Sunday, June 26, 2011

'Blue Billows' lacecap hydrangea is in full bloom in my garden by the sound

And here is my 'Blue Billows', the most classic lacecap and the one I've seen in drifts all over New England.

My 'Endless Summer' hydrangea...I wish these blooms were endless

Endless Summer hydrangea in all it's glory in our garden by the sound. This is my favorite time in a garden with hydrangeas. Who couldn't smile looking at these flowers?

More views of the hydrangea in my garden by the patio. Aaaahhhh.....

New and fun Coneflowers coming into bloom in my gardens this weekend

These are my newest coneflowers. One is 'Pink Double Delight' and the other one is 'Milkshake' (I think!).  It's been a while since I planted them so can't remember! It'll be fun to see what color that one is - 'Milkshake' is a fluffy double white one.  I still want 'Green Envy' but haven't seen it yet.

Southern sunflowers finally growing and blooming in our Connecticut garden!





My son brought these sunflower seedlings all the way from NC and they are finally blooming. With the wet and cool spring we had, we didn't think they'd ever grow. These plants, and some tomato, coleus, marigold and pepper seedlings, were grown by Mark's aunt from seed. It's so fun for us to see them thrive in our gardens.  It just took a while!Yesterday in my garden by the sound.  These lilies and hydrangeas are in my patio garden. This is the time I love best in my gardens.  Everything is still fresh and new.

My patio garden bursts into full bloom in the last few days



Yesterday in my garden by the sound.  These lilies and hydrangeas are in my patio garden. This is the time I love best in my gardens.  Everything is still fresh and new.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The scent of honeysuckle stops me in my tracks

I smelled the unmistakable scent of summer one morning last week as I walked past this honeysuckle.  This scent, more than any other, takes me right back to the long and hot summers of my childhood in Georgia...laying in the warm grass, barefoot, pulling the nectar loaded pistils out one by one, sucking down their incredible sweetness.  Little did I know was stealing lunch from some poor starving bee...

Foxgloves, catmint and peonies in my garden in June

My Foxgloves about two weeks ago. They were gorgeous and huge this year! This biennial never fails to fill me with delight!

Mark's succulents made it through our long, icy winter

These succulents  belong to my gardener son Mark.  We created these dish rock gardens together last spring after a visit to the New York Botanical Garden last April.  Mark especially Ioved the rock gardens there, which are massive and spectacular.  So we came home and shopped for special and cool succulents and other heat, arid loving plants and got busy creating our own miniature versions of what we had seen at the Garden.  We were both so thrilled and happy when almost everything came back this spring after our long, snowy winter.