The Shortening Days

The days are now getting shorter in the Northern Hemisphere. Can you feel it? You know summer is just weeks away from ending.

And yet, the baby birds are still slumbering in my garden. Yet another sparrow has made an eye-level nest at the top of a tomato.

There is still so much beauty everywhere, and yet I know it is going to change soon.

“Just ask the animals, and they will teach you.
    Ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.
 Speak to the earth, and it will instruct you.
    Let the fish in the sea speak to you.
 For they all know...

Job 12:7-9

In Victory, 
Sherry

Sunflower & Black Forest Dahlia

I had a volunteer sunflower come up, and it went perfectly with these Black Forest Ruby Dahlias I got from Baker Creek Seeds this year. 

I have had mixed results with dahlias in my climate, but these did really well.

The key to growing them seems to be where I place them in the yard. These had some bright morning and noonday sun but a little afternoon shade. This dahlia has to be my favorite dahlia I have ever grown from seed. 

I saved my sparrow's nest that came from my flowerpot. The babies happily made it to flight and took off with a watchful mother.

I continue to enjoy the flower shed, and I am often arranging.

Here is a Lady of Shallot rose with a miniature tea set I found at a thrift store for my granddaughter.

My favorite cosmos fell over during a storm, so I picked most of them and made a bouquet,

In Victory,

Sherry

Summer Zinnias

Here is a bouquet of some of my favorite zinnias this year.

strawflower

There are also a few strawflowers I grew for drying. 

I placed the bouquet in the cottage corner by some recent thrift store finds. Yes, I found Mason Cash mixing bowls at the thrift store!

In Victory,

Sherry

Fall Garden Refresh

 
I have been working on a fall refresh in the garden. Much of the summer flowers that have peaked are on their way out, but it can still be pretty.

Of course I have been adding some mums for fall color. I really appreciate these blooms late in the summer garden. 

I have some "new" to me French-style furniture that I have repainted and is ready for some fall displays. The color of this planter when I found it was rust. I spray-painted the whole thing white.

I just planted and watered that mum; that is why there is a wet patio there.

This vine survived the summer and looks amazing. It is even blooming. I am not sure what it is. I can't recall what I bought; I just liked the color. I am a very visual organizer.

The flowers that love the heat are still going strong and gorgeous! 

I have been growing the Queen Lime zinnias for a few years now, and they are a favorite in the garden.

It is important to note that I do not garden for perfection; I garden for habitat over perfectly deadheaded flowers. The zinnia and the sunflowers are food for the goldfinches and other songbirds, and I will leave them in place for the birds and pull them at the very end of the season. 

In Victory,
Sherry

Rose Mini Bouquet

I found this great cylindrical creamer at the thrift store this week, and I thought of making a mini bouquet. I haven't made one in a while. The roses are enjoying the cooler weather, and I thought I would use them in my "new" vase.

I had to turn it around so you could see the Lady of Shallot rose. I love that color!

The double feverfew reseeded itself into a pot and gave me a second set of blooms this year. I like it when garden surprises like that occur. 

In Victory,

Sherry

Cottage Garden: Zinnia Bouquet

One last summer bouquet with zinnias. They look great any way you display them.

The butterflies are back in force here, in the late summer garden. We have missed them most of the summer, but now that the heat has let up, they are frequenting the garden.

In Victory,

Sherry

Goodbye Summer

I am saying goodbye to summer this week, with a late summer tea in the garden while I am doing a fall refresh.

The cicadas are still singing, the daisies are having their last hurrah, and the rose hips are just starting to blush.

On the side of the roads the goldenrod has started to bloom in full, a sure sign fall is on its way.

The roses are having their late summer blooms and looking rather pretty even if this was a brutal summer on them. The days are getting shorter, and I am ready to embrace fall. 

In Victory,

Sherry

The Cottage Corner

With the heat of summer, I find myself inside more than I would like, but it does give me a chance to play in my cottage corner. 

My cottage corner is quickly becoming a cottage kitchen for fall baking. New additions to it are making it cozy.

I have lots of flowers to put into bouquets, but the garden has now given in to only the toughest heat loving blooms.

Playing on the baker's rack, and considering if I should make it a pantry or just a storage and tea service area.

And fall is going to be here soon even though it may not feel like it outside. It is time to start considering fall pursuits.

Gifts from the Garden

There is a coffee shop in our region that offered flowers and coffee delivered. I thought it was a winning combination. So I am copying it!

What a better way to share blooms and brighten someone's day! 

In Victory,

Sherry

Hydrangea Bouquet

We have had an incredible heat wave for almost two months, and things are looking shabby in the garden.

One thing that sort of looks pretty shabby is the hydrangeas. They bloomed full, and now they are fading with a rustic charm. I have been collecting flowers for bouquets and photographing them with very little time in the garden. I see a post coming about what survived this heat! 

In Victory,

Sherry

Summer Nights

 
I have been working on making the garden more like garden rooms and enchanting at all seasons and times of the day.

It is really a simple garden. It is practical and alluring to pollinators.

It has become a habitat not only for my family but for all sorts of wildlife. Right now, although you can't really see them, it is a haven for lightning bugs. 

I tried to snap a picture of one, but no matter how many times I took a picture, I couldn't see one elusive bug.

So I will give you this tour of the garden in the evening instead. The locust are singing along with the lightning bugs flashing and it is quite magical on this summer evening.

In Victory,

Sherry