Hello dear friends. I decided it was time to share a garden post with you all!
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11
So far, we have had a very wet summer and our rainfall is way above normal. The temperatures have been below normal, but with the rain comes high humidity. Grab your insect repellent and join me in July’s garden.
Be sure to read to the end of the post to find out the winner of the beautiful book, Hydrangeas!
If the rain continues I might have to rename the Sunshine Cottage!
Sunflowers are planted in two raised beds. This one is behind the garden fence where we have three varieties planted. I will be sharing a sunflower post in the near future.
Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangeas are really large and have showy blooms. There are five planted within the garden. Their mature height is typically 6 to 7 feet. I believe this one would be more like 8 to 9 feet!
Like most panicle hydrangeas, Vanilla Strawberry does best in full sun, though it appreciates afternoon shade in warmer climates. It is hardy in Zones 4-9.
This bloom isn’t quite mature, but you can see it is very large!
This is my favorite place for tablescapes during spring, summer, and fall! I will be sharing one from this spot for Monday Morning Blooms this coming Monday!
Mounding mandevilla stays tidy in its container and doesn’t attempt to climb upward. I like seeing the red blooms against the vanilla strawberry hydrangea!
Dahlia Avignon with its burgundy-red stripes and speckles is a definite beauty. This is my third year to attempt dahlias. This one overwintered along with two other varieties. We always have some kind of insects that enjoy feasting on the blooms. I think this is my last year to attempt growing them.
This is a new hydrangea that I acquired from my friend’s hydrangea farm. It is called Cardinal Red, a Macrophylla that produces large blooms in a rich shade of red or mauve depending on the soil type. This bloom has dried and I left it so I could enjoy its beautiful color. For now, the hydrangea is living in a pot under one of our Bloodgood Japanese maple trees.
Limelight hydrangeas have been slower to mature than the vanilla strawberry. We have noticed all of our blooming plants and trees have been later this year. We did have a couple of very late frosts that might have contributed.
This is our other raised bed that is next to our driveway. Zinnias and sunflowers are presently thriving. I hope they continue because I love all of the happy colors!
This side of the garden has been a hodgepodge this year, or maybe I should call it a small cottage garden. A pot of sage is set among blush nandinas, dahlia Avignon, tickseed, and zinnias! If you look closely you might spot a couple of orange flags where the cottage garden will eventually go. We have made a little progress, but the weather has definitely been a deterrent. I will share what we have done and our plans in a later post.
Li’l Bang Red Elf tickseed is a perennial with deep burgundy red flowers that attracts butterflies. It is a mounding compact plant that is deer resistant.
Hydrangea Paniculata “Little Lamb” is a compact cultivar. We planted two of these last year flanking the front entrance to the garden.
Vanilla Strawberry in the foreground with Little Lambs in the background!
Cardinal Red hydrangea peeking through the Japanese maple!
After a rain shower on Tuesday evening, the sun came out and cast a glow on the Sunshine Cottage.
Yesterday with early morning fog over the garden!!
Thank you for all who entered the giveaway. Congratulations to our winner, Nancy S.
Thank you for your visits. Wishing you a joy filled day!
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
Your garden is beautiful despite and due to all your rain Pam! We could use a few showers here. Your hydrangeas are a couple of weeks ahead of ours. I especially love your shot of the zinnias and sunflowers. Congrats to Nancy, she’s in for a treat! ♥
Thank you Mary. Enjoy your day, we have sunshine!
Love your garden posts, such a beautiful place!
Thanks so much, Carole!
Your garden is so beautiful. I love the variety of plants you have.
Thanks so much Penny!
Pam, I say this with much conviction, 🤗 I’ve added visiting your Sunshine Cottage to my bucket list. Your Garden provides so much peace. I love the Cardinal Red and the Vanilla Strawberry. I’ll call your pics towards the end, “peekaboo pics” ~they’re amazing! You’re such a blessing to us. 🥰💛🙏🏻🌸
Karla, you are so sweet. How fun to be added to your bucket list. Have a wonderful day!
Thank you, Pam! You don’t know how bad I wish to be sitting there today! Have a wonderful day too! 💛
Pam, your garden & your photos are lovely! All your hard work has definitely paid off my friend! You are a very talented & creative lady! Miss you!💕
Miss you Sue. You are a sweetheart!
What a beautiful and well-manicured garden. The Sunshine Cottage will always be a bright spot on a gloomy day. Wish I was there! Life is made of dreams and wishes. Enjoy the sun today.
I would love for you to join me in the garden. I know we could talk for hours.
You have really made my morning joy filled Pam, with all these incredible blooms! You could have garden tours and charge admission! The hydrangeas are gorgeous and I always love seeing your sunflowers and zinnias. It has been rainier than normal at the beach too, but the past few days have been beautiful and not too hot, perfect painting on the porch weather!
Jenna
Jenna, thank you. A local garden club has asked to come for a tour, but I feel like there is still so much to be done. Enjoy your painting on the porch weather!
Oh Pam, your garden is really spectacular! The last shot in the fog reminds of the tv ads for Biltmore!! I am loving all the rain we are getting and temps in the high 80s in July, not 90s! I always try to convince myself the humidity is good for our complexions!!!
Thanks so much Roxanne. Humidity has been rough this week. Happy weekend!
Pam, Your garden is gorgeous! Love the cardinal red hydrangeas! They’re lovely. Your various hydrangeas are thriving and beautiful. They love the rain. We’re hot and dry. We’re getting some pop up showers but this weekend it is supposed to rain. I have one blooming yellow dahlia from several that were planted. It’s the only bloom the Japanese beetles haven’t touched! Our roses have been ravaged as have the canna lilies but we’re getting rid of them slowly. Your dahlias are so pretty. That mounding mandavilla is really striking against the hydrangeas. Your zinnias and sunflowers are really pretty. Your garden is so colorful. Congrats to Nancy! Enjoy your day and the sunshine sweet friend. Clara ❤️
Clara, the Japanese beetles destroyed our knock-out roses. But slowly we have gotten rid of them. Wishing you a delightful weekend!
So beautiful Pam! We’ve been getting a lot of rain lately too. Thankfully we have a good sand mix in our soil so it percolates through easily. Love your photography!
Thank you Liz. Have a lovely weekend!
Every photo is a gem — but those sunflowers and zinnias? That’s fabulous. Those colors, the composition — beautiful.. My poor hydrangeas are bent to the ground with all the rain. I’ll clip some to take with me when I return to the lake Friday. They really are so lovely!
Thanks Jeanie. Enjoy your weekend!
All your hard work is in full glory. It’s beautiful and much loved I’m sure. I don’t have a favorite because I love it all. Thankful that you share it with us.
Thank you Alice. It is hard work, but there are rewards. Happy weekend!
Thank you so much for these lovely photos.
My pleasure!
Pam, your gardens are so beautiful. Your hydrangeas, sunflowers and zinnias are really showing off. I am really enjoying seeing your hydrangeas. None of mine have bloomed and really not sure they will. Thank you sweet friend for all the beauty and the joy it brings. I really understand why Jesus loved to go to the garden early in the morning to pray.
Thank you Dianne. I so hope your hydrangeas will bloom!
Pam, your garden is beyond gorgeous. The hydrangeas are magnificent. Our limelight is just setting blooms and will bloom in mid-August. It is our treat when the garden begins to fade. Congratulations to Nancy!
Thank you Sandra. Wishing you a delightful weekend!
Those cardinal red hydrangeas are something to behold. The whole garden is gobsmacking. You and Butch have really
golden-touched your surroundings and provided us with a respite place to soothe our souls. Bless you both.
Thanks so much Mary. Wishing you a lovely weekend!
What fantastic garden…Breathtaking ! Congrats to the winner,Nancy S.
Thanks so much, Maristella!
love those twinkling lights and the sky’s glow on your beautiful Sunshine Cottage this week, Pam!
Thanks Linda!
Garden looks terrific. Can’t wait to see who won the garden theme for the Sunshine Cottage! Love the new Cardinal Reds. Your statuary in fog looked as those the one on the right had a Native American headdress on with the way the wind spinner was captured behind it! I had to blow the photo up to see for sure!
I thought the same about the Native American Headdress and had to zoom in.
That is so funny! I had not even noticed it!
I had not noticed the wind spinner and the statuary, that is so funny. Have a wonderful weekend, Rita!
Your garden is absolutely gorgeous. I love your Zinna’s and Sunflowers! You and Butch definitely has worked very hard in every bed. Our limelight’s have not started blooming; however, after seeing yours I cannot wait until mine starts blooming! Every photo is picture perfect!
Thanks so much Debbie. You are always so sweet to visit with us! Happy weekend…
Your garden is blooming gorgeous! None of my Sunflower seeds survived the squirrels,
but my zinnias thankfully. Like Rita said I thought your statue had an Indian Headdress. The Robin was posing pretty too beside the frog…
I am sorry about your sunflowers, Nancy! Have a lovely weekend!
Your garden takes my breath away. We’ve had too little rain yet the flowers find a way to shower us with beauty.
Thank you Linda. I wish I could send you some of our rain!
Commenting on fav hydrangea. I have a new limelight. Some beautiful annabelle and oak leaf.
You have some of my faves!
As always, your gardens are absolutely stunning! I think you could write your own gardening book. Each one of these photographs is beautiful. I’ve got to find me some vanilla strawberry hydrangeas to plant. Yours are gorgeous! I love the pretty area where you do your tablescapes, and I look forward to your post on Monday. Your zinnias and sunflowers look so happy. My zinnias aren’t doing well this year. Our weather has been similar to yours and with the late freeze many things are late to bloom or didn’t bloom at all. So it is such a treat, to see your lovely gardens. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, sweet friend!
Shannon, you are a sweetheart! Wishing you a lovely weekend!
I enjoyed my walk through your gardens today Pam. Everything is blooming quite beautifully especially your hydrangeas but so are your sunflowers and zinnias! That capture of the sunflowers and zinnias took my breath away! What a stunning shot. And your sunshine cottage in all the glow… gorgeous!
Congratulations to Nancy! She has such a lovely name. 😊
Have a beautiful weekend my friend!
Thank you so much my friend! Happy weekend!
Your gardens always amaze me. So beautiful. The rain keeps everything looking so fresh and green. That is the sad thing about living in California. We don’t get enough rain to keep everything green. I had some sunflowers growing and the darn squirrels hate them along with other garden veggies. Congrats to Nancy.
Thank you Linda. I am so sorry about the squirrels feasting on the sunflowers. I hope you get rain!
Pam, your garden is absolutely beautiful! I can see why the local ladies might want a tour. Love all the flowers but the little lambs are definitely my favorite. I can only imagine the work that goes into it, but it looks like a labor of love and its just stunning! Happy summer – envy you all the rain its so very dry here!