You Had Me At Hello

Summer...

You had me at hello

You swept me up in your intensity

And the crazy-hatted party goers

you brought to my garden

You arrived dressed in eye-popping colours

Against a backdrop of glorious greens

With the summer comes the sun

And with the sun comes the heat

June, July and August whizzed by

in a colourful, shimmering mirage

Trumpets blared sweet summer's song

filling my senses with their heady perfume

While the fish grew fat and happy

in the pond

So many moments to enjoy

So much beauty to drink in

Some scenes almost too beautiful to believe

That this is reality and not just a dream

In my garden, summer has been gentle,

Fluttery

Feminine

Fringed

Filled with colourful hues,

Stately colour shapes

And bold colour wows!

Autumn is on its way

and when I look back

This will have been a Summer

I will never forget!

Singing The Blues

There's something special about the colour blue.

In my garden it's a fairly rare colour

so when I see it, I can't help but stop and stare.

The flowers in the first photo, a type of forget-me-not,

were given to me by my youngest son

when he was eight-years-old.

Twelve years later they continue to reseed themselves.

Every time I see their cheerful blue petals

I think of my son

and how sweet it was of him to think of me.

This blue cornflower isn't more than one inch in diameter

but its magnetic shade of blue

can catch my eye from across the yard.

My favourite shade of delphinium,

aptly named Sky Blue.

And the best shade of blue?

Nothing beats a blue sky on a hot summer's day.

Magic Is In The Air

Did you know that flowers exhale magic?

That their blooms light the air?

If you don't believe me,

give one a (gentle) shake

and watch the magic tumble out.

They Shall Remain Nameless

So, I have a huge fascination for clematis

But it appears they can be quite fussy about their growing conditions

I prefer to believe that a plant is difficult and fussy

rather than blame myself for being a poor gardener :)

Anyway, here's my clematis growing strategy

I plant them here and there

And when they die off, or grow in a lacklustre fashion

I plant a new one right next to it

This way, whether the old one dies or blooms

I don't really care

Its replacement is ready to take over

And sometimes, in banner years

I get every clematis I ever planted

(some tripled up in the same spot)

all blooming at once

And this is why

much as I'd like to give you

all the names of all the clematis you see in these photos

I can't!

If you don't name something

you won't get attached to it, right?

Anyway, their tags have faded long ago

Or been thrown out in a fit of temper (mine, not theirs)

Wouldn't you know it,

this is one of those banner years

Neighbours have stopped by

to admire my gorgeous clematis display

Thinking me to be some kind of clematis "expert"

they ask me all kinds of questions about my soil, fertilizer and techniques

I hold them off for a while

fending off their questions as best I can

But when I can't produce or remember

even one of my clematis' names

I am finally exposed as the fraud

that I am:)

Daisy Days

How I love my daisies

Simple and so sweet

Petals dancing round the sun

Such a joyous treat

You gather in my garden

Like a happy family

You share your wealth

With everyone

Just like it's supposed to be

Oh, how I love my daisies

My favourite summer treat