Reluctantly Accepting that Summer is Ending

I love summer.  I love everything about summer.  I'm probably one of the few people who doesn't eagerly anticipate fall's arrival.  Yes, I enjoy the coziness of fall and love to watch football, but I know that soon after fall comes snowy, non-gardening winter.  :)

It usually takes me awhile to buy fall flowers, as my summer flowers are generally still doing well.  Unfortunately, if I wait until my summer flowers look horrible, it's too late to get fall flowers.  Oh the dilemma.  haha

(Full disclosure here--this was the pot at its prettiest a few weeks ago.  It did not look this good yesterday when I pulled all of the flowers...)

 I love the Wave Petunias and Cosmos in here.  I will definitely be planting Wave Petunias in all of my pots next spring.  They get huge!

 This and the next two pictures are right after I planted the pots in May. 

And now I have Mums.  The plants I bought were so big (thank you Costco!) that I wasn't able to fit anything else around the edges.  Maybe a simple planting is perfect for now.

 

Thanks for visiting! 

Pam


I am linking to the following parties:


Debbiedoo's Newbie Party with a Twist
Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Party
 

Bicycle Art for the Living Room

We went to Southern California on vacation a couple of weeks ago.  The vacation started with a family reunion on a lake, then to the beach to see friends, then out to the Palm Springs area to spend time with more good friends.  We had a great time!   While in the desert, my good friend and I hit Home Goods.  As soon as I saw this picture, I was smitten!

I love canvas art, love flowers, love the bike, love the colors....  But, I had recently found a piece of typewriter art that I loved too.  I thought about it overnight, then rushed back to Home Goods and luckily it was still there.  I decided that I would change out the art as I change out the pillows with the seasons since I love both pieces.

I found these blue/green ticking pillows at Pottery Barn.  (I made the little pillows years ago)

I made this pillow recently.  You can see how to make one HERE.  I have a neat bicycle graphic that I will use on another pillow.  (The darn job is certainly getting in the way of all of the crafts I want to do!)

I found this birdhouse at Home Goods too.  It was on clearance. I love when that happens!

My sister and her boyfriend sent these beautiful flowers.



Thank you for your visit! 

Pam

There are only a few days left in the Palatin Remodeling, Inc. contest for Most Innovative Blogger.  I'd love it if you'd vote for me HERE.  There's nothing to sign up for, it's just an easy click and you're done.  (My blog is Our Adventures in Home Improvement)

I am linking to the following parties:

Savvy Southern Style's Wow us Wednesdays

Cottage Style Linky Party

An Explosion of Blooms for the 4th

Fireworks are illegal in our city this year due to the extreme fire danger.  We haven't had any fires right here, but much of the state has burned.  Very scary!  We will go see a professional fireworks show tonight which should be fun.

In the meantime, I am loving time spent in my garden.  As I've mentioned before, June and July are amazing months.  This year we have had extremely hot weather and lots of wind--not a good combination, so some things have been slow to take off.  I'm hoping the winds go somewhere else for the rest of the summer!

The wave petunias are starting to fill out. 

The pond lilies are blooming.

The daisies and coneflowers by the pond have gone crazy.

I love the fullness of this bed.

The flowers on the ladder were hit hard by the hot, dry winds.  I think if I leave the ladder there next summer, I will run tubing up to water each box separately.  I think I need a birdhouse on the top, as those flowers aren't doing very well. 

I am generally not a fan of orange flowers, but this daylily is gorgeous!

 Coneflowers, daisies and butterfly bush are looking good.

More daylily love! 

 I bought this birdhouse from Colby Cottage in Oregon years ago.  I love how the daisies and daylilies are enveloping it.  There is a Rose of Sharon there too, but it hasn't bloomed yet.

The other day I saw FOUR adult birds hanging out at this birdhouse. I think there are separate compartments (or apartments) :)   They sure are loud anytime we are out there.  Those parents are very, very skeptical of people and animals.

Thanks so much for coming by! 

Happy 4th of July!

Pam


I am linking to the following parties:

Pin the Tail on the Bloggy Time Party at Debbiedoo's
Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday Linky Party

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I Love June in the Garden

June and July are my favorite months in my yard.  Just about everything is blooming and the hot, hot days of August haven't yet taken their toll on the flowers. 

 This is the beginning of the third summer for the plants around and in the pond to grow.  Everything is filling in nicely.  The daisies on the right are enormous!!

The lavender and some daylilies are blooming. The daisies and coneflowers are about to explode with blooms. I can't wait!

Several families have taken up residence this year. Some of the places look awfully full of nesting material!  I absolutely love that the birds use the birdhouses!

Thanks for coming by.  I hope everything is blooming in your yards now too!

Pam

I am linking to the following parties:

DIY Show Off's Project Parade

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What a Beautiful Time of Year

After many months of snow and cold, I am so happy to welcome spring!  May and June are absolutely beautiful here.

Yesterday I planted my pots. (yes, today my old body is feeling it!) :)

I planted cosmos, petunias, snapdragons and a spike in the middle of each.

I planted these a couple of weeks ago.  They are wave petunias and are already starting to fill in nicely.   (You can see the Arborviteas along the fence.  They were all the same size when I planted them two years ago.  What the heck is with the little guy in the center??)

 I love the adirondack chairs my husband built.  We spend a lot of time sitting in them.

The wave petunias in the boxes on the ladder and the perennials are starting to come back to life in this area.

The creeping thyme between the rocks is really filling in.  Last week I added rocks to the back side of the pond so my husband could get to the pump and filters without ruining any of the plants back there. 

The fish are getting big! 

 We used to have an ugly piece of mesh separating the area for Max to lay down in and the rest of the pond, but he never gives any indication that he'd go in the deep end, so we got rid of it.  We love the look of the pond without it!

He is definitely my favorite part of the backyard! 

 We had dinner out here last night and it was a perfect night!  I'm looking forward to everything blooming and many more nights out here this summer.

Thanks for your visit! 

 Happy Mother's Day!


My blog has been nominated for Best Innovative Blog at Palatin Remodeling, Inc.  I'd love it if you'd vote for me!

VOTE HERE

Pam


I am linking to the following parties:



The Polo House's Favorites on the First Party