Deja Vu, All Over Again ......

This week's post, as the title suggests, is quite similar to the previous one. I felt it was pretty good so I thought I'd stick with a winning format.

Mid-July is the "bloomingest" time of the year and with all of the good (sometimes not so good!) rain and moderate temps we've had, the gardens are especially lovely this season. The Main Garden is rather carnival-like with all sorts of colors and textures vying for attention. I love it that way!

Here you can get the feeling of celebration and fun of a carnival in our yard.

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No fun here !

I'm getting disgusted with those Kinsman window box planters! They are starting to look shabby and watering them isn't working the way I was led to believe. The directions said that the roots of the side planted plants would quickly fill in and the soil would not fall out. Well, truthfully the soil doesn't fall out - the water does! I feel the holes are too large and there is no way that you could get around the watering problem. Next year I'm going to cover the side holes with extra coco fibre and just plant from the top. The planters are a nice depth but I think the capacity and capability of these planters was way overstated. Or, possibly I've done something wrong - I just don't know. But I do know that in another week or so these planters are going to look hideous!

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The rest of the flower photos look great and I've got nothing to complain about.

What's a carnival without balloons??? Balloon Flowers, that is...

Gooseneck Loosestrife is such a graceful flower.

An Unwin Dahlia that I started from seed. This is in one of the petunia barrels.

These Dianthus (I also grew these from seed.) are under the Willow Tree Garden and are super hardy!

Isn't this just the most beautiful Hollyhock?! It's called "Queenie Purple" and is also in one of the petunia barrels. The plant is miniature, about 2 - 3 feet, but the flowers are extra-large.

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Tomato Tree Update !

Well, the tomato tree is hangin' in there - all legs in tact. The foliage is hanging farther down and the tomatoes are getting bigger and bigger! I just can't wait to taste the first one. They are no where near turning red, but I can dream ...

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Lily Pics

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This lavender Trumpet Lily looks great paired with the Cone Flowers.

I must have been really taken with yellow Trumpet Lilies a few years ago, because I planted all kinds of them. I don't remember doing that, but it's a nice surprise.

All the Trumpets smell terrific!

These orangy-apricot Trumpets are my favorite. The camera picked up the color very well which is not always the case.

An un-named Asiatic and an LA Hybrid Lily. The LA Hybrid are a special and very hardy version of the Easter Lily - there are various colors, too. It looks as if it were made of wax. Very neat!

There are tons of these blooming in the Willow Tree Garden as we speak! I have their name. It's "Connecticut Yankee".

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I promise that these Daylily pictures are NOT repeats from last week.

Look really hard at the center of this beauty and you'll see the back end of an earwig snuggled up for his daily sleep. Daylilies are a convenient place for them to hide from the sunlight.

"Prairie Blue Eyes". Isn't that a wonderful name....

"Hall's Pink" Sort of a bland name ...but a sweet, blooming- mad flower!

This flower is fairly small...

..but this is smaller (it's called "Pardon Me!") and ...

and this is even smaller! "Siloam Lady Bug" is her name.

These are also bloomin' fools - to bad I don't know their name.

These two different yellow daylilies are huge - at least 6" across.

This is also a big red flower, but on a tiny plant. I think there is actually something wrong with it - it may be a mutant or something because that doesn't seem normal.

These next two are from the Siloam daylily farms. They breed some wonderfully beautiful daylilies.

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Begonias in the three-tiered planter near the entrance. They remind me of old-time delicate ladies!

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Visitors, Again!

The turkeys have made our backyard one of their open-air restaurants down our street. They visit at least twice a day. Now there are two Moms with their babies. One Mom has 3 small ones and the other has 8 larger ones (about the size of a small chicken).

First they all run to the birdfeeders and eat what's been dropped by their smaller cousins.

Then it's time for Mom #1 and the 3 young ones to relax on the swing. We are completely surprised that the very little ones can fly that high.

Mom #2 and the bigger babies keep chowing down!

Then Mom #1 and Mom #2 eat mulberries while the kids watch from the park bench and the frame of the gazebo. (We've been waiting to put the fabric top on the gazebo until the mulberries have all dropped. Steve was concerned about berry stains. I surely hope the turkeys don't decide to perch on the gazebo after we put the top up! Ugh!!)

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See, I told you this would be a "deja vu" moment! I promise you my next blog will be quite different. I can say that because next Saturday I'm leaving for a week's vacation in Crivitz with my sister and her family. So I'll have all kinds of non-flower type pictures to post. I won't be posting next week but I will see you all on the 27th. (I may even try a little gambling for the 1st time! Wish me luck!!)

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I am sorry I have not learned to play at

cards. It is very useful in life: it generates

kindness and consolidates society.

Samuel Johnson (1709 - 84)

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Bye for now,

Alyssa

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