“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Ephesians 5:2
Hello lovely friends. By now, you all know that I am quite passionate about gardening…even though I am still a novice! It has become one of my favorite hobbies, and I learn something new by trial and error everyday! I am doing my best to keep a gardening journal of the things I’ve learned so I don’t have to rely just on memory. This summer has been hot, but so far we haven’t climbed into the triple digits which I am thankful for! We haven’t had much rain up until Tuesday…and boy did we get some rain! In twelve hours, we received four inches! I am pretty sure we can let the sprinklers rest for a while! Whether it’s dry or wet, hot or cool, there is one thing that is for sure…the backyard is my favorite place to be in the summertime. And guess what? Weeding isn’t even that bad when you are doing it for the love of gardening!
I always enjoy taking you for a little walk through our garden, and today we will be doing just that!
Just a reminder, I will be hosting the Gardens Galore Link Party on Monday at 7:00 a.m. central time. I hope to see you all there!
To see more of our garden, click here!
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Many of you have asked about the center of our garden. It is two tiers, with the lower tier filled with soft touch hollies and annuals. The top tier, which has the bronze statue in the center, has white thrift that blooms in early spring. I am thinking I might replace it. I took this photo from the dining area of the garden looking toward the carport. The hydrangeas are vanilla-strawberry. In the foreground is an annual grass called purple fountain that Butch planted in an urn.
The Eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies flit between the vinca and the zinnias. I am seeing more of these than ever before.
The limelights have almost taken over the rusty garden ornament. If you pay close attention you can see the difference between the limelights and the pink tinged vanilla-strawberry hydrangeas.
The back of the garden is kept separate from the pasture by the fence that My Renaissance Man installed the summer that the garden was planted. I can’t believe it was 2015, seems like yesterday. Is that a sign of getting older?
Limelights are easy to maintain!
A little different view!
Oh how I love sunflowers! We have planted them for the last four years. The first year was our most successful when we bought seed at a garden shop in the Texas Hill Country. We have planted in two different locations, directly behind the garden and on the side where we normally have a vegetable garden.
Our blooms have been beautiful this year, as large as a dinner plate. For once, Butch followed the directions on the seed packet and spaced them according to what was suggested. They came up too far apart and a little sparse. Next year he will return to his way, which has been more successful. Also, our pesky deer munched on several of the young tender plants. Battling the deer is an ongoing fight for most gardeners.
I enjoyed chasing the butterflies to get a photo!
There are always so many who ask about the grasses. There are only three Adagio Maiden grasses planted, but they get really large. Renaissance Man, aka the main gardener, cuts them back almost to the ground every February.
Since I feature the garden so often, I am trying to get creative in different shots. Most people think from the photos our garden is really large, but it isn’t. It does feel rather large when I am weeding!
A mandevilla in the rear corner offers pretty pink flowers that the hummingbirds and the hummingbird clearwing moths love!
Limelights are perfect for arrangements and they dry beautifully!
Butterflies are welcome guests in our garden as well as bees!
I never tire of this view. There is a lot of sweat equity that has been invested!
I hope to see all of our garden enthusiasts on Monday!
Thank you sweet readers, you all are the best. I love reading your comments, they make my day!
Be sure to come back tomorrow as Shirley, Lidy, Mary and I share some floral therapy. One of my favorite flowers will be our feature!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes,, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, French Country Cottage, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Katherines Corner,Petit Haus, Follow The Yellow Brick Home, Vintage Mama’s Cottage, Marilyn’s Treats Eclectic Red Barn, Share Your Cup, Love Of Home, My Soulful Home, Celebrating Everyday Life, Little Farmstead, Starfish Cottage, Rustic & Refined,The Freckled Rose, Life and Linda, DIY 180, Celebrate & Decorate, Sweet Sensations, The Dedicated House, Shabby Fufu, Designthusiasm, Imparting Grace, Calypso in the Country
Your garden is very lovely, kudos to both of you.
Thank you Cath!
Oh thank you Pam, just what I needed this morning, a walk through your gorgeous garden! And no, I don’t believe you are a novice!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna!
Oh what a lovely stroll through your garden this morning. The birds were singing, the hummingbirds were busy and a butterfly was spotted. What a lovely morning!
Thank you Nancy, sounds perfect except we are getting lots of rain!
Hope it slows down for you.
I love this time of year when we can more enjoy the fruits of our labors without as much toiling. Your garden is outstanding, Pam & Butch. We’ve had unusually high amounts of rain all this past week, and it’s in our 15 day foreseeable future. We’ve been trying to get trees cut on our riverbank from June storms and it’s just been too wet for the guys! It’s great for growing grass – like spring!
Thank you so much Rita. It seems that the south and up the east coast is getting plenty of rain. Hopefully you can finish up clearing your riverbank before too long.
I hear you on the sweat equity Pam, your garden is beautiful and dripping with it! 😉 I’m loving all those butterfly shots in particular. Thank you for the serene and wonderful start to my morning. See you tomorrow. ♥
Thank you Mary, see you tomorrow!❤️
Your garden is so pretty! Since we just built this new home and moved in last October, we have been planting and planning. Hopefully in a year or two our garden will look as colorful as yours!
Thank you Penny. As you know it is hard work, but incredibly satisfying!
I never tire of seeing your heavenly garden…Thanks for sharing!Have a lovely day!
Thank you Maristella!
Pam, I so love your garden and am always thrilled to come for a stroll. It was interesting to read about Butch planting the sunflowers according to the package directions. When we lived in Va. we had an elderly neighbor who was my gardening buddy and dear friend. He taught me to plant seeds thick and not far apart. He said they would come up lush and support each other – he was correct. However, if your sunflowers didn’t come up the way you most enjoy them, they are still gorgeous. I so love all the photos of the butterflies. They need to go in your book. I try and keep a garden journal also, mainly as a reference for when things bloom. I can tell a great deal about the weather through the years.
You and Butch have created a great deal of beauty, thanks so much for sharing with all of us. You both are great inspiration!
Thank you Sandra. Butch has always planted thick and not far apart. I am not sure what made him go by the planting suggestions on the package. If it isn’t broken, no need to fix it is my motto. I know your gardening journal is full of wonderful details and beauty. Happy Thursday sweet friend!
Your garden is beautiful Pam. Oh yes, it has been so hot here and we’ve had so much rain as well. The rain has only made things so humid though. I love the sunflowers. I always plant sunflowers around August so that by Oct-Thanksgiving I can have enjoy them. I hope that you have a wonderful day. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Thank you dearest Cindy. Have a lovely day sweet friend!
Oh Pam, you may think you are a novice, but your garden tells a different story! Your garden is so gorgeous, I really love all of the photos you share. I have very tiny corner on the side of my yard that I planted when we first moved in three years ago, but I am really excited that our next project is the backyard and I will finally get to have a real flower garden!
Thank you so much Chloe. You will have so much fun planning and planting! Happy Thursday!
Your gardens are stunning! I know there’s sweat equity and lots of money out there but it’s such a blessing to have that view and you are providing a habitat for so many creatures.
Thank you Stacey, happy weekend!
That large yellow bush by the limelights is especially beautiful. It provides a wonderful and colorful backdrop to so much. And I love the sunflowers and all the pink prettiness. What a glorious butterfly. All beautiful. That’s a ton of hard work. Kudos to you for that.
Thank you dear Jeanie, happy weekend!
Wow, your garden is gorgeous! I can’t decide which is my favorite. The hydrangeas are stunning and the annuals that draw the butterflies are beautiful. Oh and the sunflowers make me happy… Looking forward to Monday. Happy gardening!
Look forward to seeing you on Monday! Have a great weekend!
Thanks for the stroll through your garden this morning. So peaceful.
Thanks for joining me Alice!
I always enjoy your gardens. I don’t think of you as a novice at all! Love the vinca- I like how large your planting of them has become and the butterfly on the zinnia was a wonderful capture! I’ve got company coming for next week and I’m not sure if I can hook up to the party but I’ll try!
Thank you Liz, hopefully you can make the party!
Incredibly beautiful. Thanks for sharing! It’s a cool summer day here in Wisconsin, so I plan to put a little sweat equity of my own into reworking my own front garden a bit.
Thank you for your sweet visit!
Pam, looking forward to your Garden Party Monday and Floral Friday tomorrow.
You have met your goal of getting creative with photographing your garden to get different shots. I give you an “A+”!
We are getting lots of rest at the beach since it is raining! I’ve already read one book and have started another. The porch is great for reading and I have a beach view from my bedroom. I could get used to this.
Thank you Bonnie. I hope your vacation was restful. Happy Sunday!
My dear friend, today you mean summer (August) 2015. Do you know that at that precise moment it is when I found you through these cybernetic worlds?
We met on August 25, 2015 and that has given me the opportunity to enter your garden, your home, your life … and meet you as if we met in person every day.
You are my friends, you and Butch because they have entered my life like me in theirs and we are already united by many pleasant and less pleasant events, but that’s life …
Her garden is wonderful because, in addition to her beauty, she has been creating it day by day with her effort and love, which is how things should be done.
On Monday August 7 I will go to “rest” (with my grandchildren is almost impossible) with my daughter Leticia who lives in Granada and also to the beach. I have to rest, I’ve had a lot of work this year with my houses for rent and I need to rest, but we will not lose communication.
Dolores
Querida Dolores, qué bendición cuando nos conectamos hace tres años. Tienes un maravilloso recuerdo para recordar la fecha. Has bendecido nuestras vidas con tu amistad. Creo que tienes un próximo cumpleaños, feliz cumpleaños para ti. ¡Espero que descanse mucho y disfrute el tiempo con su familia! Bendiciones y abrazos, Pam y Butch
Pam I love to see your beautiful garden and flowers! We live on a cotton farm in West Texas and have had no rain to speak of all summer! So gardening is a challenge! Just count your blessings when it rains!
Thank you Polly. I love to see cotton fields. Yes, rain is a good thing!
I never tire of taking a tour of your gorgeous garden! Everything always looks beautiful! Can you believe we never hit 90 yesterday here in Oklahoma? We went from triple digits to 80 degree temps. It is crazy, but I’ll take it. Maybe an early fall is coming. I can’t wait for Floral Friday and Gardens Galore! Enjoy the rest of your week sweet friend!!!
Thank you Shannon. Enjoy your cooler weather!
Your garden is so beautiful. I wish my thumb was as green as yours!
Thank you Deborah! Happy weekend!
I love the walk through the garden- such beautiful flowers…the work of a patient and hard-working gardener!
I love the up close butterfly shots…
I am hoping I will get that guided walk through the Richardson Gardens one day! ????????????
Thank you sweet friend!
Your photos are stunning Pam, you have inspired me for my post this week! Although our garden isn’t in huge blooms, as we are in winter…♥
Jennifer
Thank you Jennifer. Have a wonderful week.
Welcome. Beautiful garden. I love garden.I invite you to my blog.Bea
Thank you, Bea. I enjoyed visiting your blog!
I love your pictures. Your Hydrangeas are making my heart pitter patter. I’ll be planting Hydrangeas this fall. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for visiting Rhonda!
Always a treat to visit your gardens, but especially so when ours is so stressed in the summer. Happy Sunday!
Thank you Sarah!
Your garden is just beautiful! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home.
Thank you Sherry!