July Already ? ???

 

Well it seems a month has sped by in the hills. It was a month of break downs here and at my Moms. Seemed like whenever something leaked, clogged or broke it at her house it would happen here at ours.
From leaking water lines to leaking natural gas lines. To clogged up sewer and drain lines to broken water heaters and dry water wells. It was the month from hades. We’ve gotten mostly all back in working order all except getting Moms water well dug deeper. I love it here on top of these giant hills until we start digging water wells. Ours is 460 feet deep and Moms at only 400 feet needs to be dug deeper. So we are now waiting on a very busy well digger to do this final (I pray) chore.


Rhapsody Clematis

June was  a wet month here filled with a little rain most every day. The grass and weeds loved it but some of the flowers and the tomato plants not so much. Not complaining too much because I did not have to water the many plants but I have this eerie feeling that it will bite us back come August to go straight into a hot, dry desert instead of the tropical weather we are having now. It did show me that I would not do well in the tropics.

But the older established plants in the garden grew on despite what the weather threw at them.
The Yarrow plants handle dry and hot weather but  they seemed not to mind wet feet and are blooming beautifully. I am afraid the kids cannot see through the yarrow  in front of them. I think they need higher seating.

The many Astilbe plants were at their best in June.

The Bellflowers were happy with it all.



I ran to take pictures when sun did shine.

Campanula Alba Peach leaf is a spreader in my garden and I have been transplanting some of them into the woodland bed because they do not mind the shade.

 

The Columbines bloomed beautifully in June.

Rose Barlow aquilegia.

I was thrilled when I spied these native Foxgloves blooming in the woodland bed. Got to love free flowers that the birds bring into the garden.

The yellow perennial Foxgloves get bigger every year.

 

This Apple Blossom Geranium was started for me by Kathleen @ Kasey’s Korner, knowing that I had lost (or killed) mine. I was so excited when I got it  the mail. It started blooming in June.
Thanks again Kathleen.

Every year I find a new geranium to plant to add to my collection.
The new one this year is “Red Splash”. It has white petals giving way to a deep pink or red in the center and I just love it. It is planted in one window box with white euphorbia and red petunias.

Red Elphin Impatiens are in the shady Tipsy Pots this year with my little red wagon behind it. My Dad had built this wagon for me years ago and I have put it through so much gardening over the years. Will the back board broke from the bed this spring. My daughter got me a new wagon for Mothers Day but  I cannot let go of  the red one because Dad made it for me and he is no longer around and when I see it I always think of him so it sets in one of my garden beds. So it has been retired and I am thinking of moving it to a sunny spot and filling it with pots of flowers to get a few more years out of it.


Some butterflies did show up in June when the milk weed started blooming but still there are not as many as we had been getting before the aerial spraying for gypsy moths the last three years.

And finally as most of my old followers know I always have new kittens every spring that grow in my flowerbeds. This year there were 2 new ones, an all gray one and a black one with white paws are now growing and smashing down flowers where they try to hide. They had eaten their lunch and decided the feeding bowl was a great place to take a nap.

I hope you all are enjoying the summer and your gardens.

Blessings & Happy Gardening,

Lona