Friday, July 28, 2017

Mid-Summer





Mid-summer, the height of summer in New England.  The flower gardens are at their peak now.  Our gardens are mostly reds and yellows with pops of purple and orange - the "hot" colors.  It is the complete opposite of the inside of our home which is white, neutrals and wood, with almost no color most of the time.  I especially like the inside to be all neutrals in the summer.  It just seems to make it feel cooler, plus it is an escape from the color overload outside.  





But oh do I love heading outside in the summer.  We spend almost all day outside on summer days.  We love being home with the dogs, whichever "grown" kids may be around, puttering in the gardens, drinking coffee in the rocking chairs on the deck, reading in the screen house, floating in the pool, watching the millions of birds.  It is my absolute favorite place to while away a summer day.

The dogs get their own pool.

In early summer I did a garden tour here on the blog, but everything has changed so much so I am sharing yard photos again.  Enjoy the ridiculous number of photos I decided to share.



This is the front of the house.  We use a lot of the same flowers, those that have proved to be resilient and dog-proof.  Daylily, Black-eyed Susan, Yarrow, Knock-out Roses, Red-cone Flowers, Salvia.  We also let Sunflowers grow wherever they come up.  


The stone wall is a repeat of the flowers in the front and also includes lots of Hostas, Phlox, and Coreopsis.  A favorite shady spot for the dogs is right under that bush in the middle.  You can see the dark hole they lie in beneath it.







The entrance to the mudroom.




Our favorite spot for our morning coffee.



This is another of the dog's favorite spots.  There are 2 "husky holes" under this Holly bush where they both nap in the shade.




The herb garden.  Only the basil seems to like it here.


Our raised vegetable beds.  This is the pumpkin patch.  Behind it is corn.



My attempt to camouflage the septic pipe.  You wouldn't even know it's there - right?


 The dry river that goes through the corner hill in front of our house.



The hill on the corner.







Heliopsis, Red Cone Flower, Amur Maple.



Classy.


Yeah, I guess we could have just gotten a new wheel for it.












False Sunflower (heleiopsis), Shasta Daisy, and Black-eyed Susan - 3 of my favorite perennials.


Last year we had a very bad drought and didn't get any apples.  This year, the trees are loaded.



Last year we planted raspberry and blackberry bushes.  They were just little tiny sticks.  The bushes are HUGE but so far, very little fruit.  I guess it takes a couple of years.


Our neighbor's Peach Tree which hangs way over into our yard, so we get to enjoy it too!


A Red Oak and a Red Maple, newly planted.  Purchased for 50% off at Home Depot.


Lots of rain means lots of rainbows.










We can't keep the pups out of the gardens, so we roll with it.


This one is a poser.


10 comments:

  1. Your garden is absolutely gorgeous! I love all the pops of red in the chairs and doors, the wagon etc. I would never be inside either if I had your yard.

    Lisa

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    1. I just love all the red outdoors. I decorate with a lot of red for Christmas inside the house, but by New Years I can't wait to put it all away. I never tire of it outside though. Thanks for your sweet comment!
      Warmly, Gloria

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  2. So breathtaking! Love everything about this! I would never want to leave my house! stunning!!!

    Elizabeth

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    Replies
    1. Sometimes I just sit and stare, and then I keep noticing everything that still needs to be done and can't relax. I need to work on the being content part! Thank you for stopping by Elizabeth!
      Warmly, Gloria

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  3. Very beautiful gardens and dog. You must work incredibly hard on your garden and it shows!

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    Replies
    1. It is a lot of work, both the gardens and the dogs, but I keep telling my hubby the work is what keeps us young!
      Warmly, Gloria

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  4. Your landscaping is so colorful and pretty. As for the septic vent, you could paint it green or brown so it's less noticeable than the white. We painted ours. It just blends in now up the hill. Another idea, plant some sunflowers toward the side that you see the most. It won't affect the pipe as long as you don't dig there with a shovel. You could use a hand spade to just drop the seeds. We install septic systems and camouflage the pipe especially if it's to the front of the property. We have put a few 4' arborvitae toward the front of pipe so it totally blocks it. It's just a matter of what the homeowner wants. Just some ideas. Our neighbors took out their candy cane and it wasn't too long after that their leaching field failed. LOL

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    1. Thank you for all these great suggestions Lisa! We definitely won't take it out. Function always will trump looks for us. I really like the idea for the Sunflowers and painting it green or brown. I think that might be my next project! We planted arborvitae last year at the very back of our property to block our brush pile. We had a very bad drought in New England and could not water them because everyone's wells were failing so they all died. The nursery suggested we try Juniper instead so that could be another idea as well. I am so glad you came by!
      Warmly, Gloria

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  5. Wow, what a beautiful garden! This is my first visit to your blog. We just bought our first home so I was drawn to the title of your blog. We just have a cute little 2 bedroom cottage in California but it is definitely "long awaited"! Thanks for sharing all this inspiration!

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    1. Bettsi, I'm so glad you found my blog! I'm sure you will have a blast making your sweet little cottage cozy and welcoming! There is nothing like your first home. Enjoy!
      Warmly, Gloria

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Thank you for your lovely comments - they make my day!

Gloria