Going Green

The delight of spring/summer for me is all the "opportunities" to make things grow & bloom.  My family teases me about my love for gardening: Hubby says, "She's happiest with her hands in the dirt."  My grandkids ask, "Mimi, are your plants your pets?"  (I have a feeling this is a discussion they've heard at home....)

I worked hard trying to get things growing for our very special event this summer, but heat really fought me.

A hanging basket of vinca's added some extra color to the base of the tree... the first thing visible as you come around the corner to our house.

The crepe myrtle trees & bushes bloomed early this year due to the early onset of extreme heat, so mine wasn't in full bloom.  But the ones that line the entrance to our little neighborhood were still beautiful.

I found this really cute "planter" at the beginning of summer & waited to find just the right spot to place it with just the right flowers... more vinca's!

A welcoming bench flanked by more vinca's & a few petunia's highlighted the pine needle bed beyond the circle driveway.

The reason for so many pink & white vinca's was that many of my flowers had succumbed to the intense heat of the summer long before time for the party.  I "happened upon" (through my DD) a sale at Lowe's about a week before wedding time.  The hanging baskets of vinca's were $4.88!  They had been $8-11, & each one had 5 plants in it.  There was another man loading a big cart with them when I got there & we were kind of racing each other to "gobble them up."  I felt badly about it & started putting some back since he was there first.  He offered me some of his that would go with my colors better, & took some that I put back.  Turns out he was having 80 people at his house THAT EVENING, & all his flowers had died, too.

I also found this planter early in the season that was rather unique & a unique plant to grow in it (sorry, I can't remember what it was).  The thing was, it bloomed at dusk, then the blooms closed up in the daytime.  They were white blooms, so it was nice since our event lasted well into the dark.


Coming from the drive to the backyard....

Looking toward the back wall where this wispy flower has grown unbelievably this summer!  I've tied it up twice, & it is falling over again.  The bees & butterflies love it!  I love the dainty little pink & white blooms on it.

And then out toward the backyard....

Notice the middle tree that is a little different color?  Those are Leyland Cypress trees that  are higher than the rooftop & started out 8 years ago at about 5 feet tall.  The deer like to go up on the hill behind the trees & bed down.  And they rub against the trees... and I think they have killed the one tree.  It will have to come down, but I'm so thankful that it "held" until after the party.

But, yep, it's a goner...