Happy Tuesday. I can’t believe how fast summer is passing. One week from today is the first day of September! I am definitely ready for cooler weather.
“Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.”
Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV)
Our first morning at the Swag was cloudy and pleasantly cool. It had rained the evening before and the cloudy skies had lingered. As soon as we had eaten our delicious breakfast, we walked to the garden (thinking we could walk off a few calories). This was the first scene that met our eyes! A lush and vibrant garden with many shades of green.
Dahlias were blooming and included many varieties and colors!
I am going to be quiet today (Butch laughed when he read this) and let you just enjoy the photos without me giving a lot of commentary!
Yellow Crocosmia is a magnet for butterflies. We grow the red Crocosmia, ‘Lucifer’, in our garden which attracts hummingbirds. The old wooden rail fence behind the flowers is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park boundary!
Alstroemeria is a wonderful filler for arrangements. I have tried to grow it in our garden, but our zone 8a is too hot. It seems to love the mountain climate!
Gorgeous color!
Up close look at the Crocosmia! Several swallowtail varieties loved this group of plants…Eastern Tiger’s, Black Swallowtails and Pipevine Swallowtails all gathered round!
Yarrow is a member of the aster family!
The Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies were drawn to the coneflowers!
We love and appreciate how the gardener and staff use natural materials to create structures and features that completely fit the surroundings. “Old new things”, if you please!
Commonly known as a Grape Leaf Anemone, this one has a growth pattern and flower style that is quite unusual to me. Another gorgeous flower that we probably can’t grow at home…a bit too warm!
I have tried to grow dahlias, but had little success. Deep Roots Flower Farm is about twenty five miles away and she grows beautiful dahlias! Like these beauties which thrive in the Swag Garden, her farm is at a higher elevation than where we live. Maybe that slight change makes a huge difference!
My hard working gardener was enjoying being an observer!
I hope you enjoyed a walk in this beautiful mountain garden! Thank you for your visit and gracious comments!
Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda
What a beautiful variety of flowers. I recognized the Grape Leaf Anemone, we planted one called Japanese Anemone a few years ago, it is a lighter pink color and has Just started blooming last week here in Pennsylvania. As for yarrow, it never survives when I plant it, yet we have some growing wild around our flag pole base. A mystery to me. Fall is on it’s way, no complaints from me. Have a blessed week.
Thank you, Maryann. Our yarrow seemed to never grow, it would have a few blooms each year but was nothing spectacular. We finally decided to dig it up. Have a great day!
Ahhhhh lovely as always. Have a beautiful day. Hugs Kris
Thank you, Kris!
What a beautiful surprise to see your Mountain visit gardens. I so enjoyed seeing all the dahlias. I grew them once but had a hard time with them as well. The flowers were such a pretty sight today as our flowers are coming to their end.
The natural elements are such lovely additions to The Swag’s gardens. Thanks so much for taking us on a garden walk. I loved it! Happy Tuesday!
Thank you Nancy. I love all the dahlias and how green and lush it is. The natural elements are so true to the Swag!
Beautiful flowers and gorgeous views.
Thank you, Rachel. It truly is a beautiful garden!
That looks like a wonderful place to visit. It has so much beutiful scenery and those flowers are so pretty. Thanks so much that was nice to see since most of my garden looks so bad cause it has been so hot. I love watching the butterflies and birds.
Thank you Marlene and I am so glad you enjoyed. The heat and lack of rain has taken toll on our garden
Thank you Pam for such a beautiful walk this morning…I felt I was right there walking and enjoying the gorgeous mountain gardens. Love the Alstroemeria and I do use them for vase fillers but of course, we can not grow them in the hot weather of Florida. I can admire mountain flowers, but God in His infinite care gave us other beautiful florals and isn’t it just like us humans to want what is on the other side of the fence? LOL When we lived in the high mountain desert of New Mexico, (7800 ft) we had the Indian Paint Brush, Red Hot Pokers as well as many varieties of flowering cacti. Our vegetable garden flourished with the exception of tomatoes….and what did I wish for? Yep! Home grown tomatoes which of course could be had just down the mountain. hahaha 💕🙏🏻🌻🌸🌴
I am glad you enjoyed the walk, Kari! I do love seeing flowers that we can’t grow. But our zone 8a gives us plenty to grow, more than we can take care of!
Awe, I could almost feel the coolness of the garden. The beauty all around you, the wonder of the Landscape God created, all yours for the taking. Seeing Butch resting on the fence I thought he deserved a long rest and I also see that he didn’t take his eyes off you! Always a protector. Beautiful❣️
Thank you Alice. Isn’t God’s creation amazing? Yes, Butch needs to rest and he is an awesome protector!
Your images showcase your mountain vacation in the best light! The dahlias look so bright and healthy. Thanks for sharing your trip with me.
Thank you for coming along, Mary!
Oh my goodness gracious…it is just so naturally beautiful at the Swag…thank you for bringing us along and sharing this beautiful place!!! How did you ever find such a perfect place?
It’s lovely that you and Butch can occasionally have a little break and just “observe”…what a perfect word! Enjoyed your quiet photos, they are stunning.
Hope your week is happy, healthy, and full of blessings.
Thank you, Sue! I am so glad you enjoyed my quiet photos! Wishing your week to be the same!
A beautiful walk through the Swag garden! I adore all the colors! Thank you for taking us along. Clara❤️
Clara, thank you for joining us for the walk❤️
Pam, everything looks so lush and green…and cool! We awoke to 60 degrees this morning (which quickly warmed to 96), but it was divine while it lasted. Perhaps it is a hint of cool fall days soon to come!
Thank you, Roxanne. Wow, 60 degrees sounds fabulous! 96 not so much!
Thank you for sharing all the garden delights at The Swag. Dahlias are some of my favorite flowers, with their precise symmetry and vibrant colors. Alas, I didn’t have success with them either. Our yard is too shaded by big trees.
Dahlias are right up there close to peonies in their beauty. Thank you, Nancy!
I did enjoy my walk in the garden, Pam! How lush and beautiful everything looked. I’m with you and love those structures made from on site materials; it adds to the charm of The Swag. I can understand why you and Butch love it so much there.
Thanks so much, Kitty. I am so glad you joined me for the garden walk!
Amazing photos… Balm to the soul! Thank you!
Thank you, sweet friend!
Pam, I’m finally catching up with you….what a gorgeous garden and such a treat to visit The Swag through your beautiful photos! The dahlias are absolutely stunning, and I loved seeing the crocosmia alive with all the different swallowtails. The combination of flowers, butterflies, old wooden fencing and natural garden structures is so charming and perfectly suited to the mountain setting. I can see why you and Butch return to The Swag again and again—it looks like such a peaceful and restorative getaway, especially with those wonderfully cool mountain temperatures! I had to smile at your “hard working gardener” enjoying the luxury of simply being an observer for a change. 😊 Thank you for taking us along on your beautiful morning garden walk! 🌸🦋💚
Thank you Mary! We do love our visits at the Swag. We come away feeling refreshed. Happy Sunday to you!
You have so many lovely blooms in this post. I love all those gorgeous dahlias.
Thanks so much Joanne! Happy September!
Oh, what a beautiful place! And your photos are absolutely stunning!
That is a gorgeous garden!
Yes, it truly is. Thank you for visiting!