While waiting on the rain...

We enjoyed some beautiful rain yesterday afternoon, and it's threatening to storm in our area again today.  It will be most welcome, as it's too hot to even go outside to water pots.  I did go out this morning for a while, deadheaded some roses, fertilized a few things.  There's always something to do in the garden, but isn't that why most of us have gardens?  When it gets too hot,  I can always slip into my garden shed and get a respite from the heat.  Love to sit in there and update my calendar of 'things to do', and plan things to come.  Trying to decide where I can place a potting bench that will be shaded and have access to water.  Something else to see if my 'builder of all things' will let me add to his ever-growing list.


My area is the small building on the right.

Come in, see my space.

A cabinet my Honey made me back when I was loving everything country.  Now it stores fertilizers and such.



Enamel top table.  The 'furniture' in here is all old, found or homemade.

More good storage in another old cabinet that remains from my antiquing days.

Dragonfly lights, of course.



We have lots of birdhouses in the garden, several occupied at the time.  Wrens, Bluebirds, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Chickadee, and Flycatchers use the houses, but the other birds prefer the bushes and trees.  A few of  the houses...





My Honey built  the houses , all of them out of scrap wood.  Painting was my job.

Bluebird feeding little ones.

One more... then it's time to go out and water a few things.  The rain missed us today. If you need rain, I hope it found your garden.



Passing Along Memories...

Daylilies have always been among the pass along plants of the south.  My yellows, which I think are 'lemon' daylilies, have moved with me twice over the last 40 years.  They came to me by way of a co-worker not long after my Honey and I were married.   Most of my other lilies have been with me 20+ years.  I prefer the older, taller lilies over the hybrids, even though they sometimes need dividing every three years or so.  I don't know of many other plants that give so much for so little, neglect them and they still show up.  Feed and water them, they'll thrive.  Here are some of mine that are blooming now...







'Kwanso' double.



'Lemon' daylily.



Sometimes called 'Tawny' or 'Ditch Lily'.

Far as I know, this is 'Challenger'.

Not sure of this ones' name, but it's a very good lily in my garden.

Don't love this one, but guess I don't hate it either,  Pandora's Box.



Some of them roaming around together.

I'm crazy for the oranges!

Lilies and Agapanthus by the road.

Again.



I, like most of you, have memories connected to my plants.  The Crinum Lily below, not a daylily, but a good pass along plant, came from a sister-in-law.   Always a giver, when I admired her plant one day, she grabbed a shovel and immediately set about digging me up a piece.  If you've ever separated a full grown crinum, you know that's not an easy task.  My Honey  stepped in and dug me out a few good bulbs and he's  been separating it ever since for the past 15 years that it's been in our garden.   My sister-in-law, now deceased, is so often brought to mind when I see this crinum. 

This, that and the other.

The veggies are looking good, considering we've been in the 90s so many days, with so little rain.

 

Okra's doing well.

Beauregard sweet potatoes are vining.



Started a little late, but they'll catch up.

Beans are blooming.

Tomatoes are yielding real well...



Today I also found a few new blooms and buds around the garden. That's the good part of gardening, the reward.

First Crinum Lily bud...anticipation.

Gladioli

Toad Lily

I also found some off-color Gloriosas today, probably just some different pH levels in areas of the garden.


A vine of red and white.

Yellow and orange.



Typical red and yellow.

I've shared the this and that, this must be the other.



Pot of Purple Queen and Calibrachoa hiding one of the dogwood stumps that were removed this winter.

Sentimental Garden Journey

Have you ever taken a trip down memory lane and kind of wished you hadn't?  After going through some old garden photos, I was somewhat bummed out, o.k., a lot bummed out.   Ten years ago the busyness of life caused a slow down, a detour if you will, in my gardens progress.  At the same time, other changes out of my control also transformed my garden space.  Two old Live Oaks, too close to the house, were removed.   Later that year, some nasty winds uprooted several Old Garden Roses and a Drake Elm.  It was about that time that I began downsizing the gardens, trying to get them to a less time consuming size.  A year later, we removed some of the garden space and installed sod.  I know, what was I thinking?!!!  Still, so grateful for what I have and looking forward to what my gardens will be ten years from now.  Here are some pictures of then and now.



Then... the two Live Oaks that were removed ten years ago.



Now... so barren, but the new roses will make a beautiful garden by fall.



Then



Now





Ten years ago...many more roses than now.

Then... garden was fuller, wilder.



Then... the beginnings of our Confederate  Jasmine vine, so, there are some improvements.

Jasmine vine today.

Then...my shade gardens were overtaken by fern, not much to look at.

Now

Now...yes, I  think all the shade gardens are improved.

Now

Now, but this is on my list for a change.



Now



Then... last picture, but first in Grandma's heart, my grandson playing in the lilies.


















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