What a simply beautiful weekend! It was nice to have a weekend at home and before the next vacation in ensues. While I had a handyman at the Casa installing a new exhaust fan and light in the bathroom and then he repainted the ceiling and did wallpapering, and not bad on the eyes I may add, I spent the time outdoors in the garden, pottering and dead heading. I was a good host though and offered up some refreshing beverages. New stars of the Mexican sunflowers, coneflower, salvia, hellebore, and the Datura Ballerinas, Justicia Carnea or flamingo flower now all in bloom. I know it is August now. I also have a family of cardinals take up residence in the moss bird house, which I didn't know about till I saw the fledglings popping out of the hole and all over that backyard. Which meant the murderous Sophie has been monitored while outdoors. She did attempt to make some carnage but luckily her plan was foiled. I haven't seen them lately. I just hope the neighborhood cat didn't get them, who sometimes sneaks into the garden at night. It is simply amazing how the garden still to grow and change almost overnight, I swear.
Your garden is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, as they say.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous garden, sweetpea! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI am mad-jealous! You are a lucky one for that!
ReplyDeleteTo be surrounded by all that beauty can't help but rub off on a beautiful person, and that would be you, Maddie, thanks for sharing your garden with us.
ReplyDeleteThis is glorious and makes any day better. I seriously miss hummingbirds. Not enough to move back, but I do miss them.
ReplyDeleteThey are almost near impossible to get a picture of for a noive picture taker like me. They zip around so darn fast !
DeleteHow fabulous! We plant tithionia ever season; the butterflies love it!
ReplyDeleteA trip around the garden is a great way to start a week.
ReplyDeleteWe worked in the yard yesterday until the heat drove us inside; I'm waiting for cooler nights to have dinners outside.
I usually take my breakfast out in the morning...but this summer doesnt feel as bad up here as the last few.
DeleteGreat photos of the hummingbirds, Sharon in Phoenix is one of the few people I know, who has the patience to photograph them. No photos of the handyman?
ReplyDeleteThey are fast buggers.
DeleteWow! You certainly have worked hard to get the garden looking so floriferous. Our biggest, blowsiest blooms (lilies, roses, clematis) are just about over now except for the begonias - this is the season where salvias and fuchsias become the stars of the show, and some of the phloxes have their second flush of flowers.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a hummingbird - how lucky you were to get such good shots of it... Jx
I mourn the fact that my fushia don't survive much pass June ..what with the heat and humidity here. And there one of my favorites. Most are sticks by July.
DeleteOurs are all in pots, and have survived four heatwaves (and we're into our fifth) this year. They need quite a bit of water, like hydrangeas, clematis and dahlias. Jx
DeleteThe garden looks fab.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the birdhouse!
And I’m going to follow your advice with the Hollyhocks and get the seeds for spring.
Sophie!
XOXO
A word of caution about hollyhocks - in common with a lot of plants, they don't always produce seeds that "come true". There may be some colours next year that weren't exactly what you expected... Jx
DeleteGood advice Jon. I didn't know that! You teach me things see.
DeleteYou're welcome. Clink, clink, sweetie! jX
DeleteVery nice. I wish mine looked so good, sadly I have Howie who likes to pee on pretty flowers.
ReplyDelete😅🤣😂
DeleteWe get a lot of hummingbirds here. They love the desert sage we call Butterfly Bushes --- they look much like a lilac.
ReplyDeleteThose flowers are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIf your garden was near us the garden club would want you to let their gang in to see your lovely garden. As for hummingbirds, we don't have them here. The nearerst we have are hummingbird hawk moths. We had one in the conservatory and it was flying inches away from open windows for hours.
ReplyDeleteWe have hummingbird hawk moths in our garden here in London, too. Fabulous creatures! They adore Phlox. Jx
DeleteAs I was telling Mr.DeVice we used to get them...but haven't seen them in a year or two now. They are fun to watch...and I believe the only moth to come out in the daylight.
DeleteThe Scarlet Tiger Moth comes out in the daylight too.
DeleteQuel beau jardin, c’est magnifique :)
ReplyDeleteNous n’avons pas de colibris en Europe :\
-Beau Mec à Deauville
Those blooms must be very tiny or that hummingbird is on steroids! Of course, my vision is fading fast so it may just be an illusion. I really need to put up my hummingbird feeder. Too lazy. Beautiful garden as usual.
ReplyDeleteThey are little zinnia sized flowers. He does appear big in the video doesn't he? I sent you an email...I hope it was the right one,lol!
DeleteThe right email is the Gmail one, The old AOL one is just a vortex of scammers and ads now. I can't even get over there anymore. So, either way, I haven't received your message. If I get an email I usually reply right away if I'm not off the grid camping. So delete the AOL one and you won't have any more confusion.
DeleteYour garden is so colorful and natural looking. Love the hummingbird, they always visit my flower garden and I have several feeders for them.
ReplyDeletePan in Wynnewood
Than you Pan! I have tried feeders but never seem to have any luck with them.
DeleteAwww, Sophie Borghese. So adorable. So innocent looking. So deadly!
ReplyDeleteYou got that right.
DeleteWow, Maddie. Your summer garden is certainly putting on a show. I'd love to have hummingbirds visit my garden but, like Helen and Jon have already said, we have to make do with the hummingbird hawk moth instead.
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr DeVice. Compliments from my Brit friends tickles me. I generally get hummingbirds moths...but haven't seen any this year yet.
DeleteYour garden is looking lush! I have some Cone Flowers this year - the bees are keen on them.
ReplyDeleteNo Hummingbirds here, but we did have a hummingbird bee.
Sx