July Full Moon

Wasn't the full moon beautiful tonight? After an evening of heavy rain, it cooled off some and cleared enough to see this beauty.

A few more flowers...

An old, reliable day lily. Such pretty colors!

This is one of the new rose bushes I planted early in the spring this year. Not only is it beautiful, but it smells scrumptious!

New glad... and it's blooming facing the deck, backwards!

Summer Hibiscus

This is a perennial hibiscus. Several years ago, a young couple lived next to me. She had a beautiful plant that bloomed with red flowers that were bigger than my outstretched hand - and I don't have dainty little hands! When they were moving, I said to my dad, wonder if we could get some seeds from that to grow? He kind of shrugged me off... The next spring I found he had planted one on each side of my porch. Talk about a green thumb! Yes, I'd say my love for nature and the things outside came from him and my maternal grandmother. A couple of years later I said, I'd love to have a few of these along the deck... and yes, there are four of them there now. They are not as tall as the ones in front, and even they are not quite as tall as I remember the neighbors' being. I suppose with each generation it loses a little height, but certainly not its beauty!

These tightly closed buds will take a few weeks to mature.

A day or two before the buds burst, red begins to peek through.

The morning brings a wonderfully spread, shiny red flower.

The next morning the cycle is completed.

In the fall, the remains of the bloom pod will hold hundreds of little black seeds. They dry and drop, which I suppose is what brings the plants back year after year. Perhaps it is a reseeder instead of a perennial? My theory is not horticulturally proven, but seems logical to me!

By the way, the people who now live there completely removed the plant. I'm SO glad Dad decided to hear my suggestion... hum...who knows, he could have already had them started! Thank you, Daddy!

Garden Visitors

Someone recently mentioned that they loved dragonflies. I saw this one sitting in pose this evening, so I took Pixie in, grabbed the camera, and he was still there, waiting to be shared with the world.

I looked out toward the garden - remember the sweet little garden from earlier in the spring? There was another friend posing - a very hungry friend.

It was coming along so nicely - two rows of green beans filled with blooms, cucumbers in bloom... and then one evening sitting on the porch I saw a deer run across the yard (not in pose - dashing away). The next day I went out and ALL the green beans were gone - nothing but stems left - see below next to the tomatoes. Cucumbers, too. Never heard that animals liked them...but they do! I have been getting a few squash - zucchini and yellow, and the tomatoes are there, just not ripe yet, as is the corn - some as tall as me, but no tassels yet - or maybe the deer ate that, too!

See the nice, red South Carolina soil? It has rained at least some every day since Saturday. That's great - don't have to use the well to water. Since the tomatoes are kind of light/white, they should be getting ripe soon. Yummy!

Blue Moon of May

This isn't the greatest of photos, but it was a fantastic moon - the Blue Moon of May... When I noticed it shining through the tree leaves, I HAD to go inside for the camera. The way the clouds were surrounding it, allowing it's beautiful glow to reflect from them. Does the moon call to you? I LOVE the crescent moon, but sometimes a full moon just draws me in.

Artistic

Apparently I'm not the only one who is creative in this neighborhood... See what I found when I went out this morning? Evidently my yard wasn't the only target, just the most copious!! They left the rolls here, so they must've been easier to handle by the time they got this far.



You can also see that my poor gardenia is in sad shape from the Easter freeze!

Gardening

This evening I'm sharing a few photos of a few blooms around the house and my veggie garden. It's actually a small garden, but more than I'll need so I can share the bounty.

The roses were just beginning to bloom when I snapped this shot on Mother's Day, May 13.

This is the first time my Spanish dogwood bloomed. I planted it two (?) years ago.

This is the season's first 'red' peony - it's really bright pink. There are several more buds ready to pop!

Today the roses are in full bloom - such a deep wine red, and look almost like velvet. Is this the Knockout rose I hear so much about?

Here's my little veggie garden with tomatoes on the right. There was a sprinkle of rain late yesterday, but you can see that it's time to get the soaker hoses in place for this SC red soil.

then two rows of green beans...

two rows of corn... and squash on the left,

and then there are cucumbers. The ones on the end were plants, but the little seeded ones have just about caught up!

Spider Wort

Today is a drizzly day, and that's when the Spider Wort looks its prettiest!

After the Freeze

I thought all the plants around may be dead, but no, there are a few survivors!

The clematis have started blooming

Here's one that is barely open

And quite a few blooms ready to pop.

Can you see the little green coming back? Thought these Dianthus were gone for sure!

The peony has made her blooms, and even has a baby shoot off (right) this year. It even had an ant on it - I read someplace that they're necessary.

And even the hibiscus is already up... the red flowers will be bigger than palm size in a few weeks.

Spring Flowers

I've been outside blowing those beautiful Bradford pear blooms off the drive and feel sticky - it's 80+ degrees out this afternoon. Of course as my mom always says, watch out for that Easter snap! The old wives tales are more accurate than not because the prediction for Saturday night is 30`.

A few new blooms made the effort worthwhile, though. The first iris has bloomed, and the wisteria is beginning as well. Guess 30` will slow them back down over the weekend!

Full Moon

Tonight is the full moon - such a lovely sight!

From behind the clouds to fully exposed...

Spring Flowers

This Bleeding Heart is showing its beautiful color today. It was a gift from Mom last year, and I wondered if it would come back. The first is a little crocus - I think - may be some variety of tulip?? They have been there for several years, and this is the first time I have seen her bloom - there are a couple others there, too. Hope they will bloom as well.

Blue Birds

The Blue Birds have selected their home for the spring. They act as if they're incubating. I did see them both earlier, but couldn't get a shot of them together.

Spring

Today is the first day of spring - and spring fever has really taken hold of me. It has been a long time since I wanted to really work in my yard, but that's where I'd love to be now - but the mortgage has to be paid.
From a distance this red Dogwood looks like it's still winter, but look closer... see the first blooms?






As posted earlier, I planted some rose bushes. Hopefully there will be some pictures to come. There is one peony next to the deck (last year's photo under Home Outside label), and there were two others in a more shady spot, but they've had no flowers for a couple of years, so I moved them over with the one that did bloom. I put Dianthius in a pot on the deck steps, and several that need to be potted on the front porch. Oh, and the pear trees have bloomed, and it looks like snow falling when you walk out at first. Just beautiful. The plum trees had bloomed as well, but the frost earlier this week took it's toll on them - although there are a few that are still white.


The pansies are still looking pretty, even though spring is here and they don't typically like the warmer weather.





These trees are blooming for the first time - and I've been waiting for two years! They're Red Buds.






What else do I want to do? Well, in a couple of weeks it'll be time to work on the veggie garden. I could spend a good deal of time in the herb garden - once it was overtaken by oregano, but now it seems to be rosemary who wants to spread her wings!!

"Rosemary, the herb of remembrance, friendship and love, has been used as a medicinal and aromatic herb for thousands of years. In ancient Greece students wore it in their hair to improve memory. In the Middle Ages sprigs of rosemary were placed under pillows to ward off evil spirits. Rosemary was carried by brides to promote love and used in funerals to insure remembrance. It is said that if a rosemary bush grows vigorously in the garden, the woman is the head of the household."







Ah, yes - the ornamental Bradford pear trees are in full bloom now, and even though they don't smell the greatest, I think they're beautiful. When I walk out the door in the morning, it reminds me of snowfall... NO, I don't want that now, but it's just the glow they give.