Monday, July 10, 2017

Sweet Summertime

To me, summertime is always something to be savored. I just can't get enough of the outdoors when the weather is fine, and often spend many hours outside just taking it all in. I love the little haven that I have created for nature's creatures. As long as I have my camera by my side, I'm happy. I especially adore the butterflies that show up here. I seem to have an eye tuned right to their fluttering wings. Even when I'm inside the kitchen, my peripheral vision will notice them outside. At the end of my photos below, I've included a non butterfly visitor who fascinated me, called a Golden Tortoise beetle.







Of course I do enjoy my bird friends also. I'm not a really serious bird feeder though, I only give nyjer seeds to the finches and nectar for hummingbirds. Still, I've provided enough other necessities to keep them close at hand, with a birdbath, birdhouse, edible plantings, and cover. I especially enjoy the hummingbird that shows up in the evenings. We've affectionately named him Petey, year after year, it's always Petey.






The flowers that surround me make me happy even when there are no visitors about. They just make me smile.







I especially enjoy filling colorful containers around my patio. One day I looked down at the patio from the door, and realized that I had about every bright color represented. Perfect!







We've had pretty even weather this summer, not too hot, not too dry. We usually go through spells of very dry weather in the summer, but we've had some good rains lately. As a gardener, rainy days always make me happy. Maybe it makes me happy because it keeps me from having to do the dreaded garden hose rodeo. But it definitely makes my plants and lawn happy.






Not all of the garden sweet spots come from nature. I do have bits of garden art that also contribute to my smiles. The bottle tree is new. I had blue wine bottles on rebar stakes stuck into the ground, but I decided I wanted the real thing.





So pardon me while I savor a bit more of summer. Yesterday was so perfect that I quite literally spent the entire afternoon under the patio umbrella with a good book. Oh I occasionally picked up my camera, of course. But mostly I was just enjoying sweet summertime. You should too.







8 comments:

  1. Color Color Color Everywhere !!!! Isn't summer grand? That is one odd beetle. Ah coneflowers and phlox...mine are buried here and there. You have a very tidy lot of flowers. The birdhouse reminds me of mine, getting a little weathered but still charming. Must see if Karley Rose grass will grow here, of course finding a sunnyish spot might be hard to do.

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    1. I wouldn't call my flower beds tidy in any way, more like a jungle! My birdhouse does get quite weathered before it gets replaced. I'm not really into the shabby look, but it does make charming photos like this.

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  2. Stunning photos, beautiful gardens. What is the plant in the last two photos...with the white, round spikey blooms? I've never seen that one!

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    1. It's called button bush, and this variety is supposedly smaller called Sugar Shack. But it's still pretty big! I just love those button flowers and so do all the pollinators.

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  3. Hi Robin, your July garden looks wonderful. I enjoyed all the wildlife photos, especially Petey and the dove in the birdbath. Your button bush is quite striking. Treasure your sweet summer!

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    1. I get a kick out of the fact that doves have pink feet! I only noticed from my photos of them.

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  4. Stunning pictures of your beautiful July garden, Robin. My summer has been hectic so far, but starting tomorrow I'm taking your advice, slowing down, and enjoying the 'sweet summertime.' P. x

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    1. It's always a good idea to slow down and actually enjoy summer. It just doesn't last long enough!

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