decorated pumpkins for their school contest. .

which I will post later this week. .

cause they were sooo darn cute!!

Aren't they just perfect and sunshin-y?

As for us big people. .

work, work, work. .

day after day. .

Fifty hour week, with forty hour pay. .

or less :-)

Les Miserables was a great experience for me. .

and the shopping and company were phenomenal!

Jeremy finished his racing season with a blown transmission. .

so he can spend the winter fixing that!

a new to me purple sedum. .the dead bush behind it is just one casualty from the unbearable heat and drought!
My yard is scattered with others. .almost depressing!!

We're gearing up for our big Halloween party this weekend. .

and a nice visit from my sister and her family. .

though she just went home before lunch with symptoms that sound like the flu to me!

After spending 2 days last weekend with a stomach bug myself. .

and seeing TONS of illness-stricken people in the clinics. .

I am at the peak of germ warfare with my lysol bottle!!

There are still some blooms to be had. .

as you might notice in the number of photos that I snapped the other day. .

This weekend is supposed to hit mid 20's again at night. .

so these little greenhouse plants might be the only thing left.

The cherry tomato plants are loaded with blooms. .as is the lemon tree. .

so there is hope. .at least for the tomatos anyway!!

But I can't WAIT until the aroma of those lemon blossoms perfumes the greenhouse!!

It will smell much better than the aroma of the organic fertilizer I used in there a few weeks ago. .

which smelled like the inside of the chicken coop!

I'm trying a greenhouse variety cucumber this winter. .

It isn't growing too fast. .but I hope it works out well. .

cause those would taste good with the tomatoes.

I'm also trying some yellow squash. .

I have NO idea how that will work out.

The mums are short. .because of the heat I'm sure. .

this one is a start from my friend GonSS. .and it is gorgeous!!

The salvia and catmint in the memory garden are doing well still. .

the chickens hunt and peck there every day. .

and it is becoming quite an effort to avoid looking at all the mulch they toss up onto the sidewalk.

I don't have time to sweep it once a week, let alone once a day. .

so I just keep my eyes above the ground!

We love our eggs. .

that is their saving grace!

The rubinstern echinacea are continuing to bloom next to a mum given to us after Jeremy's grandpa died last fall. .I love yellow and purple combo's!

Mini roses??

I am surprised they survived the freeze. .but they are right next to the south side of our warm aluminum siding! They are a bright spot of color.

The burning bushes are turning color and look nice in front of the "grove" of Maximillin sunflowers.

I thought this sight was funny. .the nice salvia bloom in the forefront of the photo. .contrasted to the frozen blooms just feet away! Crazy?

I noticed yesterday afternoon that the Echinacea paradoxica is reblooming. I started them from seed last winter and had only one other bloom on the plant this summer. .I can't wait to see them bigger and fuller next year!

Can't believe next week is November already. .

Can you. .

Where DOES the time go!!

Have a very safe, healthy, and blessed week friends!

Some Like it Hot. .

Not me, particularly. .

but some of the things blooming right now mustn't mind it too much!

The last two weeks have been above 100 degrees daily, with winds blowing 15-30mph nearly daily. .and often at night.

Those conditions make everything ragged and tired looking. .

but, alas. .

there are still new things blooming. .with promises of even more new blooms to come!

The area near the waterfall reservoir is looking better each day. The iceplant (short purple plant on the right) has been blooming it's head off for over a month now. I love the electric purple!

This annual salvia seeded itself from last year. A friend from work told me to expect that. .and I was excited because it was so pretty last year. .the only problem was. .that last year it was red. .pretty flowers, but clashed ferociously with the electric pink ice plant. I noticed as I took the photos, that the plants don't seem to be red this year, but a hot pink. .which contrasts nicely to the iceplant! Great!! In the fall, I may try to catch the seeds before they fall, and reseed them in my memory garden. 

Speaking of the memory garden, a few of the zinnia seeds I scattered there are blooming. I only uncovered a few patches to plant annuals in, as I am trying to improve the soil and kill weeds this season. I have tried to grow moon flowers for years now, with very limited success. .My friend GonSS shared some seed with me, and I was T-H-R-I-L-L-E-D to see that 2 little plants have come up (they are the grayish plants behind the zinnias). .and one has a flower bud on it. Meaning. .if I can keep these two plants alive the remainder of the summer. .there is a decent chance that they will establish themselves in this little area for years to come. .if you have never smelled a moon flower in the evening. .you are missing out!!

The trumpet vine is finally growing. This little guy has sat, neglected for years. .not dying, but never really growing either. .I decided last year that I really wanted more action out of this bush. .so I purposely gave it a little care. .and it bloomed. This year, with some extra water, it seems to be really taking off. One of the projects that I would like Jeremy to help me with is making a rustic cedar post trellis. .a very sturdy one. .made to last decades. .so we can train the vine onto it. .creating a nice living, blooming screen. 

A few four o'clocks are starting to bloom. .these are a great place to watch sphinx moths in the evenings!!

I still have sunflowers EVERYWHERE. .some are the nice red color, and others are just plain 'ole yeller, like these. .This one came up next to one of the butterfly bushes. I like the extra pops of color!

This was the orange butterfly weed that I showed a month ago or so. .something munched all it's leaves off. .but I noticed that the leaves are coming back on full force, and it will bloom again soon. The other new butterfly weed plants seem to be establishing themselves well. .so I look for them to bloom next year too!

Little red spider zinnias readily self-seeded this spring. They are quite dainty. .and would have made a cute little July fourth bouquet. .if I hadn't been too hot to go out and snip them!

Western ironweed from High country garden is blooming this week near the pond. .

Right next to the gray headed coneflowers. Both are native. .and seem to like their spots in the garden. This one has gotten quite tall, nearly 4 feet. I am hoping to do some manual reseeding of these in the fall too!

Here's another baby that we found about a month ago. .See his wide eyes. .it was just before he scattered under the bush. He was thinking. ."AHHH, there is the curled headed one that is always trying to catch me!!" They are W-I-L-D things. .This one, when you can see it from the other side, is very odd looking. .like a skunk. .but not quite. It will be fun to see what it looks like when it gets big!

The denver daisies are blooming. .and so far, showing off better than the ones I had last year! The pony tail grass next to it is invading the space. .and may need to be relocated in the fall.

The zuni crapemyrtle is blooming. .but some creature is spinning webs around all the flowers. .so I will mix up my neem oil and slick 'em down to see if it will help. They didn't die back last winter. .so I was excited about their height this year.

My garlic harvest is drying on the picnic table on the deck. I thought they were dry last week and put them in  a plastic sack until I could deal with 'em. When I retrieved a bulb to put in the rib glaze on the 4th, I noticed that it was getting musty. .so back outside they went to dry some more. I hope they will be alright.

My final picture is of the stone planter. .It has evolved so nicely. .and I'm pretty excited by it! All the plants seem to like their setting. .and hopefully, I won't need to replant it next spring, as most of them are perennials. 

Still hot. .

No rain. .

BUT. .

Chances of rain, and cooler temps are slated for the near future. .we'll take whatever we can get!

Have a blessed Lord's Day!! 

Weekly Flower Show

We had a break in the wind on Memorial Day. Unfortunately for my gardening obsession. .I was driving and shopping most of the day.  But after Jeremy took the younger two to help haul a load or two of wheat (while I was supposed to be cleaning up my house wreckage) I snuck out to enjoy a quick walkabout in the gardens. 

I have gone round and round with myself about this pond. It has been more maintenance than I prefer. .

and I say. .

 that if I had it to do over again. .

I would have probably stuck with the pondless waterfall. .

BUT. .

I'm not sure that is entirely true. 

It is definitely coming into itself. .and the sheer beauty of it (when the wind isn't blowing 40 mph) is good for my soul. The Mexican hats are goin' to town now. .as are the ratibida. You can also see the caryopteris bush (the blue one in the back) in full bloom! I have noticed half a jillion tiny caryopteris plants sprouting this spring; I'm sure. .because I watered the area so faithfully to keep the new native plants alive. I will be pulling them sooner or later. .so if you are someone who might enjoy this little plant. .let me know. .I'll be GLAD to share!! Make sure you have a space that can accommodate a 4 foot by 4 foot plant. He attracts winged creatures great and small, won't take a lot of water, and thrives on neglect. .anybody interested yet?? Sara, your "empty-slate" yard is coming to my mind!!

This bed to the left is the one that I put leftover liner in, under the dirt, to hold extra moisture for the plants like hostas that like water. I have added some small coral bells, lily of the valley, lamium, and 2 calla lilies that are coming up from a package my pastors wife gave me. This week. .I was blessed to find ONE cardinal flower on clearance at the farm store. I have looked in 3-4 different places to find it, and couldn't believe my good fortune!! I have tried it several times. .managing to kill it each time. .

BUT. .

you know my motto. .

You can't be a good gardener unless you kill lots of things first!!

And sometimes. .

DURING.

I think that THIS little garden will be the location that will be a winner for the hummingbird magnet, moisture loving, perennial plant. I'll let you know whether it lives. .

or otherwise!

I promised photos of the catkins on the variegated cattail plant. This guy is planted in a pond pot. .to help keep it under control. .they can be pretty invasive, I read! So far. .I love it!

Another view of these flowers I am smitten with. .

The red stem near the rush plant in the bottom right corner. .is a water hibiscus plant I picked up a few weeks ago (while checking the pond store in Wichita for the aforementioned cardinal plant) This is a hardy specimen that I hadn't seen before. .in theory. .it will produce a nice red, fragrant bloom in the afternoon and evening, nearly the same color as the bright, red foliage. I couldn't resist it! It is about to come out of its shock from this glorious western Kansas wind, and is producing new leaves to show it's gratitude to life.

What's NOT to love about these guys?? As nicely as they reseeded, I am thinking that I will need to move some of them to another section of the gardens next spring!! Again. .willing to share. .plants OR seeds!

This little clump of little sunflowers was just too cute and bright to remove. I also just flat didn't get them weeded until they had blooms on them. .and then it's just like. ."Why bother now??" 

Mental note to self. .cut them down before they set seed this year!!

Here they are next to this huge patch of self-seeded cosmos. I fell in love with these plants years ago when I noticed them coming up in a ditch along the highway at someone's house. They are just so light and airy. .with such a bold color scheme! Cottage garden deluxe and super simple to start yourself!! It's a must try for those of you who would love to garden. .but think you have a black thumb!!

The front flowers are NOT the ratibida from the other photos. .but the gray headed coneflower. .which are supposed to get as tall as 4 feet. They are substantially larger than last year. .and have just started blooming!

These little clowns LOVE people. .and I got tickled watching their silly antics as they followed me around the yard. Cami and I found another black and white kitten this week, probably about the same age as these guys. .and a smaller black kitten that was being moved by its mama! Lots of new life around here!

This ONE lavender bush is really blooming. I keep thinking that it would make a nice fragrant bouquet. .just haven't gotten it picked :-) This huge bush comes up from one little spot in the center. .I think I will research and experiment with taking some cuttings to root out some new bushes. Wish me luck! It smells so nice. .I would like to dry some and make little satchels of it. .maybe in a few years when I find some extra time!

My fancy daisies are blooming. .I was able to transplant a piece of this plant to another location in April. It finally seems to be settling in and doing well in it's new location. Which is great, because it is one of my faves!

These guys are funny!! They are also sunflowers. .and I have no idea how they got there. They are huge plants. .taller than this 5'10" curly headed gal. I planted some of the "mammoth" variety seeds last year. .but not here (I don't think) and none of them came up anyway. I had intended to pull these long ago, but procrastinated. .and now I just can't bear to pull them (besides, it would take me a chainsaw to get them to fall!) I'm totally intrigued now. .hope they are good blooms!

The raised rock planter  has gotten used to the wind and weather. The plants are looking better, and are starting to bloom. I am really liking the combination. .and hoping that it all lives so I don't have to redo it. .AGAIN!

Another photo of the Russian garden. .the lighting STILL wasn't great for the smaller bloomed sage. SIGH! I notice several little gallardia plants that have seeded!! The coronation gold yarrow is still a sturdy favorite of mine!! It doesn't need staking. .and it hasn't flopped over like many other yarrow plants do! Gotta getchya some!

So. .

You can see. .

Everything around this place is still growing. .

Up. .

Older. .

Taller. .

Weary. .

but more beautiful every day!!

Hope you have time to kick back this weekend and get a little rest. .

It's nearly summer now!!

Be blessed!!