Not me, particularly. .
but some of the things blooming right now mustn't mind it too much!
The last two weeks have been above 100 degrees daily, with winds blowing 15-30mph nearly daily. .and often at night.
Those conditions make everything ragged and tired looking. .
but, alas. .
there are still new things blooming. .with promises of even more new blooms to come!
The area near the waterfall reservoir is looking better each day. The iceplant (short purple plant on the right) has been blooming it's head off for over a month now. I love the electric purple!
This annual salvia seeded itself from last year. A friend from work told me to expect that. .and I was excited because it was so pretty last year. .the only problem was. .that last year it was red. .pretty flowers, but clashed ferociously with the electric pink ice plant. I noticed as I took the photos, that the plants don't seem to be red this year, but a hot pink. .which contrasts nicely to the iceplant! Great!! In the fall, I may try to catch the seeds before they fall, and reseed them in my memory garden.
Speaking of the memory garden, a few of the zinnia seeds I scattered there are blooming. I only uncovered a few patches to plant annuals in, as I am trying to improve the soil and kill weeds this season. I have tried to grow moon flowers for years now, with very limited success. .My friend GonSS shared some seed with me, and I was T-H-R-I-L-L-E-D to see that 2 little plants have come up (they are the grayish plants behind the zinnias). .and one has a flower bud on it. Meaning. .if I can keep these two plants alive the remainder of the summer. .there is a decent chance that they will establish themselves in this little area for years to come. .if you have never smelled a moon flower in the evening. .you are missing out!!
The trumpet vine is finally growing. This little guy has sat, neglected for years. .not dying, but never really growing either. .I decided last year that I really wanted more action out of this bush. .so I purposely gave it a little care. .and it bloomed. This year, with some extra water, it seems to be really taking off. One of the projects that I would like Jeremy to help me with is making a rustic cedar post trellis. .a very sturdy one. .made to last decades. .so we can train the vine onto it. .creating a nice living, blooming screen.
A few four o'clocks are starting to bloom. .these are a great place to watch sphinx moths in the evenings!!
I still have sunflowers EVERYWHERE. .some are the nice red color, and others are just plain 'ole yeller, like these. .This one came up next to one of the butterfly bushes. I like the extra pops of color!
This was the orange butterfly weed that I showed a month ago or so. .something munched all it's leaves off. .but I noticed that the leaves are coming back on full force, and it will bloom again soon. The other new butterfly weed plants seem to be establishing themselves well. .so I look for them to bloom next year too!
Little red spider zinnias readily self-seeded this spring. They are quite dainty. .and would have made a cute little July fourth bouquet. .if I hadn't been too hot to go out and snip them!
Western ironweed from High country garden is blooming this week near the pond. .
Right next to the gray headed coneflowers. Both are native. .and seem to like their spots in the garden. This one has gotten quite tall, nearly 4 feet. I am hoping to do some manual reseeding of these in the fall too!
Here's another baby that we found about a month ago. .See his wide eyes. .it was just before he scattered under the bush. He was thinking. ."AHHH, there is the curled headed one that is always trying to catch me!!" They are W-I-L-D things. .This one, when you can see it from the other side, is very odd looking. .like a skunk. .but not quite. It will be fun to see what it looks like when it gets big!
The denver daisies are blooming. .and so far, showing off better than the ones I had last year! The pony tail grass next to it is invading the space. .and may need to be relocated in the fall.
The zuni crapemyrtle is blooming. .but some creature is spinning webs around all the flowers. .so I will mix up my neem oil and slick 'em down to see if it will help. They didn't die back last winter. .so I was excited about their height this year.
My garlic harvest is drying on the picnic table on the deck. I thought they were dry last week and put them in a plastic sack until I could deal with 'em. When I retrieved a bulb to put in the rib glaze on the 4th, I noticed that it was getting musty. .so back outside they went to dry some more. I hope they will be alright.
My final picture is of the stone planter. .It has evolved so nicely. .and I'm pretty excited by it! All the plants seem to like their setting. .and hopefully, I won't need to replant it next spring, as most of them are perennials.
Still hot. .
No rain. .
BUT. .
Chances of rain, and cooler temps are slated for the near future. .we'll take whatever we can get!
Have a blessed Lord's Day!!
