The dawning of August Bloom Day...and I'm awake to see it!This cute annual has a papery texture, and remained closed-looking like this for the longest time.......that I had no idea it was hiding this bloom!

Daylily "Strawberry Candy"....
.....double yellow hollyhock...I want some of the super-tall old-fashioned varieties too. (This gets only about 3 feet tall for me.) I really like it when I can get a color scheme going like this, especially by accident! (That's right! It's the dreaded "red and yellow" combo! Mwahahahahahahaha!)
"Lorraine Sunshine" heliopsis still blooming like crazy...

....cute little five-lined skinks show themselves here and there all summer...

.....and these yummy blackberries are just ripening...
.....some sort of cute skipper enjoying the coneflowers....
.....with some funky folded wings! (Wasn't there a paper airplane that looked something like this in grade school?)
The water garden tubs finally look good after a bumpy start. In fact, I think these are my favorite results so far, except for the water lilies...I miss the way the pads look, even if they don't bloom for me. Even the "feeder goldfish" seem happy! (Maybe because they aren't being fed to anything :)
Purple prairie clover blooming more than ever.... ....and this sucessful sedum nearly concealing this little frog...

.....this cyclamen is exciting for me, I've never had these grow, let alone bloom! This daylilies' name is unknown to me, as it was a passalong from my sister. (I like it, though!)
Nice volunteer morning glory...lots of people find them invasive, but they behave almost too well for me....I want more!

Weigela 'White Knight' re-blooming....

...'Stargazer' oriental lily blooming (and smelling) amazing...

.....so is her cousin, 'Mojave'.... ....I like this coneflower, 'Green Envy'. I hope to collect lots of these, new cultivars as well as various wild types, since the pollinators love them so much.


Okay, not blooms, but my birdhouses have been coming up with some strange occupants this year. I don't really understand how this rodent got in here, but when I looked later he was gone. I can't even tell if it's a chipmunk or red squirrel...

...but I know who this is! This Grey Tree Frog was living in here last year, too. I'm glad these bird houses are being used, but I sure didn't think it would be by everything except birds! These are made from a cement/wood composite to be durable, and kinda expensive. Oh well...when you're a landlord to wild things, you can't always choose your tenants!

I don't have an official name for this daylily either, it was a passalong from my mom. LOVE the color, though...
.....and I love to see these guys, too! This is a benefit from growing milkweed, Monarch butterfly caterpillars. They come in all sizes... ...and this one was teeny!

But this bloom isn't! This daylily is 'Mary Todd'....

....more nice yellow, this is 'Prairie Sun' rudbeckia....

....and this pretty mushroom, Amanita muscaria formosa (I think).
Here's chicory! I have been trying to get this to grow for me a long time, even though it grows by the side of the road everywhere up here! Isn't that just how it goes?
Not blooms again, but I can't stay on topic to save my life, so...the clinging birds found my upside-down suet feeder-yay! I was going through way too much peanut suet, mostly because of greedy red-wing blackbirds. But they don't like the regular ol' seed and suet cakes as much, so those are in my "regular" suet feeders and the good stuff is in here for just the woodpeckers and this White-breasted Nuthatch .

More pretty daylilies, this is 'Majic Dawn' next to 'Mary Todd'....
...nice bright flower on this plant, whose name escapes me right now (the plant is grey and fuzzy like lamb's ear)...

.....speaking of "escape", look who surprised me on the porch! Time to tidy up these pots and stuff! This planter is really going crazy! Even though it's crowded, I really like the way it's turning out........especially considering where it was when first started. I hadn't been seeing as many frogs as usual this year until recently, but now these babies are everywhere!
My strawberry begonia is still blooming in the garden, the flowers are so cute and airy...
...I like this Mexican Evening Primrose too. The bloom looks like it's wearing a scarf around its' "neck"....

...another nice daylily that I don't have an official ID for, but it looks like a "spider"-type bloom...

....sea holly blooming nicely...

.....another coneflower, petals not quite open all the way. Some of these do have petals that stay like this, though. Cool blooms on this Indian Pipe ...I have this in the woods around my yard.
Another nice coneflower, I think it's 'Kim's Knee-high'....

....wild Harebell (I have a lot of this)....

...'Russian Princess' lobelia....

....hosta 'Fireworks'.... ....'Ice Carnival' daylily...
.....purple pimento pepper, and they smell fairly hot. Unfortunately, the only one to sample these so far is Gizmo the cat, and he's not talkin'! I picked five small peppers the other day, put them on the counter, and he ate all of them! Judging from the small bits of vomit I found in the kitchen, I'd say he's regretting that decision (goofball!).

Dyalily 'Blueberry Sundae'....

....white cat, 'Bentley'...okay, again not bloom, but I let the cats out for a bit the other day and have to mention it. Bentley wasn't too thrilled, he mostly stayed on the porch and complained...

...Gizmo, however was very interested in exploring....
....pretty much everywhere! My son would be upset to know I let them out, because they have always been house cats, and eagles cruise overhead out here regularly. (These guys would be very tasty to a large raptor like that, as well as easy pickins'.) But they always meow when I'm outside, so I thought I'd let them come out already. They did fine, but Bentley was pissed at Gizmo when they got back in the house. He growled and hissed at Giz for a good couple hours, then seemed to get over it. I think he was upset that Gizmo didn't come when Bentley called to him from the porch, but who knows.


Very cool double daylily, I think it's called 'Kwanzo' . I got it as a passalong from my mom...

....and I love it! It blooms more than doulble...like triple and quadruple sometimes! Coneflower 'Polar Giant'....

...the only two surviving carnivorous plants out in the screen house for the summer and looking happy...
....although my Norfolk Island pine is happy not to be outside! After the hissy-fit it threw last year I decided to leave it in for the summer. I open these windows when I can to provide a cross-draft and keep the trunk sturdy, without stressing the thing into dropping more branches like before. So far so good...
...and last but not least, this tiny tomato prepares to jettison its' bloom...

...as I jettison another Bloom Day. For more exciting Bloom Day action, see our founder Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Happy Bloom Day!

In the interest of fairness...I have decided to post the following rebuttal to my post regarding "Deer Wars".....Well I guess she told me!

Gifts from the Cactus Guru...I have a dear friend whom I've dubbed "Cactus Guru" for the wealth of wisdom imparted upon me to put an end to my cruel, cactus-rotting ways. Well I must be a good student, because look what I got in the mail!Check out the adorable packaging..........with ample warnings as to the danger level of the contents.........and padding for protection! (As much for me as them!)And excellent cultural info! Good thing, because I still need all the help I can get!Wow! Look at the size of this prickly pear pad! If this thing takes off and grows well for me, I'll need a "desert room" added on to my house!Now, to pot these babies up, I'll need some tools to keep me safe. These metal tongs worked great, I didn't even need to wear gloves.Some screen to prevent a washout/mess........and the "secret" soil formula. I kind of made up these proportions myself, based on information from my guru. I double-checked for final approval and was told it sounded just fine, with this caveat:"This is a general, well draining mix with some vital nutrients mixed in, but certainly could be tweaked, according to genus and country of origin." What a smart, guru-like thing to say! :) And although my measuring scoop has no official measurements on it, I'm guessing it holds about 1 1/2 cups...see why I need a guru? ;-)The sand I used came from sandbags acquired from the local dump, but any coarse sand will do. Then the pea gravel, and now for the extra nutrients: compost from my composter (pre-screened to get out big chunks), kelp meal...
....bone meal (looks every bit as yucky as it sounds)...
....and greensand.......and yes, it's green!
Rolled it all around in my Odjob mixer, and commenced potting. Looks like a good consistency, and the pea gravel sure helps support this big pad... ...... Mammilaria elongata 'Copper King' looking cozy together....
.....Cereus peruvianus 'Monstrose'....

.....Cholla looking fierce...

.....Euphorbia ferox.... ....opuntia of some sort, looking cute as a button (well, a spiny button, anyway)...

.....Notocactus haselbergii 'Scarlet Crown'.... ....Notocactus leninghausii....

There! What a nice looking group! I'll leave them in indirect light with no water for a couple weeks per the advice of my guru, then water with a weak (1/2 strength or less) solution of fish emulsion and a capful of blackstrap molasses (My guru says of the molasses:"It's full of minerals too, plus they like a hit of sugar once or twice a year. Actually the microbes in the soil like it.") All I need to do now is buy a moisture meter, because my Cactus Guru swears by it. (And 30 years of Guru sucess is all the proof I need!) Oh please don't let me kill you guys! Cross your spines and hope not to die!

Deer wars...if you're a gardener of any kind, you know what I'm referring to. The enemy is lurking, whether you're in the yard or in the woods, you can feel it....something is out there.......they're sneaky, too. Using any resource available, they disguise themselves to avoid detection. For example, here in the fog is the perpetrator, lurking in the distance.......even on a clear day, out in the open, they have cloaking abilities that defy reason.......ACK! What's going on?!Hey! See what I mean? They posess some mystical cloaking system to sneak up on us! Even the headlights on our cars are no match.......nor is the deep snowfall! They will come from far and wide to devour and destroy the fruits of a gardener's labor. Nothing can stop them it seems.......they even train their young in cloaking techniques and disguises!How can we win against these stealthy beasts? Physical barriers such as these cages around young trees can help.......they don't stop all potential damage, but can at least prevent all-out decimation!Smaller plants require even more protection, since rabbits and groundhogs are known to be agents of destruction as well.......another technique: repellent sprays. This product has been the best performer for me thus far, but it smells positively disgusting! Fortunately, the smell dissipates almost entirely overnight and it lasts up to 30 days. (I spray about every 2 weeks in spring when pressure is high.) And although it brings me pleasure to beat these interlopers at their own game, I like to try new products from time to time.......so right now I'm trialing this stuff, which is supposed to smell good and last longer, about 60 days. It does smell good, like really strong cinnamon. So I tried it on the row of hostas along my driveway, as these are "extras" and can afford to be sacrificed if necessary. So far, so good......."So how's that grab ya', you hungry alien creep?!" Hahahahahaha!Then suddenly, without warning, a new enemy emerges........Dusty! This is my neighbor's pony, Dusty, and he manages to "escape" several times each summer. He's particularly fond of the plants in my yard, although he roams most everywhere, sampling as he goes. Fortunately, he does not posess the powers of stealth like the deer......so he's much easier to keep out. This flimsy little plastic "gate" is only attached by twist-ties at one end, and bungee cords at the other. It's enough of a visual and physical barrier to convince him to move along. (I had to make it high enough though, I've seen him clear a rope gate 3 1/2 feet off the ground!)
As you can see, I'm no engineer, and my "design" is a real pain to open and close. (Heh, what was that about "measure twice, cut once"? :) Oh well, I can revise it... ...thus concludes this ongoing saga....for now. Beware the shape-shifting, cloaked and stealthy foliage thieves...they're coming for your plants too! Submitted to Friday Ark.