Seeing red...

The bee balm is absolutely exploding with color...


We planted red and purple monarda last year (or was it the year before?)...


...and it has grown and multiplied beautifully...


... calling to all the little hummingbirds who might be flying overhead.

The red blooms first. The purple will bloom later.

They're doing pretty darn good despite the fact that they are sun lovers who live in the shade...

... of the mulberry tree, cherry tree, and hemlocks...

Our garden is still a major work-in-progress. We hope to put down some temporary bark mulch paths around the plants within the next week or two....

And hopefully I'll be able to snap a photo of a hummingbird at the bee balm to share with you some time soon!... Donna

The garden's end-of-summer blooms....

A while back I showed you photos of our purple butterfly bush... At that time, our white one hadn't yet bloomed (more than likely because it didn't get as much sun as the purple one)....


...but, as you can see, it has now started blooming...


It has beautiful little white blossoms with tiny yellow centers....


There were no butterflies when I went out to photograph it, but this busy little bee said he'd happily pose for photos...

The salvia has made a second comeback, although not nearly as profound as the first time it bloomed. But it still gives that little burst of color around the base of the birdhouse....

And the scarlet runner bean (whose flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds) are winding their way up the pole with reckless abandon.

The tall garden phlox are now in bloom, although once again, I am hampered by a lack of sun here in the backyard.

The alternative would be to cut down some of our trees, which I am absolutely not willing to do, so we will just settle for a mostly shade/partial sun backyard...

I finally got one photo that showed the true colors of the phlox - they are breathtaking!


My red monarda, which bloomed first, is on the way out....

....and now the pale lilac monarda are taking center stage.


For the first year after being planted, I'm pleased with how the flowers are doing. Not being a natural at gardening, it is definitely a hit or miss process for me so I'm sure I'll be tweaking and moving things around for years to come!

But not today... It's too bloody MUGGY out and Sammy and I would rather just relax and enjoy the garden, just as it is... After all, there are only a few weeks left before the crisper, cooler fall air makes its arrival!!

Wishing you all a relaxing end to your summers!!

COMMENT UPDATE: Lyn, Sammy was taking a siesta on the deck railing, but he looked up when he saw me at the slider with the camera. When the weather is this hot and muggy, all our Sammy's lay as flat as pancakes on railings or tree branches and their little hind legs look like frog legs!

COMMENT UPDATE #2: Hi Betty! I got my birdhouse in the summer of 2008 from The Christmas Tree Shop, a chain of stores here in the Northeast. I did not see any this summer, however... If you do a search on-line, there are lots of great birdhouses available so I bet you'll be able to find just what you're looking for!

Donna

Hummer and Butterfly Garden...

Most of the flowers and shrubs in our garden were chosen because they attract hummingbirds and butterflies...


I took advantage of a non-rainy day a couple of weeks ago to snap these photos of our 'work in progess' garden. The red bee balm (monarda) and purple butterfly bush are both thriving, their first year after being planted.



This mess, which I lovingly call "Roswell crater," is what we were left with after dismantling our old above-ground swimming pool a couple of summers ago. Doesn't it look like we were paid a visit by an alien spacecraft? Anyhow, this is the area where we've been planting our hummingbird and butterfly garden...


I have two types of bee balm - the red, that you see here, and a purple (which hadn't yet bloomed when these photos were taken).


The same holds true for my butterfly bushes. I planted a purple and a white. The purple was in bloom when these photos were taken, but the white had not yet bloomed.

This is by far one of the hummer's favorite flowers - crocosmia. It grows on tall sword-like foliage and is brilliant orangey-red... A beacon for any little hummer passing by.

I love the combination of red and purple in a garden...

When we were at Home Depot a couple of weeks ago they had all their bulbs marked way down so, as you can see, I took advantage and picked up many packages of crocosmia bulbs, which I'll plant this fall.

I don't consider this plant attractive at all... It's a red hot poker plant. But since it's a hummer favorite (and if you look closely you'll also see a bee on it), I planted it in the garden.

I did love how this particular red hot poker blossom looked somewhat neon in the foreground of this photo I took of my Mary garden statue.

The other photos showed perennials, but this is a photo of my Mandevilla vine, which I consider an annual. At least they are for me. I've never had one come back, so instead of planting them in the ground, I just plunk them down somewhere (in this case, in an old chippy chair that's missing its seat.) Again, these were put in the garden with the hummers in mind.

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day! No humidity and gorgeous outside, so I took advantage and snapped photos of some of my flowers that weren't in bloom when I took these several weeks ago - my white butterfly bush, the phlox, and the purple bee balm, so I'll share those photos soon!

Wishing you all sunny days (if you've been inundated with rain) or rainy days (if you're broiling under the hot summer sun!)....

Donna