Summertime

The gardens are bursting with color. It is just my favorite time of year in the garden. We keep adding day lilies and they are starting to create an impact. This has been a good year in the gardens.

Harvesting my lavender. I love how it smells and I will have it all winter long.

Our sweet stray kitty. He is no longer a stray, but part of our family. He stays in more than out, sleeps at the end of the bed and is all round sweet.

Pumpkins are coming along.

 Look, my purple people eater has bloomed!! My friend Kari started these from seed. She is kind enough to share. I just love how beautiful they are.

 Now I want you to know I have taken a few days out of the garden to antique. It has been a much needed break, from work and home. These are a few of my new additions. I love each of these crocks. All found in different places. All unique and all in really good shape.

 Oh yes, this sweet basket too. Love her.

How does my garden grow?

I never seem to have time to post in the summer. Where am I you ask? In my Garden of course. Let me show you what is blooming now and what I have been up to.

 Notice the pesty red beetle? I have been dusting and spraying and now I pick them off as I find them. He went in a jar of soapy water when I finished taking the picture.

As you can see lots of day lilies. I just love them and have been buying them for years.

The roses and cone flower look pretty too.

 Then I have gone a made up a couple little fairy gardens...more to come too.

Happy Gardening all!

Join me for Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer.

Summer gardens

The foxglove are doing well this year as are my ferns and valerian...not so good for some others. Holes chewed in the leaves and I have sprayed hot pepper spray and insecticidal soap the good old sevin! I still have some buggers leaving holes in my leaves.

This is an old rose with the sweetest scent. It came from hubby's grandmother's yard 41 years ago. Notice the chewed leaves and I used  systemic granules also.

 I tried to get a good picture of Hobo, my stray kitty who now has a home with us. He is too busy looking for the chipmunks he knows are in the wall.

 The peonies have done well too. They are a favorite of mine. This one came from my Mom's home.

 This cinnamon fern is just stunning from all angles.

Rainy Day Projects and a bit of gardening

The weather is getting a bit better here and then after a couple nice days it gets cool again. YUK! I am weeding and cleaning up my perennial beds. Lots of thug plants being pulled out. I put a couple new iris' in and some spring color. This is my south side garden. I know we are thinking of re-shingling this side of the house and I want it done in the fall so my flowers don't get trampled. No matter how careful they are stuff happens.

While working out I had decided I needed a new potting bench and while both hubby and son promise to build me one I am guessing,(after a couple of years) I need to deal with it myself so I bought this.

On the rainy spring days it got put together, some caster wheels added to keep the dampness from rotting the wood. The a few coats of marine varnish and I wheeled it out here. I love my new potting bench. Not to fancy but just right for what I need. I got it in Christmas Tree Shop for $49.99 and then I had a $10 coupon so it was $39.99, The casters were about $18.00 and the varnish was $7.49. So for $65.48 I built this cute little bench. No power tools needed.

Then another rainy day when I had some appointments cancelled I was looking for a candle holder and realized I had candles and holders in about five different places. I gathered them all up. Went to my storage room under the kitchen and decided all the little kid things from when my grands were little could be donated and recycled and the game shelves would be perfect for my candle storage. So this is what I came up with.

There are many in use around the house, but I swear I am not buying another candle for a long, long time. I don't burn them like I used to and I was really surprised how many there were. The plastic boxes are full too. I threw out  a lot of burnt down candles and many were gifts, but really I have enough for the rest of my life. I used to be a huge Yankee candle fan and now I love soy candles and prim looking candles. I am starting to think it is time for these to go.....Next on my organizing list is going to be my gift wrap stuff. I may need a week and a huge trash can.