“And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed.”
Genesis 2:8
Hello dear friends! It has been a sweltering week with heat indexes in the high 90’s and low 100’s. But we have had rain, so that has kept watering down to a minimum. I want to thank you all for the comments and memories that you shared about “seersucker” on Tuesdays tablescape. All of your stories were so enjoyable!
Our garden usually thrives in July with the limelights and vanilla strawberry hydrangeas in full bloom, as well as zinnias and sunflowers! Grab your hat, and may I suggest a tall glass of iced tea, and let’s take a walk through the garden!
“Gardening simply does not allow one to be mentally old, because too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized”
~Allan Armitage
Looking into the garden from behind the fence shows the tall vanilla strawberry hydrangeas and the smaller limelights along with sunshine ligustrum and adagio maiden grasses in the background. Butch prunes the hydrangeas way back every year and they have always thrived. However, the limelights have been slow this year.
The blooms on the vanilla strawberry hydrangeas are big and showy!
A view into the dining area of the garden with the limelight blooms in the blurred foreground.
Vanilla strawberry hydrangeas change from their beautiful vanilla color to a pale pink here in the Deep South. Further north they will give you a true strawberry color.
As the hydrangeas continue their bloom cycle they will almost take over the garden tuteur!
The “Arizona sun” blanket flowers were planted in a row of terra-cotta pots by our patio. They have bloomed non-stop and are a haven for bees and butterflies. The blanket flowers add so much color in front of a row of boxwoods!
My Renaissance Man added a little garden spot next to our driveway where our patio peach trees were. They had become diseased and had to be removed. He worked preparing the spot during the late spring. He planted zinnia seeds…
…and “Indian Summer” rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan)! The bright golden-yellow flowers with chocolate-black centers bloom from July through September. This photo was taken about a week ago and they are in full bloom now. I will show you in the next garden post!
Echoes of Mercy day lilies have finished their bloom season, I love their rich color!
A view looking from the side of the garden with zinnias and intensia (phlox hybrid) in the foreground and My Renaissance Man’s workshop in the background.
This shot shows the different textures and foliage colors from the dark green of hydrangea, to bright sunshine ligustrum, and the burgundy of the “bloodgood” Japanese maple!
“Indigo frost” agapanthus that have now finished blooming. We planted “ever midnight” that are about to bloom! They were in bloom when we bought them and they rebloom with multiple spikes of dark blue flowers, hopefully!
The garden fence has aged since Butch installed it in the summer of 2015 when the garden was established!
Aw…sunflowers!
We planted a mixture of seeds this year which has produced the dinner-plate size that are golden in color and small ones that are a brighter yellow!
The bronze statue (in its previous life it was a water fountain) is the focal point of the garden! Sioux crape myrtles with their coral pink flowers are in bloom, they definitely signal summer is here!
A view from the front of the garden. I am often asked about the grass which is zoysia, it is thick and feels like carpet under your feet. Another question is the upkeep of the grass around the stones…it is high maintenance. Butch uses his weed eater and trims about every two weeks. I love the look, but hindsight says pea gravel might have been easier!
Zinnias are like sunflowers, they are happy! I highly recommend planting seeds, they give a lot of bang for the buck!
We have a pair of white crape myrtles in front of the workshop… they bloom earlier than the pink ones.
I can’t believe there weren’t bees in this shot…they love these blooms!
“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.”
~Alfred Austin
Thank you for taking time to walk in the garden with me. Hopefully you didn’t get too hot. Wishing you a joy-filled day!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, A Stroll Thru Life, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home, Celebrate & Decorate, Me and My Captain, Shabby Fufu, Designthusiasm, Imparting Grace, Calypso in the Country
Walking through your garden is a beautiful beginning to my day. All of the color and texture there is a sight to behold. I didn’t know the proper name of the cone shaped hydrangea was strawberry vanilla. It doesn’t bloom here until a bit later.
Thank you for braving the heat in my garden Linda. Have a wonderful day!
A beautiful stroll in your garden this morning Pam! I took your recommendation and planted some ‘Cut and Come Again’ Zinnias in May. I had no idea they would be so easy to grow from seed! I’m lovin’ your agapanthus and seeing your sunflowers always make me happy! I have five limelights planted by my Potting Shed. Two are blooming but the three in a row that provide a privacy hedge are very late blooming this year and just barely have buds. They get full sun so I’m not sure what’s going on this year. It’s been pore-cleansing the past couple of days and I’m trying to work a table between rain showers today or tomorrow. Stay cool ♥
Thank you dear Mary. I can’t figure out our limelights this year, they look healthy but haven’t grown much. I am trying to work in a table also, we have lots of rain predicted over the next week!
So lovely in the early morning…thank you!
Pam,
Your garden is breathtaking. The deer in our area with their new fawns have taken care of our garden this year. They’ve even eaten, not just our Hostas, new Daylily blooms, but the new blooms on our Limelight’s too 😩. The fawn IS adorable! Love your blog and especially your Biblical inspiration. Keep posting!
Can you share the resource for your tuteur?
Thanks
Vicki
Thank you so much, it is a lot of work! I am so sorry about the deer, they can be so destructive and we have more than our share of them. The tuteur was purchased locally years ago from a shop that is out of business now. Happy Thursday, Vicki!
It is a pleasure to share! Thank you👩🏻🌾
Your garden was so well planned and both of you continue to make it thrive. It is enjoyable to see the fruit of your labor. Love the zinnias and sunflowers blooming.
It seems every year brings change and sometimes challenges in gardening.
Bonnie, it is true that gardening is challenging. What thrives one year may not the next! Stay cool my friend!
Dear Pam, such a marvelous treat to stroll through your lovely garden. Our limelight is just setting on blooms, which is normal for our area. It is always the last to bloom in mid August and by fall it is a lovely blush pink. Your zinnias are so happy, to me they add so much to a garden, plus they provided loads of blooms to cut. Pam, your sunflowers are wonderful. I love to see a pretty stand of them such as you have.
Your garden is over the top and I do know you love the time you spend there. Gardens add so much to our homes and our lives and I know yours does both.
Have a beautiful day, sweet friend. Stay cool.❤
Gardening is truly a pleasure, but work for sure. Thank you my friend and fellow gardener.❤️👩🏻🌾
Pam, this garden walk soothes my soul, indeed! Thank you for sharing the July blooms, they are magnificent. Last year was my first year planting zinnias, and they are so colorful and giving. I love your sunflowers too, and the blanket flowers. We drove by our former home the other day, and other than the very tall weeds in the landscape beds, the plantings looked great – hibiscus, limelights, coneflowers, bee balm and sunflowers were noticeable from 100′ away. I don’t miss the work, but I do miss the beauty of my own garden.
Thank you Rita. I know you miss the beauty of your garden, but the work is definitely hard! I hope the new owners keep up your beautiful garden and don’t let the weeds overtake it.
That was a lovely tour of your gardens. All your flowers look wonderful. I wish I could grow Crape Myrtles but we’re just a bit too cold for them during the winter months. My limelights haven’t started showing their blooms just yet but they seem to appear over night! Love that grass between the stones but I can imagine it’s bit of work maintaining it.
Thank you Liz. Happy Gardening my friend👩🏻🌾
That was such an enjoyable stroll through your garden! I’m glad you are celebrating summer because I am already seeing Christmas decorations in Hobby Lobby! For the first time in 25 years my trusty daylilies have barely bloomed this year; I divided some last fall so was expecting a big show. Would you consider a pulled back shot of your blanket flowers in front of the boxwoods? Trying to get some ideas for a friend!
Thank you Roxanne. I am not ready to think about Christmas, let’s enjoy the season of summer even though the heat is oppressive, retailers always do that. I am sorry about your daylilies, that is most unusual. Gardening is always a challenge. I will get a photo with my IPhone late this afternoon and email it to you! Stay cool.
Loved “strolling” through the garden this morning! Everything is beautiful.
Thank you Beverly. Try to stay cool today!
Pam, thanks so much for sharing your beautiful garden. I know you put in a lot of hard work but it is so worth it. Flowers bring so much joy.
Yes, they do. Thank you Della!
Wow, that truly describes your garden
Thank you Marty!
What a treat this morning to walk through your garden with you. What beautiful bursts of color everywhere. i love it. I also adore the zinnias….I know you and Butch have put in lots of work and it certainly shows. What a loveely place to relax and have your own quiet time. Hugs dear friend.
Thank you my friend! ❤️🙏🏻
Wow Pam, just stunning! Your garden is always gorgeous.
Thank you Carole 👩🏻🌾
Your garden is simply gorgeous and I appreciate your sharing it with us. The textures and colors are exquisite.
We have had high temps and fortunately some rain here in NE GA, and my limelights are huge this year. Interestingly, they are lightly shaded by our Natchez crepe myrtles (may have to move them to a sunnier spot eventually) and I think the light protection from the brutal sun/heat has helped them thrive.
Jae, your garden sounds so lovely! Thank you for strolling with me this morning!
Your garden is a delight to the eyes and a balm to the soul. Your zinnias and sunflowers are really showing off. All of this tour was a true delight. I am glad you and others spoke of the differences each year in our gardens. I keep saying “what’s going on” to Bob. My day lilies bloomed but nothing like usual. I am waiting on my strawberry hydrangeas to bloom. It has been an unusual al season. I pray the coastal storm will calm down. I always think of you. Love and blessings dear friend.
Thank you dear Dianne. You know how much work goes into your garden, but it does reward us with pretty blooms. Yes, Gardening is always a challenge. Stay cool!
What a glorious garden. A pleasure to tour your lovely gardens on this Thursday. I am sure in person, seeing all of your lovely colors is breath taking. The time you both have spent caring for your gardens really has paid off. Thanks for brightening my day. Blessings.
Thank you so much Linda, it is a pleasure to share. Have a wonderful Thursday!
The garden is excellent, the variety of colors and the quality of the plants make it a beautiful garden that, compared to a few years ago (4 years), the improvement is patent.
Personally, I love the area with the statues of the children. I think the grass between the slabs is of high quality, not comparable to gravel, it has a lot of work but the result is much more beautiful.
And here I leave you contemplating your garden.
A hug
Hola Dolores, gracias por pasear por el jardín conmigo. Es un día muy caluroso, y se supone que llueve durante varios días. Gracias por sus dulces comentarios, recuerda cómo se veía el jardín cuando se plantó por primera vez, ha crecido y ha madurado. La piedra con la hierba es bonita, solo mucho trabajo! Enviando amor y abrazos, Pam
I would be happy with a garden of just hydrangea and zinnias. These are so very beautiful! So many different kinds of blooms. I know this has to take a boatload of time and bravo!
Yes, Jeanie it is a boatload of time, but we do get to enjoy our sweat equity! Have a great Thursday!
Be still my heart, ever again. I never cease to be boggled by the beauty wrought in your garden by Butch’s golden hands and heart, including your own. The heat has been so stifling, that all I
did yesterday was put a new birdhouse on the cherry tree and called it a day…but I got my touch
of beauty in for measure…lol… My beloved niece and her hubby planted the front door urns and
garden this year, so I am luxuriating in that color and the re-birth of my former plantings.. The
mosaic-like zoysia and flagstone design of your garden could not have been equaled by pea gravel, despite it’s saving labor… just think of the feast for the eyes your and Butch have provided. Bless you. Keep cool, dear ones.
Thank you dear Mary! Your birdhouse on the cherry tree sounds so lovely as do your urns. Yes it is a lot of work, and then is no way I could do it without Butch. I wish you could join me for a slice of watermelon! It is delicious❤️
A lovely garden. I appreciate the hours of toil it takes to maintain the loveliness.
Thank you so much Mildred!
Gorgeous flowers.
Marilyn
Thank you Marilyn for strolling through with me!
Thank You Pam for sharing your garden.
Marion
My pleasure Marion, thank you for strolling through with me.
Your garden is so beautiful and happy looking. I hope you get time to enjoy it. Does Ella Mae enjoy it?
Thank you Carol. Ella Mae loves it, she picks flowers. Her favorite plant is the rosemary because it smells so good.
Pam, you and Mary have both shared your gorgeous gardens today, and have both inspired me to try zinnias and limelight hydrangea. Probably too late for this summer, but I have it on my callendar for next year. I’ve neve had such a lush blooming garden, so I’m hopeful that I can make headway in that direction. It’s obvious that you and Butch are a great gardeners. I’m solo in the garden unless I can find someone to hire. It’s OK, I just have to keep focused on limiting my self to what I can handle.
Thanks for the tour. Your garden is truly beautiful. I know you enjoy its beauty daily!
Thank you for strolling through the garden with me Sarah. I highly recommend zinnias and limelights. I could never keep up our garden without Butch, he does all of the mowing and edging, helps me plant and water. Yes, it is easy to take on too much, just plan on what you can physically do. I do enjoy setting tables and relaxing in the garden in the early evening when the temperature cools a bit.
Oh my! Your garden is just glorious!!! I too live in the (hot) south…GA to be exact. Every summer I say I won’t plant anything because by July the heat just saps the juice right out of my things…but I always give in and plant a little. This year the heat and APHIDS just about did me in..never had aphids before!!! Thanks so much for sharing yours and God’s handiwork…just beautiful!!!
Cheryl, thank you so very much for strolling through the garden with me. I hope you didn’t get too hot. I totally understand your dilemma with the heat and aphids. We are fighting armadillos, raccoons, and skunks digging in our yard, this has been the largest onslaught ever. They make holes everywhere because they smell grubs underground. We know that these three are the culprits because we have them on camera. We have a huge deer population that could mow down our garden in one evening. The hot summers can be hard on plants, so I drag hoses around trying to keep things watered. It is an ongoing challenge for sure, but I do love seeing blooms, so I keep on. Sending love and prayers.
Such beauty and happiness…I am very grateful for you for sharing your heavenly garden!Hugs,dear friends!
Thank you dear Maristella!
Pam, What a lovely stroll through your beautiful garden. It’s a welcome post after a busy day. I do so enjoy all your wonderful colorful plants. I must seriously trim back our hydrangeas but I am a little intimidated to do so as I want them to bloom next year. I’m going to do so since Butch aggressively trims some of your beautiful plants & they always look so healthy & full. Fingers crossed🤞 Clara ❤️😊
Clara, thank you for your thoughtful and faithful comments. Blessings always👩🏻🌾
I’ll tell you what. If I lived there, I don’t think I would ever want to go inside! It is just SO beautiful! You all do such a wonderful job at stewarding God’s wonderful creation. It is always such a job to come here and take in all the loveliness, my friend. God bless you!
It is hard to not stay outside all the time, but the heat drives me in. God bless you my friend!
I loved our wander & iced tea in your garden Pam!
Bless you,
Jennifer
I always enjoy your visits Jennifer!
Pam, this is so beautiful! I am so glad you named the varieties of Agapanthus! We’ve fallen hard for those plants but really only find the same kind here. I may order some online. Thank you for the amazing inspiration. ♥
Stacey, thank you so much. Also, a special thanks for your FB page where we can share with like-minded people. I hope you are having a wonderful summer.
Pam, you and Butch have done a magnificent job keep your gardens so beautiful in this summer heat and with battling critters….I had a very hard time with the deer eating everything in sight….how do you ward them off?
We used to spray for them, but you have to keep it up and so hard when you are away….love to know your secret! Have a great weekend…see you on Monday!! 🙂
Thank you Shirley. Fighting the critters including the deer is a full-time job. I get up every morning and look out the window to see if the deer had a party in our garden. Happy Saturday!
I am so glad your garden is still happy during all this heat! Everything looks amazing, I especially loved the photo of the happy zinnias…l might paint that! I heard on the news yesterday that Alabama was drier than usual during the first 6 months of 2019, I couldn’t believe it because it seems like we had such a rainy spring! I hope we get some rain from Barry though, had to run the sprinklers twice a day this week!
Jenna
Thank you Jenna. I agree that is hard to believe that we are drier than usual. It rained here last night for a couple of hours, but it is a gorgeous morning! Happy Saturday!
Pam, Your garden is absolutely gorgeous. We moved about 2 years ago from North Georgia to towards Southern Alabama and I have had to learn all about plants that will take all of the heat and humidity here I planted and am now in the process of planning my fall replanting and hardscape. They say that you are not a real gardener unless you are constantly moving things around. My limelight hydrangas are huge and the flowers are gorgeous this year. Thanks for posting your beautiful garden and for all of the ideas. Just patiently waiting for fall so I can get going!!! PS. Have you ever planted poppies. How did they work out?
Jeannie
Thank you so much Jeannie. The heat and humidity can be brutal in Southern Alabama, we are in northeastern Alabama. I haven’t planted poppies but a lady that lives about twenty miles away plants them and they have done beautifully. I am not sure how far south you are, so it might make a difference. Limelights are great performers. Have a wonderful weekend!
Your gardens are exquisite! What a lovely stroll I have taken with you! And you know how I love your zinnias!
🌸✨🌸
Thanks for strolling with me my friend! Happy Saturday!
I just returned from a long vacation where I thought of you because there were so many beautiful plants and flowers this time of year in Italy. I came home wanting to get busy gardening but was met with this tropical storm! Thanks for the virtual inspiration. It’s tourist worthy!
Thank you Leslie Ann, I hope you will post on your travels. Italy is one of my favorites!
Wow Pam, your gardens never cease to amaze me. The flowers, your photography is so beautiful. What a pleasure it would be to stroll through and take in the beauty. Thanks so much for sharing at Love Your Creativity.
Thank you Linda, my pleasure!
Your garden is absolutely beautiful!
Thank you Christine!
I’ broke my left wrist for the second time plus crushed my thumb so Have been absent from all things on the web. Today I was awe struck when I saw how many emails I’ve received, can you guess which ones I chose to read? I love the crepe myrtle and know that July is the time for those in NC. Yours are beautiful. I’m sure I would heal much faster if I was sitting at your table in the yard drinking iced tea!
Oh no Alice. I am so sorry, did you fall? I am praying for you my friend that it will heal quickly. Did it happen last week?
I wish you could be here drinking iced tea. Please keep me posted on how you are doing. I will tell Butch and we both will be praying. Sending my love.
What a garden! I have a small one that gives me pleasure, but our yard has so much shade that what does well is limited. Thankfully, peonies, hydrangeas and rhododendrons have no problem.
Linda, the three flowers that DO grow in your garden are some of my favorites!