I know the winter hasn’t seemed that long or harsh this year, but I am so ready for spring. The daffodils are already three inches tall, which is about two inches taller than this time the past few years.

And soon, they will look like this…

And this…

And this…

Not soon enough. ~~Rhonda

The bright yellow gold of the hickory tree was beautiful against the blue sky.

DH raked enough leaves to pad the wagon and we took the twins for a ride through the tiny woods and around the yard.

The crepe myrtles are so pretty this time of year. These shrubs and small trees are worth the garden space. They bloom late in the summer season for a long period of time and add wonderful autumn color.

A few autumn violets poked their faces above the rough end-of-summer plants under the apple trees.

The violets weren’t the only spring and early summer flowers blooming. The hydrangeas had a few stragglers, too.

The girls had fun. They climbed the mulberry tree…

and tried to catch butterflies on the asters.

When they got tired of riding in the wagon, they got out and walked for a while.

The Southern Oak behind the house has turned a bright gold this week.

The dogwood near the fenced garden is a particularly gorgeous red.

The beauty of God’s creation is always amazing, even in the waning season of autumn. And now, added to that blessing of beauty in the garden, we have the blessing of our son and his family living nearby. There is always something to be grateful for!

~~Rhonda

Most of the purple coneflowers have turned brown and are giving up their seeds to the little goldfinches. But some are still pinky-purple and orange. So pretty!

We have quite a few sassafras trees around the edge of the back yard. The leaves are always so pretty in the fall, turning yellow, red and orange. They are just beginning to show their color.

There are a few hosta blooms in the yard. ‘Green Fountain’ is blooming, as well as ‘Red October.’ Some hosta leaves are already brown and yellow. But there are still a lot of green leaves. And they look beautiful with the sunlight shining through them.

I’m amazed at how red these dogwood leaves are.

We’d like to be rid of bush honeysuckle, but the berries are very pretty in the fall.

Another lovely Monarch on goldenrod. Goldenrod always signals fall to me.

You can tour other autumn gardens at Tootsie’s place.

Another day and we’ll be in October! September flew by. We plan to put up another Christmas tree tomorrow. We’re going to try for the one in the guest room. I’ll let you know how that goes.

~~Rhonda

The hostas are turning yellow, even as the blooms hang on.

The garlic chives are in full bloom which is always a good indication that fall is on the way.

Various shrubs are showing off their bounty. The red twig dogwood is full of berries the birds will enjoy.

The beauty berry also has a bountiful harvest. I recently discovered that the berries can be made into jelly, so I’m going to give that a whirl in a week or so.

There are times I think the Sweet Autumn Clematis should be banned from the yard, but it is so pretty in the fall. It looks like a spring flower at the end of summer. It has a tendency to reseed itself and pop up even after several years. But in the right place, it is an amazing plant.

A few of the daylilies are reblooming right now, including this beautiful blossom ‘Dawn Ballet.’ The daylilies days are numbered, however.

‘Autumn Joy’ sedum is another iffy plant for me. If it would stand straight and tall, I’d love it, but it tends to flop in our garden. It does looks pretty here under the redbud tree, though.

The butterfly bush had its share of butterflies and bees. This Monarch stopped for a few minutes. It was beautiful against the purple-blue of the blossoms.

The white boneset was hosting a buckeye butterfly as well as a herd of soldier beetles. It was covered in them! They were munching away at the pollen, ignoring the hefty breeze. I always wonder how something as fragile looking as a butterfly or a small insect can survive a windy day.

The pampas grass is beginning to bloom. It sparkled in the sunshine. I wish the picture could show you how pretty that was.

My friend Charlene gave me a start of this grass. It is one of my favorites. So pretty on a windy day as it blows back and forth. Later in the season, it will have lovely plumes that will stay all winter, adding pretty interest to the garden.

I think some of the prettiest days of the year around here are in September and early October. The sky is so blue and the temps so comfortable, with a hint of autumn.

Last shot…our mailbox with the pampas grass in the background. We have a baby pampas grass that needs to be dug and moved, if anyone local wants it. Just let me know.

Hop over to Tootsie’s site to see more gardens and beautiful blossoms.

~~Rhonda

You can’t sit too close to them, though. The scent is very heavy and sweet. They do last a while in a bouquet. I put them in the vase on Sunday and now, on Friday, many of them are still beautiful.

~~Rhonda

It has purple coneflowers, phlox, daisies and ‘In Depth’ double yellow daylilies.

After the church service, we like to pass along the bouquet to someone who will enjoy it, but when it has daylilies in it, that’s less an option. The daylilies are one day bloomers, hence the name. Tomorrow, the bouquet won’t have its shot of lovely yellow. I’ll probably pull the other flowers out of the arrangement and put them in a vase for the kitchen table.

I hope your garden is giving you lovely blossoms. Pick a few for your table and enjoy!

~~Rhonda

‘Paprika’ [GN]

Everyone comments on the Russian Sage. It makes a beautiful airy splash of bluey-purple in the flower bed.

‘In Depth’

The hydrangeas are ready to pick for drying.

The tiger lilies are beautiful right now.

The small bulbils on the lily stem can be planted for more tiger lilies.

Hydrangea ‘Little Lamb’ is a later blooming variety than our bigleaf hydrangeas.

This hibiscus blossom is about 12″ across. I can see it from the kitchen sink, in its spot way across the lawn, down the slope of the backyard.

Each individual daylily blossom is beautiful in its own way.

‘Swelling Anthem’

‘Wineberry Candy’

‘Touched by Grace’

‘Nefertiti’

‘Wayne Johnson’

‘Two to Tango’

‘Kathy Lynn’

‘Jolly White Giant’

‘Stoplight’

You can visit other summer gardens at Bloomin’ Tuesday.

~~Rhonda

Some hostas are finicky. They need to be moved around until you find a place where they will flourish. Some don’t seem to care. Like ‘Royal Standards.’ They do well anywhere. We even have some in full sun (where they were under trees that are now gone) and they are thriving. A few leaves may be a bit tattered from the heat, but overall, they look fine!

‘Royal Standard,’ grown in full sun.

‘Royal Standard’ grown in some shade has a darker color than the one above. This one (the hosta on the right) is planted under a redbud tree.

Some hostas grow quickly, some slowly. ‘Squash Casserole’ is one that grows quickly. It’s a bright yellow green and looks wonderful against something darker where the contrast makes it show up well.

‘Squash Casserole’

‘Squash Casserole’ blossoms

‘Gold Standard’ is similar to ‘Janet,’ though ‘Janet’ is a bit smaller in size.

‘American Sweetheart’ with ‘Radiant Edger’ in front. We’ve found ‘American Sweetheart’ to be a very nice hosta. It has an upright habit, heavy substance and, for us, it has multiplied well. Some web sites list it as a “slow grower,” but we have’t found it so.

‘Thunderbolt’ is another nice hosta with a pretty center.

‘June’ may be my favorite hosta. The only improvement/change I’d make to it would be size. I’d love for it to be a larger plant at maturity. It’s still stunning though. This picture doesn’t do it justice.

This ‘Sum and Substance’ is planted in a cool moist spot, under the old mulberry tree in our back yard. This year, it has sent up two “sports.” What is a sport? It’s a shoot of a plant that is different from the original. In this case, the solid lighter green leaves are the original plant and are what ‘Sum and Substance’ is supposed to look like. The ones with darker green patches are the sport. We will dig out the eyes that are throwing the sport and replant them elsewhere so we can watch them for a few years. Some sports aren’t stable, which means they will revert to the original. We’ll see.

I’ll quit here. Perhaps I’ll post more hostas in a week or so…depends on how the weather progresses. I don’t find the heat and humidity appealing in any way, so am staying inside as much as possible right now. :-}

You can visit more gardens at Bloomin’ Tuesday on Jean’s site. Check out the links at the bottom of her post.

~~Rhonda

‘Catherine Woodbury’

‘Designer Yarn’

We’re planning a plant sale this afternoon from 4:00 – 6:00. Stop by if you’re in the area.

You can visit other gardens on Tootsie’s blog.

~~Rhonda

A bit hard to see the variegation of the grass in this picture, but the tall grass in the background is zebra grass. This is a favorite when we have plant sales.

The tall pampas grass occasionally reseeds itself in a nearby flowerbed. We’ll dig it out and offer it at a future plant sale.

This ‘Royal Standard’ hosta at the front steps has become quite large. It has beautiful clear white flowers.

The hydrangeas at the front of the house are covered in shades of pink, lavender and purple.

Can’t have too much Russian Sage. This airy blue-lavender plant is a beautiful addition to the flower beds.

Here are a few of the daylilies in the garden right now.

‘Little Grapette’

‘Zarahelma’

‘Frans Hals’

‘Heaven’s Trophy’

‘Carmine Monarch’

‘Ice Carnival’ with a bitty ladybug.

Every walk through the garden is a special treat. If you’re in the area, feel free to stop by and enjoy the yard!

You can visit other gardens by clicking the links on the Fertilizer Friday post on Glenda’s blog.

~~Rhonda