Hi Friends!
The birds are singing sweetly, the cicadas are even louder,
the mosquitoes are biting,
and late afternoon rainstorms have been blowing across the plains.
It’s July in the Midwest…
and I’ve been spending lots of time in the garden!
♥♥♥
Most days, this little sign on our front porch lets visitors know where to find me. 🙂
There have been more big changes,
as I work hard toward my goal to ‘right-size’ my cottage perennial gardens,
inspired by this wonderful book by Kerry Ann Mendez.
Throughout this busy month, I’ve also been doing a bit of garden memory-keeping,
bullet-style, in my Garden Journal.
In our area, we have had over seven inches (18 cm.) of rain so far this month.
Northern Illinois has had twice as much rainfall and rivers there are overflowing their banks.
Our thoughts are with everyone experiencing the terrible, widespread flooding.
Unfortunately, heavy thunderstorms are expected again tonight.
Fortunately, we have had plenty of dry, sunny days, too…
Last year, I dug out a huge bed of Daylilies to create a special History Garden
along the length of our garage.
It is filled with favorite perennials that were growing in this garden 30 years ago,
when I moved here and learned to garden.
This month, I dug again for several days
to remove another large patch of orange Daylilies.
Of course, I waited until they were finished blooming! 🙂
After removing and composting this patch of Daylilies,
now we can fully enjoy the blossoms in the History Garden!
I reused the antique bricks that I rescued
when we removed a stone planter in the front yard this spring.
It made sense to use the oldest bricks to create a simple garden path
past the oldest perennials in our garden!
As I pondered what to plant along the path (left side in photo),
it dawned on me that the same principles
that I use in my artwork would be perfect in the garden, too.
So, I transplanted Hostas and Artemisia to create a limited color palette
and pattern repetition from nearby garden beds.
Digging and moving perennials around in the garden feels very much like
‘watercoloring’ with real flowers!
Finally, I planted grass seed in the bare soil in the foreground.
Just this week, it felt so wonderful to complete another big gardening goal!
Now I can enjoy a full view of the History Garden
while I spend time in my Herb & Tea Garden,
the true ‘heart of my garden,’
surrounded by the white, picket fence. 🙂
Just wondering…
What are your favorite and least favorite garden tasks?
My very favorite:
I just love deadheading the spent blossoms,
harvesting herbs, cutting bouquets of flowers,
and brewing a cup of homegrown herbal tea!
My least favorite:
I’m constantly battling with Creeping Charlie (ground ivy),
and Bishop’s Weed as they spread through my garden.
Digging up Daylilies is just exhausting. So glad that task is finished!
♥♥♥
Heartfelt thanks for chatting by the garden gate with us today.
Keep blooming and growing each day this summer!
Perennially yours,
♡ Dawn
P.S. We just returned from a wonderful, little adventure! ♥♥ Can’t wait to share it with you very soon!
