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

DH took a few pictures at the beginning of the ride and at rest stops along the way. It was his eighth year participating in RAIN.

My BIL John rode RAIN for the first time this year and finished with a great time, as well. He finished at 11 hours and 41 minutes.

Done!! Yeah!!

On Sunday, DH and I drove to Hillsdale, Indiana, where we visited Windy Ridge Farm and Daylily Garden.

More than 600 different kinds of daylilies. Heavenly! While we were there, it poured rain, with a cold north wind. Bridget, the owner, had been digging our order, but she sat under the pavilion with us while it rained and we had a great chat. It’s always nice to talk to someone else who shares our love of and interest in daylilies. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit in spite of the cold rain. And we brought ten or so new daylilies home.

~~Rhonda

And we had a special garden visitor today. Isn’t he cute?? I know he’s green, but he’s really a gray tree frog. DD would have liked to keep him, but she released him after a short visit.

To see how others spent their Wednesday, visit Outdoor Wednesday and follow the links.

~~Rhonda

I did get some pictures this evening, just as the sun was going down. Thanks to my nice camera and the great lens DH gave me for my birthday.

The purple cone flowers look great right now.

Daylily ‘American Revolution’

Variegated ribbon grass ~ Phalaris arundinacea

We don’t know the real name of this daylily, so call it “Paprika” as it is the color of dark rich paprika.

Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ and the daylily ‘Arctic Snow.’

I don’t know the name of this lovely lily. To tell you the truth, I don’t even remember the plant! It’s one of those “did I plant this here??” plants.

The little daylily ‘Eenie Allegro’ is blooming happily, even though it’s in too much shade. We need to move these this year.

Looking across the east front yard.

The garden is in full flower and so beautiful right now. We enjoy every minute we can be in it. Tomorrow we are having a plant sale and the weather is supposed to be great…high of 84*. Wonderful after the triple digits of the past few weeks.

If you want to enjoy other gardens and their blooms, visit Jean’s Bloomin’ Tuesday. You never know what kind of inspiration you might find!

~~Rhonda

Prior to our trip, I spent some time on their website making a list of daylilies to look for. Oh, my! Such beautiful flowers! Decisions, decisions!

It was 96* and super humid. Hot, hot, hot. But under the big tree in the yard, there was a lovely breeze and it felt much cooler. Very comfy place to sit and relax.

We filled the trunk…I think we brought home 19 new daylilies! Happy Anniversary to us!!

Tomorrow we plant.

~~Rhonda

The cedar trees are making berries. I wish they’d stay on the tree through Christmas, but they are usually gone by then. They’d be so pretty in Christmas garlands and wreaths.

Of course, the goldenrod is in full bloom.

The dogwood leaves are beginning to turn. The trees are loaded with blossoms for next year. This spring there were not many blossoms at all…not sure why. But next year, there should be a bountiful crop.

The coneflowers keep putting out blossoms. And the goldfinches are eagerly eating all the coneflower seeds they can find.

This little brown moth didn’t mind at having his picture taken.

Most of the daisies are done blooming, but there are one or two pretty blossoms in each clump.

All over the yard there are single blossoms on flowers that were blooming prolifically not so long ago. As though they are putting out one last effort before winter arrives.

~~Rhonda

We had lunch at the nursery which has a nice cafe. The food was delicious (I had a great chicken salad on wonderful herb bread). I must say, their creamy coleslaw with apples was also delicious. I’d love to have that recipe. The dressing had a tiny bit of a spicy bite to it. I couldn’t put my finger on it. The view from the restaurant is supreme! The nursery is located at the top of a hill and overlooks a wide valley.

The veranda used to hold all kinds of unique containers filled with beautiful flowers and greenery. I was disappointed to find they no longer make those, as I had planned to take some pictures for ideas. The veranda and terrace are still beautiful places to rest and enjoy the wonderful view.

The nursery has a few golf carts the customers may use to visit the daylily fields. I drove, DH got in and out to check out the names of ones we liked. The nursery needs to do a better job of labeling them. There were four or five we did not purchase as we didn’t know the names.

We enjoyed our visit there. On the way home we stopped at Red Lobster for supper. We haven’t eaten there for probably 20 years. The meal was good and we’re glad we tried it. I’ve made “Red Lobster” Cheddar Bay biscuits at home in the past, using this recipe.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
2/3 c. milk
1/2 c. shredded mild cheddar cheese
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (not garlic salt)
parsley flakes

Combine the biscuit mix, milk and cheese and stir for about 30 seconds.
Spoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake 450*F for 8-10 minutes.
Combine butter and garlic powder and brush over hot biscuits. Sprinkle with parsley.

I have to say, the biscuits at Red Lobster last night were NOT even close to being as good as the ones I made at home. I couldn’t find a trace of cheddar cheese in the biscuits we had last night and they were not as dense as I thought they should be. But overall, the meal was quite good. Not like having fresh seafood in Florida, but good.

We crossed the Mississippi River coming and going. The flooding is supposed to be cresting about now, though more rain to the north could send another crest next week.

In our own garden, it was fitting that the first flower out on the daylily ‘Forever Loving You’ opened on our anniversary.

DH is the best. He’s hard working, loving, kind and considerate, sacrificing for me and for our family. I thank God for him every day. Thirty one years encompasses a lot…good and bad, easy and hard…but we wouldn’t have it any other way. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) The perspective of thirty-plus years is a great vantage point from which to see the truth in that verse.

~~Rhonda