MID SUMMER YARD IN BLOOM

My post title kind of sounds like a book title...well maybe a gardeners book but that's a whole different story.

With just a few days left in July I thought I would take some photo's of the summer blooming progress. You can go here for a post I did on June 12. It is amazing how things take off when the weather finally warms up around here.

Above:  Current shot of the new water fountain

Below: Photo taken about six weeks ago of the fountain before all the plants grew and filled in around it.

I decided to keep the whole Americana theme going being as this is an election year and all.

 The nicotiana plants I planted have done a wonderful job filling out.  My friend Pat (Keeping In Touch) {-go check out her blog, she takes beautiful photo's-}from northern California sent me some seeds from her variety that she grows, I am anxious to get it planted to see how it does here in western Washington.  I will post pictures when they start to grow.

 Dahlia's and geraniums make good companions in this flower bed.

 This is the flower bed in the front of the house.  That is liatris (not sure of the spelling) on the right with dianthis, decorative grass, nicotiana and lemon balm to the left of it. 

 I love this purple hydrangea.  It was a gift from my son and daughter-in-law a few years ago but this is the first year it has actually put forth blossoms.

This is what I call my "tall" garden.  All of the plants I think are competing to see which one will grow the tallest. They are all easily 5 ft. tall.

 I am in the process of redoing this flower bed.  There used to be a wisteria planted on the far left (behind the hosta about where the bench is) but we lost it last winter due to a snow/ice storm.  It grew so heavy that the roots couldn't support it.  I have been adding perennials hoping to get them to fill in.  But we all know that perennials when planted sleep the first year, creep the second year and leap the third year.  Most of the plants are either first year or second year so I am hoping beginning next year they will be creeping and leaping all over the place.

 This hanging basket is thriving nicely where it is on the front of the storage shed.

 I love the color combination in this pot

 This flower box is also pretty happy on the shed.

I have more liatris here along with a climbing plant that refuses to bloom.  Also, on the right is my rhubarb plant that just keeps giving and giving.  I have already pulled rhubarb stalks two or three times and it is ready to be pulled again.

And finally my stargazer lily has decided to bloom.