July is filled with flowers, and I can't get enough. Let's take a walk through Robin's Nest, shall we?
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| Purple Prince lily |
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| Double pink impatiens |
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| Mystery sunflower |
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| Cut and Come Again zinnias |
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| At Last roses |
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| Blue Glory vine |
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| Sunny Knockout roses |
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| Coneflowers |
Be sure to stop and see the veggie garden, that's hubby's domain. We're eating lots of goodies from there this summer.
As you wander through the garden, check to see how the containers are faring since last month. Some have really filled in since then, while some look much the same. I give them organic fertilizer about every three weeks through the summer, and it really seems to help.
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| Mixed begonias |
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| Night Sky petunias |
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| Fireworks grass |
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| Rosebud caladium |
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| Sanvitalia |
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| Mezoo Trailing Red |
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| Lantana with coneflowers |
But seriously though, I never get enough of looking at flowers, especially if they're growing in my own garden. Let me show you what's over here on the other side of the house.
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| Liatris with Grandpa Ott morning glory |
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| Firelight hydrangea |
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| Picotee cosmos |
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| Black Eyed Susan |
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| Sunpatiens Pink Candy |
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| Bee balm with sleeping bee |
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| Strawberry Blonde marigolds |
Tired of looking at my flowers yet? I'm not! Let's keep going.
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| Mystery sunflower |
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| Sugar Shack button bush |
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| Pincushion flower |
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| Endless Summer hydrangea |
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| Green Twister coneflower |
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| Lantana |
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| Liatris |
One of my summertime favorites are the many zinnias that I grow. These were all started from seed, with varying success. I have issues with cutworms in the spring, and my zinnias are a favorite of theirs. Drives me crazy when they eat my seedlings! But these are the survivors. The Oklahoma Salmon variety have been a favorite for some years now, but this year, I'm especially fond of these yellow ones called Isabellina.
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| Isabellina zinnia |
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From Cut and Come Again zinnias
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| Cut and Come Again zinnias |
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| Cut and Come Again zinnias |
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| Cut and Come Again zinnias |
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| Cut and Come Again zinnias |
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| Queen Red Lime zinnias |
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| Luminosa Pink |
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| Oklahoma Salmon zinnias |
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| Thumbelina zinnias |
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| Green Envy zinnias |
I'm in the heart of monarch season now, do you want to see them? The eggs and caterpillars I showed you last month have all been released, and this is a new batch of "cats". Each release is given a name, and sent off with good wishes. They happened to be ready to go when the grandkids were here visiting, so they helped me send them off. I let them choose the names, of course.
As much as I love my monarchs, there are plenty of other butterflies and critters that call this place home. Keep your eyes peeled for them as we tour the garden.
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| Dogbane beetle |
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| Tiger Swallowtail |
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| Great Spangled fritillary |
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| Spring azure |
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| Red Admiral |
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| Clearwing hummingbird moth |
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| Pearl Crescent |
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| Cabbage White |
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| Nessus Sphinx moth |
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| Peck's Skipper |
Pardon my enthusiasm as we tour the garden, because I could talk about this stuff all day. There are just a few more spots I want to show you.
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| Liatris |
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| Bird planted sunflower |
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| Duchess of Albany clematis seed heads |
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| Girosa lilies |
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| Firelight hydrangea |
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Plumbago
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| Kobold liatris |
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| Cherry Cheesecake hibiscus |
Okay, I think we saw every flower in the place. But let me show you my little fairy garden, now that the grandkids have seen it. All three of them are represented below, of course. I also want to show you one cute thing in the kitchen. I put this little tiered tray in the middle of my island, and I decorate it seasonally. It's fun to decorate in this small way, without feeling the need to decorate the whole place.
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| Fairy Garden |
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| 4th of July tray |
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| Summer lemon tray |
I'm so glad you came by to see Robin's Nest, it was fun to give a July tour. If you stick around until evening, you might catch a beautiful sunset right from the front porch. We've had some good ones this month! Would love to see you back again at the end of August, I'm sure there will be new goodies to see. Thanks for stopping by!
