Fun in the Shade

While playing croquet in the back yard this afternoon,
I noticed these flowers growing in a ditch.
I dug them up by the root and transplanted them.
Will they come back next year?
 I was REALLY happy to notice the single Echinacea (below)
growing in one of our beds.
I THOUGHT I had some last year,
but couldn't remember where!
I also thought we had gotten ride of the moles.
Apparently not.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Wonderland by Night

The fire-fly hunt was the prelude to the light show
that developed as darkness settled in last night.
Happy to see that ALL the solar lights were working!

Scene in a New Light

 Our supermarket occasionally runs a "special" - buy 10 for $10/Get the 11th free.
These lights were included.  Yesterday I purchased six of them
and five other grocery items.
I have an appointment that will take me past the store this morning.
I think I'll buy 11 more!  $.90@ is a great deal...
and they looked SO good when the sun went down last night!
How do you "light" the night at YOUR house?

After the Shearing

Before
 
After
After a little bit of research, this morning I went out and trimmed the Lamb's Ear (see yesterday's post.) while it was still cool.  I only left one flowering stalk.  There were quite a few moldy leaves in the undergrowth.  I removed them.  The plants look so much fuller now.  I thought the drainage was pretty good where these are growing, but I may brainstorm about a new location and see what I come up with...
If you have Lamb's Ear, where is it growing?
Do you use it as a border plant or a "stand-alone"?
(One site I goggled said it's a good border plant...)

The Care of Feeding of Lamb's (Ear)

Believe it or not, this ^ is the BETTER looking 
patch of my Lamb's Ear!
OK.  I admit it.  I have paid little attention
to it over the past three or four years since planting it.
Now I see that I should have been encouraging
 outward growth by deadheading the flower spikes shortly after they begin to wilt. 
Also by trimming the outermost leaves I will encourage the foliage 
of each lamb's ear to thicken.
Lamb's Ear is a drought-resistant plant,
doesn't like a lot of watering,
and was once considered a weed!

Speaking of weeds...
Is THIS a weed or should I encourage it?
It grows close to the ground between our stepping stones.

After the Wind

 We went outside to view and straighten up the wind-effects 
from yesterday and last night.
 It didn't take me long to notice
 that no matter WHERE they were
 THEY looked good
 and things AROUND them
looked better, too!
 I think
 there is
 a life lesson here!
I probably should have posted this whole thing
HERE instead of here!
It's more of a "Life Lesson" kind of place.


In Spite of the Heat

I turned around after placing the sprinkler this morning
(thanking God for our well)
and saw the sun playing on our flowers!




What beauty!
In spite of the heat!

Miracles Still Happen!

I won all the above...the door prize at the Van Wert Garden Walk last Saturday.
Was I ever surprised to receive the call yesterday morning!
I took the Harvester part of the prize with me
when I went to help a friend weed her
WONderful vegetable garden early this morning.
(You can see the morning sunbeams.)
It's SO hot and dry.  It's a MIRACLE the garden is producing
as well as it is.
Upon completion, Donna gave me some onions and zucchini.
I hope very soon this Harvester bag will overflow 
with good things for her and Lynn.
I once heard a song which said,
"You have to plow the fields for miracles to happen".
They have CERTAINLY plowed their field!

The Grand Finale?

 In spite of 93 degree temperatures yesterday, we enjoyed the 
Van Wert (Ohio) Master Gardeners' Garden Walk immensely.
As usual, my camera gravitated toward garden whimsy--
documenting and adding ideas to my ever-busy brain!


 Color, signs, and seating areas always attract my attention.

I really liked this chandelier hanging in this beautiful gazebo.
Can you read the scripted under its eaves below?
(You can click on the picture to enlarge it.)



 Whether rustic....
colorful...
 formal...
 or whimsical...
it caught my eye!
I was especially excited to meet a garden blogger (of excellence and renown),
Kylee.  See her Little Acre HERE if you haven't already met her.
We've done some serious Garden Walking the past couple of weeks!
This one may be the 2011 Grand Finale for us.
It's probably time to turn our attention to our own.