What bloomin' in the garden

 Now that Summer is winding down, the flowers in the garden are fewer, but still Beautiful. One of my favorite standbys is the marigold. I love their look, their scent, their strength. They will be blooming right up till a good frost hits us.

 And of course, my geraniums are still in bloom too. Marigolds and geraniums are planted here every year in memory of my Grandmother Mary, who loved these flowers so much

 The spirea is in bloom again

 as is my "New Dawn" rosebush. I saw pictures of this rosebush in a magazine while i was in the hospital this April, and one of the first trips i took once i got out of there was to a greenhouse with my daughter Katie, and we found this bush. It's the first year here, so next year should be even better!

 These black eyed susans are growing all over the place! They are so top heavy with blooms i have had to tie them up or they lay flat on the ground.

 i put in some new sedum "Autumn Joy" along the front fence walkway for some lasting Autumn color

 the wild asters are growing up in a tangle with the rosa rugusa bushes

 and i planted some new coreopsis and painted daisies in the front garden to fill in some gaps i had this year. Hopefully they will come back in the Spring and fill in some...

 I've had this statue for quite some time in my studio and decided to move him out to the old tree stump in the front garden. I'll fill his bowls with birdseed

 I LOVE the new landscape grasses the greenhouses are offering for sale now. It's hard to see in this picture but the little seed heads on the grass tips are red and will get darker in color as the cooler weather comes in. I love the movement the grasses give the garden when the breezes blow.

 Here is a better picture of the "tree stump garden" i have weeded and prepared for planting. Behind the stump, in back of the monk, i planted 2 butterfly bushes to give him a backdrop of color. But the rest of the little garden area will be filled in with all different kinds of sedum, hens and chicks, etc...

 And this is a picture for my friend Crimsoncat who lives in the great Southwest and visits my blog every now and then. This is my poor pitiful lonesome cactus that i have growing outdoors. As far as i know this is the ONLY variety of cactus (prickly pear?) that will tolerate this climate. It spent the Summer buried under weeds so it is particularly scraggly now. And it looks like something has been nibbling on it. But it always comes back in the Spring!

 You can't see this tree very well in the shot, but it is my crabapple (variety "Robinson" haha!) that i planted last year after the big evergreen had to be taken down 2 years ago(the stump in the tree stump garden) In a few weeks it should have some beautiful color to it's leaves.

 And here is my Japanese maple (variety "Bloodgood) that i also planted after the big tree had to come down. Both trees are small ornamentals and will never have to be cut down due to their size.

And the last new additions to my front garden are some HUGE boulders my neighbor gave me after he moved to his new home. They look very happy here in the new space, and i just love the way they look in my garden! Thanks for visiting!