August Flowers

One of the fun things about summer is the way the landscape is always changing. I took my camera into the backyard tonight to show you what's blooming now.

We have a row of Rose of Sharon bushes, and they are full of blooms. I especially like white ones with the dark burgundy center.

The phlox are just beautiful right now.

Our black eyed Susans have struggled with the dry weather. Still, they are a cheery sight!

The flowers on the hydrangea tree are smaller than usual, but there are a lot of them.

This is a globe thistle. They are a fun accent in the garden!

Flower shopping

My kids gave me a nice gift certificate to a nearby nursery for Mothers Day. I love walking through and looking at all those beautiful flowers! Here's what I ended up with for now.
I'll be going back with Bob to buy some perennials for the back yard.


A pretty welcome basket for the front porch.

I always get a fuschia to put by my front door. They do really well there and the hummingbirds love them!

Isn't this mixed basket pretty? I like the mixture of purple and yellow.

Thanks kids! I'll enjoy these all summer long!

Take time to smell the roses

I love flowers! It's so fun to wander around the yard and see what is in bloom. I thought I'd show you a few things in my yard.

This is the front walk. The glass globe was a gift to me from Aaron, Laura and Heather for Mother's Day this year. I really enjoy seeing it when I pull in the driveway.
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This bench sits near Bob's workshop in our side yard. He made the bench several years ago and it looks so inviting with the day lilies blooming.
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This is in our back yard. The climbing roses are really thriving, and I love seeing that color when I look out the window.
There is a quote that says; "The earth laughs in flowers".
I know that looking at flowers makes me smile!

*Disclaimer - I do not have a green thumb! These flowers are Bob's work. My only contribution is the input I offer when we buy them, and my admiration as they grow!

Everythings coming up roses, or something like that!

I love this time of year! It seems that almost daily new things are blooming. It's not too hot yet, so nothing is drying up or wilted. I thought I would take you on a little walk around our yard so you could see what is blooming right now.
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Lets start here by the front walk. This is a dwarf lilac. It blooms a little later that the regular lilac, but has the same color and wonderful smell as its larger relative. This year it is really full of blooms.
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As we walk around to the side yard, we see the bench Bob built a few years ago. There is always something blooming in this area and right now it is the Siberian iris. I love their bright purple splashes of color.
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We have a few different varieties of poppies. This one is an Icelandic poppy.
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And here is a regular version. It has such a bright hue!
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As we walk toward the back I have to show you this unusual bush. This is a flower from our Viburnum bush. The edges open up large and the center opens up later, but those flowers are very tiny.
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In our back yard we have this Cottoneaster. These look like they are filled with flower blossoms, but when you get close you can see that these are actually little berries.
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This is a Weigela bush. We have two of these, the other one has white and pink flowers.
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Yes - this is another Siberian iris. We have a bunch planted in the back. They add such nice color and even when the flowers are gone, their spikey green leaves add interest.
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Last, but not least are the peonies. We have several of them too and they will be opening soon. They are one of my favorite flowers, but they don't last long once they open.
I hope you enjoyed your tour and aren't sick of flower pictures!

Spring Flowers

I was in our local sub shop, where they have lots of different signs on the wall. One of them had some good advice so I thought I thought I would share it along with some pictures of the flowers that are blooming in our yard right now.

Don't hurry,

Don't worry,

and don't forget to

stop and smell the flowers!

I never promised you a rose garden - but I've got others!

There are more flowers blooming all the time! Before I show them to you I have to clarify something. I have received nice comments on "my" flowers and I have to remind you that they are more Bob's flower than mine. He is the gardener in the family. Sometimes I help pick them out and I may make a suggestion here and there, but he is the planner, the planter and the weeder! I am mainly the admirer and photographer! With that said - here are this weeks best blooms:

Remember the Gaillardia from a month ago? It's still blooming.
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This is called Veronica or Speedwell. It isn't a big plant but looks pretty growing in little clumps. It looks really nice in front of our yellow Stella D'oro lilies.
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This is a cherry yarrow. The leaves are feathery and this particular type has bright pinkish red flowers.
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We don't know the name of this flower. We got it from Karla and Diane a few years ago and have enjoyed those bright, cheerful flowers ever since.
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These lilies are growing out by Bob's workshop.
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This is called Dragon's Blood Sedum. It is a ground cover that is covered with these bright red flowers in the middle of summer.
I hope you aren't sick of looking at these. I love to admire them, as soon there will be snow where the flowers are now!

More flowers

This time of year it seems like something new is blooming every week. Here's some of the newest blooms in our gardens.

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This is an Oak Leaf Hydrangea. The flower heads aren't as ball shaped as regular hydrangea's and they flower for quite a while. This bush looks nice even in the winter, because the woody part of it has a nice shape. The branches and stems are very twisted, so are interesting to look at.
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The climbing roses on the arbor are starting to open up. We wish they would fill in more, but it's a start!
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Here's a closeup of those roses. Aren't they pretty?
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These are Stella D'oro day lilies. They flower for quite a while, and make this a cheery place to sit!

Flowers everywhere!

I love this time of year. There are new things blooming all the time. I thought I would show you a few of the flowers that are blooming in our back yard right now.

This is a flowering shrub, called Wine and Roses Weigela. You can see it's full size in the picture on the bottom of this post.
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This is called a Gaillardia or blanket flower. It's a perennial that flowers for most of the summer.
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These Siberian Iris are almost done blooming for the year. We have groupings of them in a few different spots and always enjoy them.
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Here are a few peonies. This white one shows up nicely in our shady flower bed.
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And - isn't this bright pink one pretty?
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Here's one corner of the back yard. You can see the Iris, Weigela and white peony here. It's so peaceful to look out the window and see the flowers blooming.
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"The earth laughs in flowers"
Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you want to see more flowers and gardens, stop over at The Preachers Wife. She is having a garden tour today.

More signs of Spring!

We are seeing more signs of Spring here in Michigan! The weather has been nice, our temperature made it to a little over 70 degrees on Friday!The leaves are starting to pop out on our bushes out front.

These little flowers are called Grecian Windflowers. They are grown from bulbs and come up every year. They are quite small but add a nice touch of color.

Here are the daffodils blooming along the side of the yard. They always seem so cheerful and do a great job of announcing that Spring is here!

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come!"
Song of Solomon 2:12