For the Love of Summer!

My absolutely favorite time of year, Summer.  Can life get any better than this…

Canterbury Bells in purple..



We have had a full week of fabulous temperatures that have my garden outdoing itself.  I take my first cup of coffee out each morning to enjoy the blooms of the day. 

This week has been cram packed full of activities but I take my sweet time in the morning to just soak up what I love about this time of year. 

Pink Sweet Peas



We are to have a cool down, a dramatic one over the next 5 days or so.  Most of my plants will do just fine if the nights do not drop below the 40’s.  My tomatoes and basil will not like it in the least so I will try to give them some protection.

Princess Diana rose



Seems ridiculous to have to protect the plants when it is more than past mid-June.

Eden Rose



It is what it is.

This rose below I do not know the “real” name for.  I just call it my Grandpa Nute rose.  Grandpa Nute was my paternal grandfather.  This rose was planted out by his well house for 30 odd years.  Each summer my cousins, brothers and I spent a good week or so with our grandparents.

We had tons of fun. Getting up at dawn to milk the cows with Grandpa, he sharing his coffee with us before we headed out to the barn(our cups were filled with mostly fresh hot milk with a tad of coffee and a teaspoon of sugar).



As we all traipsed to the barn loaded with milk buckets and other milking paraphernalia, we had to go past the well house.  Grandpa would pause as he gazed at this lovely rose blooming it’s heart out and rhetorically ask, “isn’t that the purdiest thing you ever saw?”

Grandma could see the rose from her kitchen window and she was just as attached to it.

So when we had to sell their house I made sure we dug it up (I should say my patient and loving husband did, he broke 3 shovels and nearly his back to get it out of the ground for me)and I took it with me. 



It loves it here and I can see it from my studio French doors.  I need to take cuttings and propagate it, it is one tough puppy and it blooms forever. I am training it to cover this lattice, soon I will have a wall of red roses. 

I have a couple roses in pots on my back deck and they are performing well too.

Anne Boleyn



Dreamweaver



My foxgloves are at their best.



This one is an unusual banana crème color.



Petal Pusher



Elke cranesbill geranium



I have tons more but will share those another day.  I am glad you could join me for a little garden tour.  This journal of my blooms will be lovely to look back on this coming winter.

I can at least pretend to be taking a morning walk in the garden as I sip my coffee by the woodstove on a cold, dark winters morning. 

Happy Summer!

Tootsie Time