(Be sure to click on the photos if you would like to see them enlarged).
Front yard, center island garden
At the top of the driveway, the side garden is filled with black-eyed susan, liatris, phlox, beebalm, agastache, coneflower, japanese anemone, and more.
The corner gardens, at the bottom of driveway on either side, are planted with various coneflowers, coreposis, salvia, veronica, euphorbia, russian sage, lavendar, and more.
The backyard gardens are planted with both shade and sun-loving plants, many of which are repeated from those in the front. I also have cucumbers and zucchini growing in pots. When we left home, there were 2 cukes on the vine, still small. I'm planning to pick them when I get home and pickle them.
The swallowtail cats were doing well before we left home. I wrote an earlier post about the eggs I found on my parsley. It's been exciting to watch them develop and grow. These are Black Swallowtail butterfly larvae.
I did get a little nervous when I watched a hornet suck the life out of one of them. We took some netting and covered the pot of parsley and a fairly good area surrounding the pot so that if the cats begin to leave the pot to form their pupa's, they will have a reasonable amount of room to crawl around in and find things to attach themselves to, yet will (hopefully) still be protected from the hornets and other predators.
Today I am thankful for a brief internet signal so I could publish this while on vacation in a remote area in Maine!
Words and photos ©Thanks For Today, by Jan Huston Doble
Your gardens are beautiful! I love watching to see the perennials in my garden bloom and adding new plants that I come across. They are always a work in progress. Barbara Piccirillo
ReplyDeleteYou have a nice variety of flowers. So pretty. Love the cukes and the butterflies too. I hope your caterpillars all survive to make more butterflies.
ReplyDeleteDear Jan, What pretty plant combinations and such variety. Your garden really is looking wonderful and, I hope, is being looked after whilst you are away.
ReplyDeleteHi Jan Your garden is looking lovely especially the front with the lovely trees and how the bed underneath has filled out I remeber you posting about it last year during it's refurbishment.
ReplyDeleteThe butterflies are so lovely far prettier than our ones here in the UK and bigger too.
I seem to be so behind with blogging these days and even worse at visiting other blogs but nice to catch up with old friends now and then.
Is that 'Limerock Ruby' coreopsis? That didn't survive winter here, but I love the color. Also like the little grey-headed coneflowers. Noogie!
ReplyDeleteYou have cukes! I hope you get to enjoy those soon! I love a fresh cucumber. All your landscaping looks so professional. Hope you are having a nice vacation.
ReplyDeleteRosey
Hi Jan, wonderful pictures. I especially loved the butterflies and the caterpillars. I had some monarch cats and hope they are doing well because I can't find them today.
ReplyDeleteMarnie
G'day Jan ~ Your gardens are lush & gorgeous! Never thought about potting my cucs ... next year for sure.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely summer's eve ~
TTFN ~ Marydon
Your photo's are beautiful. The beds seem so nice and neat. Great job.
ReplyDeleteYour flower gardens look so summery and cheery. I wish I'd planted cukes this year. What was I thinking? Oh well, as they say, next year! It looks like your crop of swallowtails is coming along well too!
ReplyDeleteWonderful combinations! I do like that dark red coreopsis, so tell us which one you're growing!
ReplyDeleteJan,I'm glad for your brief internet signal too! Enjoy your vacation!
ReplyDeleteRegarding your festive, colorful garden...I love it! I'm a huge fan of the simple black eyed susans and coneflowers. It looks like you have the yummy gum ball coneflower (I think that's the name)..at least that's what it looks like! I want this one too.
The bees and butterflies must be in Heaven in your garden! Everything is so beautiful. I loved the butterfly pics. Have a wonderful vacation!
ReplyDeleteIt's heavenly Jan. No wonder the butterflies and bees love it so. I am impatient for my own garden to reach this level of maturity and beauty. Have a wonderful visit to Maine.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful Jan, your garden is looking wonderful!! I am especially taken with the red coreopsis, how I wish it would grow here!
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are very pretty, great combinations too. We scoop up our cats and put them in a butterfly cage to save some of them from the wasps.
ReplyDeleteLook at those caterpillars! I've still seen no signs of any on my parsley and dill. Your garden will be alive with butterflies very soon, Jan.
ReplyDeleteSo many lovely blooms in your garden right now; I'm glad you took time to share them with us. Just a warning, though, from personal experience--those cucumbers may not be so small when you get back from vacation:)
It's always such a treat visiting here, dear! It's like....a vacation in a blog! LOVE the little caterpillars!!!!! Love EVERYTHING!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of your garden, being very beautiful and immaculate. even the caterpillar is beautiful too...haha.
ReplyDelete~bangchik
Hey Jan,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted you to know I added your blog to the soon to be launched North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association blog roll for NC Blogs!
http://www.tarheelgardening.com/wordpress/
I also wanted to make sure you received my new link for Gardening With Confidence's blog
www.gardeningwithconfidence.com/blog.
Thanks!
I hope you are doing well!
H.
Your gardens are stunning. It's amazing how quickly the summer flies by. I hope you are having a lovely time in Maine, and will have pictures to post.
ReplyDeleteJan, your July garden is so beautiful, and I'm glad you were able to share it with us here while on vacation. I sure enjoyed the swallowtail cats I found last summer, but I've forgotten to look for them this year. I will tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteyour gardens are beautiful! I love the great summer colors. It must be wonderful to have the butterflies flitting here and there. Hope you're having fun on vacation!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, Jan! I so enjoyed a peek at your peak summer garden. :) The shot with the cherry red coreopsis (?) cloud in the foreground is just magical -- as are those lovely butterflies.
ReplyDeleteEven the caterpillars are amazingly beautiful, to me. I'm glad you're protecting them -- I couldn't stand to sit by and watch, either.
Have a great vacation! Maine sounds glorious right now -- gotta be cooler than here. ;)
Hey Jan!
ReplyDeleteYour gardens look great! I like the containers you have your cucumbers and zucchini in.
Enjoy your vacation!
Thank you all so much for your nice comments! I didn't have IDs for all the plants readily available so I'm sorry I can't tell you specifics about the Coreopsis and anything else--until I'm home and can look at the tags! I planted the coreopsis this summer and I love it! Will try to clarify things next week!
ReplyDeleteHi, Jan, I wish I was vacationing in Maine with you right now - it has to be cooler than here! Your garden looks lovely! And I am so enjoying the metamorphosis taking place on your parsley. I keep inspecting mine, but no luck.
ReplyDeleteI just posted about the rain barrel I won. I linked to your blog. I intended doing it sooner, but you know how it is. I am very glad of the rain barrel this drought year.
Have a safe journey home. Pam x
Hi there Jan, I agree with others above... you have some very pretty plant combos in your garden right now. Lovely colour blends too.
ReplyDeleteAlways love to see your butterflies and caterpillars on my visits. Wishing you a good week :-D
Your gardens are beautiful! It looks like the cucumbers are at about the same stage as ours, small but promising. I did receive the tote bag earlier this week, and put it to good use right away in the grocery store. It's so pretty, and I love the message! Thanks again! Happy gardening!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the stroll in your gardens! I hope the wasp stay clear of the remaining cats and they can turn into beautiful butterflies. Happy travels and have safe fun on your vacation.
ReplyDeleteHi Jan! So glad I found your blog again! Your garden is absolutely beautiful! Something happened to my old blog (veggie for thoughts), but I'm starting a brand new one with the same ol' name! I hope you're having a wonderful summer!
ReplyDeletehttp://veggiethought.blogspot.com/
Jan - I loved your photos! I'm paying very close attention to what looks good in people's garden this time of year; looking for late season bloomers that don't look beat up by the heat.... you gave me some great ideas! Thanks! -Shyrlene
ReplyDeleteHi Jan, i am sorry i have not been visiting here more often, i confess i have not been religious in looking at the blogs of my followers. But it is a shame not to have found your garden more often as the inhabitants are so beautiful, even the monarch larvae. And i am fascinated with the growing vegies in pots, they seem to be healthy too! Happy vacation.
ReplyDeleteLovely garden and gorgeous, gorgeous phtoos!! Inspiring.
ReplyDeleteOOOooooooohhhhh !
ReplyDeleteThank you all, again, for your nice comments! I've been working today trying to upload photos for my August GBBD post, but have had difficulty with the process. Before I publish that I want to address the Red Coreopsis...yes, it is Limerick Ruby. And the Red and Pink Salvia ( 2 varieties) are 'Flame' and 'Wild Thing'.
ReplyDelete