OVERGROWN

Just the way the butterflies and hummingbirds like it!

GATE TO PARADISE

LIBELULA

One of the signs of a healthy garden.

GHOST

Female ruby-throated hummingbird feeding on monarda dydima

SHADOW PLAY

WAITING TO BE ARRANGED!

You tell me, do they really need arranging?

ANOTHER NECTAR BAR

Butterfly and hummingbird delight. Monarda dydima,

aka bergamot is in the mint family (square stems), grows with abandon, loves the summer heat and spreads around wherever it pleases. The leaves have a lovely , strong, fragrance and can be dried and used in teas and poptpourri. Another winner at Furball Cottage. The hummigbirds fight each other over these blossoms. Just look at those flower bracts (pseudo petals). They're meant for hummingbirds' tongues!

BLOOMING BUFFET

First come the bees and the butterflies for the nectar and then, when the color is gone and they look ready to be cut down, the goldfinches arrive in flocks and paint the sky with yellow and gold and eat the seeds and make my heart rejoice! I'd say that's what a true all-seasons plant should be all about.

DEWDROPS

On a very fragrant hosta flower...

HUMMINGBIRDS WELCOME!

Jewelweed is loved by hummingbirds. This is a wild flower that has been growing and thriving in my garden for several years. It's in the impatiens family but it's very tall. I didn't plant it, but I'm glad it found me! Right now the hummers are buzzing all over the garden having a feast on this and the other hummingbird-friendly blooms out there.

HOT, HOT, HOT!

A perfect verbena ball of fire!

A RESIDENT

They eat the cherries and the acorns, they dig all over the place, they're pretty brazen, but they're oh, so cute!

TREASURES

The Treasures you Find when you Dig in the Garden!

CARMEN SEURAT

So many little dots!

CARMEN CEZANNE

He painted fruit, you know.

BIRTHDAY FLOWERS MAKE JULY SPECIAL

SUMMER AFTERNOON

As it has been said before, the two most beautiful words in the English language. SUMMER AFTERNOON. No matter how hectic the schedule or busy the mind, undone tasks put aside without a hint of remorse. Touching the sweet, green grass, lying down on its softness, looking up at the bright blue sky and slowly, oh so very slowly... finding the shapes in the clouds. SUMMER AFTERNOON. A peaceful memory to carry me through whatever the months ahead may bring. SUMMER AFTERNOON. It's worth repeating once again. So go ahead, say it.