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!

BUMBLE BATH

 Yes, call me nuts! As most of you saw, my wildflower garden has taken wonderfully and quickly, which also meant I am getting far more bees and bumbles to the garden these days. Now I have several bird baths around the house, so of course the bees like to enjoy them too to get some water, which many don't know. The problem was some would go to far down, slip in, and sadly drown. Of course, I saved a few before they got to waterlogged and smothered. I would place them in the garden to dry out. So, before my last vacation I was on Instagram and caught a video of a lady who made this elaborate bee bath. Well, I'm not Marth Stewart, but she did give me an idea. To go with the growing bee habitat, I made my own bee bath.

Bees drown because once suck in the water they have nothing to cling to get out. So,I went to the garden center, got a medium terra cotta pot, turned the pot upside-down, and placed the water dish on top. Then filled the dish with little filler peddles to make raised places out of the water with a few larger stones from the garden I found or on walks, and added a twig to make a bridge of sorts and then filled with water. I placed it in the shaded rose garden so they can drink and bee out of the sun. Get it, bee out of the sun. lol! I have seen many using it already, but if you do try this just make sure to add water daily, as in the heat, it can evaporate quickly. I'm happy to report I have not seen a dead one yet this year in any of the birdbaths.

Of course I wanted all bees to feel welcome, so I added in this pride rock my mother gave me that she painted this year at a craft event at her work, and I also added in a few seas shells I found on the beach from my last jaunt for more platforms for bees to cling too. 

WILDFLOWERS

While vacations are nice, cards on the table, I do miss the gardening when I'm away, although it does give a nice break. While gone, it is amazing to return back to see just how much things can grow and how fast. This this summer I choose to expand the wildflowers garden. Backstory. Two summers ago, I had an 8oft Eastern pine taken down as it was leaning terrible and worried it might hit the townhouses next door if a bad storm came through. In the past autumn, I had a huge burning bush removed that was next to where the pine had been, so I expanded the wildflower garden, added a stone walk in the middle, and also choose to move the Cassia and some sages and Allium to also fill in. I cannot believe how great the garden has done!!! It has also doubled the amount of honey and bumble bees visiting and now attracting butterflies. Some of the wildflowers have gotten taller then I! When I'm down there dead heading, the bees don't even seem to bother me. The garden has a number of things. Aster, Daisies, Bee Balms, two kinds of coneflower, Borage, poppies, Hollyhock, Cosmos, Dalhia, Zinnia, Black-Eyed Susan, baby breath, Sulphur Cosmo, Mexican Sunflower, ( which at this point is almost as tall as me now) Oakland Mariposa Lily, Butterfly weed, Queen Anne Lace, White Campion, Sweet William and many others yet to bloom.

Double bumbles!

Mind you, this was just the wildflower garden at the end of May...

And then as two weeks ago!