Hot July Days

I'm really pleased that my yard and flowers still have so much color in all of this heat.  It is a challenge to keep everything watered, but everything is still looking good.  These pictures were all taken this week.



Notice the pink Mandivilla on my front porch.



 

The Apricot Princess Roses have been blooming since early May.  They also smell fantastic.
  


This lovely Oleander plant was a gift from my friend Becky and her family when my father passed away in May. It is just now blooming.  It is on my front porch.



Our Arbor continues to be a favorte family gathering place in the evening or early mornings.
Great place for that first cup of coffee.







  

The Begonia and Fuschia are both on the Arbor.



The Patio at the back of our house continues to change each month. 



The yellow daisy-like flowers are Gaillardia (Blanket Flowers).  They really attract bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies.  They have been non-stop color since April. 
The picture below is a close-up of Starfire Garden Phlox.   





This pot of Salvia and yellow Superbells are on the steps to my back door.  They have been a real show stopper.



This is the other flower bed on my Patio.



Fun Garden Characters

There are 3 fun characters in my flower beds on the patio.  Chris Allen knows I like bumblebees so he wanted to get the boy bumblebee for me one day when Kristy and him were out shopping.  I loved it so much, they got the girl bee for me on my birthday.  Yesterday while shopping I found the cat. 



Flowers at the Front of my House

Much of what I have posted so far have been about my flowers on the patio or arbor.  The flowers at the front of the house are really looking lovely right now too.





Columbines look so Dainty

Several years ago my Mom gave me a Columbine.  I managed to keep it alive for a couple of years but then the grass and weeds won the battle.  Now that I have my raised flower beds, I have started collecting the many varieties and colors.  Here's what I have now and I hope to add a few more.

The Arbor is a Great Gathering Place

Several friends from Georgia stopped by on Saturday afternoon on their way back home from attending a jewelry party.  They loved our Arbor.  It was a great place to sit and watch Will and Lila playing in the yard.  This is our favorite outdoor sitting place when we have friends and family visiting. Thought I would post a few photos of the arbor.

Knock-Out Roses

I can't think of any flower or bush that has blooms over such a long period of time.  Knock-Outs sure give you a lot of bang for your buck.



My Peonies are Blooming!!

My peonies are blooming!  The first ones to bloom are always the white ones.  Then the pink and red follow in a few days.