MEANWHILE AT CASA DU BORGHESE....

 A few more days till we return back to normal programing and caught up her at the Casa du Borghese, what with being gone since September 2nd! And that ugly, ugly word...Monday which means for me back to work also. Curses! But first, I huge thank you for all the lovely compliments of our anniversary post before leaving. Thank you again for stopping in all these years and for all this mayhem! Till we get our equilibrium back and to a sense of normalcy, if there is such a thing, may I present some legends for your enjoyment, and Casa du Borghese favorites...Carol Burnett, along with Eileen Farrell and Marilyn Horne. Take it away girls! A number after my own heart.

MIDSUMMER GARDEN

 
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.

The Mexican sunflowers are now up over my head and over the white fence behind it!!! Over 6ft! To think in May I just planted them as seeds! And it you look close, you spot the surprise I finally captured!!!

I also spent some time getting the seed from spent Hollyhocks. We will have many more next spring to plant.

The perfect toadstool.

Double bumbles!

A passionflower gift to me from a friend.

Dalhia and zinnias are coming in to take center stage next.

The Justicia Carnea

The murderess 

Sitting and waiting. Don't let the demure, cute face fool you.

And if you don't spot what it was in the above picture at the start of the post...it was indeed one of the hummingbirds!

USUAL SUSPECTS IN THE GARDEN

It's been a warm sunny and downright glorious weekend! What with being away the last two weekends, I had much to do in the garden, especially deadheading various specimens to get even more blooms. The garden has had a wonderful spring, and things seem to grow leaps and bounds which seems to be overnight even. The wildflower garden in getting very tall and there are going to be oodles of a variety of blooms in it, along with the Cassia. Two days spent in the garden with one more day to relax. I told the showroom I would not be in Monday, put me in for a personal day. The beauty of my job is I could work four 10 hour days a week if I wanted and take off Mondays or Fridays, but a 10 hour day is long. Nonetheless... the garden of late.

This Centaurea Montana has been a great addition to the garden this year. And has already doubled in size. It gets full sun and is very good in heat and is very drought tolerant.

The columbines will be done soon till there next blooming.

A new suspect! A Greenback Woodpecker

Sea thrifts

The Clematis and Alliums are giving a spectacular showing this spring.

The spring dahlias

Campanula bellfower

Golden wagwort near the wildflowers

I'm not sure but this might be the start of chipmunk porn.

I put these steppingstones today in the wildflower garden so I can walk through to clip without crunching stems. To the left of the stone is where the cassia got moved this year, along with lavender, alliums, sages and dianthus . 

The delphiniums are starting to bloom in the salvia garden.

A friend of mine was here yesterday to clip my almost spent varieties of lavender and geraniums, in which she will make a lavender infused hand suave with it.

A grosbeak.

These Cleome on the side of the house finally bloomed this spring.

Happy to report that Sophie Lucille is off work release and confinement...no murders of late. And alas...the last of my peonies and others from the garden till next spring.

SPRING IN THE AIR

 

What a weekend! A bit of gardening and relaxing, with some cult classic flicks yesterday. I had planned to work in the garden yesterday and did indeed have some time to plant the new salvia in between bouts of some downpours, but most of the time was spent today in the garden. Most definitely a cloudy, cooler and damp weekend. What with being away on a jaunt next weekend to NYC, I wanted to get my gardening in now. After work on Friday I made another trip to the Ashcombe greenhouses to get my Datura and Cassia, but they won't go in the ground for another week to make sure we pass the frost threats. But otherwise, spring is really in full swing now, with the flowering trees in bloom.... another week probably wrapping up. Our Dogwoods are in bloom currently. But now to worry, there are many stars of the show taking stage currently. 

The wild violets are coming up everywhere!!! I don't have the heart to pull them. They are one of those little simple flowers that just make you feel happy.

The bleeding hearts and columbines.

A new addition from last year, these Geum survived the winter and are blooming beautifully.

The rose garden is looking very robust and lush.

A new dahlia for this season!

In addition to some new stars like bee balms is this Centaurea montana. 

We will see how it does.

The lilacs are very intoxicating by my bedroom window. The house currently smells lovely with their scent.

The salvia and delphinium bed. More of each were added this year.

Some Sweet William. In the background are some sages and sea thrifts loaded with waiting blooms.

My peonies doubled this year!!! And if you see ants all over the buds...don't spray them! They are part of the plant's health. Peonies produce a sticky sweet nectar that ants can't resist. Once there, ants enjoy the nectar and provide natural pest control against thrips and apids.

 While prepping the salvia bed, I came across this Japanese Maple seedling, that must have blew over and grounded from our neighbor's house. A few weeks ago it was only one little leaf...now look at it. I dug up the little seedling in a ball and planted it in this pot to see if it continues. If it does, it will find a new home on the grounds to continue to grow. I think they are beautiful trees.

 

Waiting in the wings...the Datura and the Cassia. They look small now, but just you wait till they are planted and take off. By September the Cassia is tall, over 6ft!!!! Ain't spring grand? And the catbirds arrived back this weekend!