Late Summer in the Gardens

Late Summer in the Gardens

When we moved in into our home, there was a lilac in the yard. We have been here eight years and the gardens continue to spread and grow. One of many hydrangea bushes scattered about.

A close up of the hydragenda blossom

This butterfly plant was grown from seeds I started in the greenhouse. It is blooming just before the Monarchs are due for arrival.

These lovely anemone spread and threatened to take over the yard. They have been contained this year and a large beetle has been loving the leaves.

I must have planted six packages of nasturium seeds everywhere. Some bloomed and some didn't. These seeds came from Hudson Valley Seeds.

A geranium which usually blooms in early spring but came up a few weeks ago.

I cast these cleome seeds all over the yard. They have come up in the most interesting places.

I found this flower bulb discounted at the grocery store in Big Stone Gap.

                 These seeds I found at Millmont Garden Center in Stuarts Draft, Virginia.

My most successful flower seeds: snap dragons. I grew so many of these that I donated them to the Norton Elementary School farmer's market in May.

Scarlet runner beans are grown for the hummingbirds. These beans can grow ten feet!

Entrance to the green house is covered with these black eyed susans. They are in several gardens especially near the front of the house growing up through the moss.

Cuttings of lavender that are three months old! I simply snipped leaves from plants. I put the ends in a rooting hormone. I placed them in a seed growing mixture in the greenhouse. They continue to grow.

                         This beauty came up from a seed mixture and is two years old.

Spider plant or cleome growing in between the angel trumpet.

One of my grandaughter's favorite plants, she calls them poppers. When they go to seed, you touch the seed pod and they fly everywhere.

Summer Flowers in the Garden

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Been awhile since I have done any blog posts...The summer garden is filled with colors. The glads are continuing to bloom in radiant colors this summer.

                                          Don't you like this sweet little red yarrow flower?

                              This perrenial is quite tall and seems to blow in the wind.

A few of the many daylilies in the garden and this one came from the farmer's market.

Quite a few lilies came from the gardens of the Southwest Virginia Museum plant sale.

White lavender just waiting to be harvested. Lavender seems to thrive in rock filled soil here.

              St. John's Wort is flowering and cascades about five feet down a garden slope.

I believe this is a hummingbird moth. Took the photo pretty quickly to capture the moth.

      One of the many hydrangeas blooming in the yard. It is a very large blue blossom~!

                               I call this the hummingbird vine. It must be a cousin to kudzu.

View from a small portion of the garden off the deck in the back yard. The sunflower is a volunteer from the bird feeders above.

                                      The deep rich colors of summer really brighten up the gardens.

Flowers in the Gardens

 My grandmother called these snowball bushes. She had one of the most beautiful gardens I can ever remember exploring. She outlined all her flower beds with rocks and stones she collected from trips with my grandfather. I spent hours waiting for faeries to arrive at twilight in her garden. Why? My grandfather told faery stories always mentioning twilight. I got into trouble climbing on top of our house when I was little. I did not go alone, my little sister was right up there with me. We were waiting for Peter Pan to take us to faeryland.

 Angel's trumpet is such a large magnificent white flower. I held up her head as she is somewhat like the day lilies not open for very long.

 It is so very hot outside. The grass shows the intensity of the sun. The lavender are especially bountiful this year. This plant has already been picked once. New flowers are forming already. Going to be a lavender summer!

 I just had to share this with you! My very first ever butterfly plant that is blooming. I am so excited about this. I bought the plant last year at the Asheville, North Carolina farmer's market. It does attract butterflies and other flying critters. Growing up, I remember seeing these plants along side the Mississippi roads leading to the farm. They are a butterfly magnet.

 Sharing a view of the yard from the lower deck of the house. These hostas were given to me last year. We planted them at the base of the deck. This cuts down on the yard mowing of such a steep yard. I interplanted creeping thyme among the hostas. The bush is a butterfly bush and there is one on the other side. There are several in the front yard. Blossoms are set but not yet blooming.

 Here is a view of the  edge of the yard. Those trees are really tall. When the wind comes whippety tucking through the mountain valley, they sway to and fro. You have to see it to believe it!

Nasturtiums and peas in the raised garden bed. We have been eating a nasturtium flower with our salad lately. The fresh picked peas still have a bit of sunshine on them as they come to the table. It is so beautiful here in the mountains this time of year. Tomorrow is the first Farmer's Market in Big Stone Gap. Tuesday will be the first official Farmer's Market in Norton. I will be there from 4 - 7 selling jewelry, paper, and bunches of lavender!

Lavender and Red Bird

 The weather has been going from 60 in the morning to almost 90 in the afternoon. I put on sunscreen, a hat, and took a basket out to pick the lavender. All the plants are just loaded with flowers this year. I cut about half and left the rest due to the heat.

 I had the camera in hand when I saw the baby downy woodpecker on the deck. I hid around the corner and thought I could capture a photo. Right when the camera clicked a cardinal flew down. The baby and the parent downy woodpeckers are right next to the suet feeder. The white pole holds the feeders for the goldfinches.

What to do with lavender? I make bunches of the flowers and hang them upside down to dry. I will make sleep pillows out of these lovely bunches. The photo is taken in the studio with a piece of fused glass on top of a piece of watercolor paper that has at least six layers of paint on it.
Right now the kiln is fusing a rather large slumped glass piece made from rainbow dichroic glass and confetti glass. Each day in the mountains is a wonder.