Friday, June 15, 2012

Sometimes I Just Need a Little Happiness from the Garden


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'Immortality' (smells like grape koolaid!)
As is normal during Tennessee summers we have been without any measurable rain for a few months now and the garden is showing the effects; as am I. I've just been a bit bummed out when I look at all the wilted plants and the weeds that simply cannot be pulled due to the hard dry soil; even blogging is not helping my mood when it comes to the garden. However, upon my daily walks through the garden I tend to get happy if not inspired. While I can't weed I can walk and enjoy so here are some of the small things that keep me going during our arid Tennessee summers. A reblooming fragrant iris simply makes me delirious with joy that I have sweet smelling irises in June!
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A tiny butterfly that caught my eye on this veronica spent quite a bit of time posing for me. I suspect this is a checkered white butterfly. I take the time to grab my camera and this little butterfly that is often so fitfully flying through gardens sits on its treasure and allows me to snap several photos and I am grateful to it. 
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Still I walk through the gardens and I see that the bees are perfectly content with ragged coneflowers despite the absence of the gardener or perhaps they like the gardener?
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Or maybe they were posing for me and trying to inspire me to plant some more coneflowers?
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Maybe the bees would appreciate not only coneflowers but some more pretty flowers and I begin to envision the garden as it will be when the rains return. I begin to plan for more flowers for the bees.
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The bees probably don't have wine bottles in mind when they are trying to inspire me but since these were such a hit recently I think they may have inspired some more wine bottle flowers in other gardens in the area and I am pleased some people like these wine bottles in my garden and may even use the same idea in their gardens.
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This daylily helped to make me feel a bit better about all of my dry shade when I read a new book called Planting the Dry Shade Garden: The Best Plants for the Toughest Spot in Your Garden by Graham Rice. I was so happy to hear 'Flore Pleno' was a tough daylily for shade I think I may just be inspired to go plant some more instead of ripping out all of the daylilies in my shade garden. You see I have come to the conclusion that dry shade is not only less colorful than sunny gardens but it is extremely difficult to keep looking good all summer long with no rain and I was beginning to not like my tall oak trees so much. But then I step into the sun and I quickly realize I'll take less color and more shade any day. The garden will survive the drought and the tree roots somehow some way and so will I.
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Blackberries in the Potahger get me pretty excited. Each morning as I walk my gardens I can grab a few berries to eat along the way. Not only can I eat blackberries but also blueberries and strawberries.  It is then that I think maybe the work required to keep up the potager is not such a bad thing after all when the reward is a handful of fresh berries each day.
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Another happy flower in the potager is this gladiolus. At one time I wanted to do away with all of these tough bulbs but somehow many bulbs escaped my shovel and managed to grow and bloom and then I get happy. I am glad I was not as diligent in removing these bulbs and I somehow realize that everything has a time and a place in the garden. Of course if these lovely faces of these flowers don't cheer me I can always recall my husband. He had strict instructions to pick out a daylily at a local daylily farm and he, in all of his wisdom, chose a gladiolus. It still brings a smile to my face so of course the glads just have to stay. 

 Even if we get no rain all summer long; which is quite normal; the garden will survive as will I. Some plants will go dormant but others will shine in the heat and dryness of our summers. The insects and wildlife will still visit and partake of the water in the garden. Vegetables will ripen and flowers will still bloom. Somehow I realize there is a cycle to life and to the seasons and time and it all works itself out....


in the garden....


Don't forget to post on my give a way post. Next week is the random drawing.







Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

28 comments:

  1. I needed the reminder that we WILL survive the drought :)

    That white iris is beautiful. And what a funny story about your husband bringing home the "glad" (as my grandmother used to call them) instead of a lily!

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    1. Don't we all Rebecca? It is awful already! Usually it doesn't hit us until mid July.

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  2. Great post and wonderful photos of the beautiful bloomers in your summer gardens.

    FlowerLady

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  3. Really happy garden photos, Tina. I too love all the little things making a garden and day brighter. We too have had little rain, but at this time of year with so much growing, it seems like I can overlook a few browning plants. Your garden looks great. All the work you did for the tour and the new garden you constructed, so much is wonderful in your garden this June and year.

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    1. Thanks Donna, The little things are sometimes the best for sure and life goes on still-thankfully.

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  4. Tina, I love the story about your husband's "daylily" selection! I think he did a great job, because even if it's not a daylily--it's stunning! I'm definitely adding the dry shade gardening book to my library--how did I miss that? Even though our gardens might be challenging right now, yours looks absolutely lovely!

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    1. I get a chuckle each time I remember him coming back to find me and saying he picked out a daylily but he was not sure if it was a daylily or not. Too funny about gardeners sometimes. We take for granted so many things if we know them then forget not everyone does and it is okay for sure. The dry shade garden book is a good one. I liked it very much. I got mine on Amazon and it arrived early brand new and packaged well.

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  5. What a great post Tina. I love the "glad". Mine are blooming now too & it brightens my daily walk as it is so wet here. My "walks" are limited due to the water. I have a couple "glads" that I did not plant so they are a delight. Also my lilies are blooming. Your husband made a good choice with the "glad".
    I sure wish you had some of this liquid sunshine.

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    1. Those glads sure are nice this time of the year. I love them but they do tend to take over. Fortunately a few hang in there. If only you could send us some rain...

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  6. I am with Lola, wish I could send you some of our rain!!!! We finally for the first time have a 5 day forcast of no rain. I have to plant all my garden over except for onions, carrots, radish and peas. I even had to BUY some tomato seedlings. Most of the ones I started have died so I don't know if I will have any of the odd ones (like georgia streak, tangerine, aunt ruby's green, black krim cheroke purple, long keeper and valencia.

    I can see why Roger thought the glad was a daylily as when I saw the photo I first thought it was a glad! I have not even got any glads in the ground yet but have many in pots. I love my glads and as I child I think they were my favorite.

    That white iris is stunning and with a pretty smell it is a good one. What is the name of it. Have you ever gone to Schreiner's Iris Gardens web site? If not, you need to. They have so very many. They also have other breeders items. Nothing but iris.

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    1. Mom, the iris is 'Immortality'. I have never bought irises from Schreiners. They are given away down here like candy on Halloween. I either purchased this at a plant sale or was given it. I was not sure it was 'immortality' but a fellow master gardener who came last night said it probably was and I know I had it. I rarely keep track but will be labeling it now. It is a good one. Please if you only could send us some rain! It is bad here and the summer has only begun. We shall see at the end of the season who survives. Hopefully you'll get your garden planted soon. It's not too late!

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  7. I know what you mean Tina ~ we are SO dry here too. ugh. You found a lot to inspire you (and us) tho. Thank goodness for the garden! Hopefully we'll all get some rain soon...

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  8. Tina, I hope you get rain soon. I know how depressing it can be with no rain and withered plants. I am so jealous you have irises! Mine didn't do squat this year.

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  9. Might as well embrace what is...you have plenty in your gardens to make us all smile...

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  10. I would send you some of our rain if I only could, Tina! We have had an unusually wet late spring or early summer, however you want to look at it. I told someone the other day I just hope it's not feast now and then famine later on with the rain this summer.

    Your photos are wonderful. I can almost hear the bees and smell the flowers.

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  11. Grape Koolaid from a white iris? How funny is that. I saw some iris at the big sale today but passed them up as they were not labeled. I was afraid they would be as some I already have on hand. Like the ever so popular Purple..... I see on FB where you just had some rain. Yippeeee for you and hopefully your garden is breathing a sigh of relief... Our ground is pretty soft from the recent 1 and half inch so I should not have an issue with digging some holes this weekend. Well, around trees there will be an issue….

    Have a Great weekend!

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  12. What a wonderful post. I think we all need to be reminded to look at the good side of things. So sorry for your lack of rain. Amazingly, we have not been as dry as usual (which is usually bone dry), but it has been the usual temperature-wise (close to 100). Anyway, I loved hearing about your plans for more flowers for the bees (and I love the bottles), and the story about your husband and the gladiola was hilarious!

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  13. Tina so wonderful to see the inspiration in your garden....we are still waiting for some blooms...my Immortality had one bloom...those bearded iris in the garden not protected did not bloom this year...so sad since there are so many of them....we are due for very dry weather and heat as I am now ready to do a bit of weeding...can't win.

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  14. WOW! What beautiful flowers you have posted here! I really love the white irises and the glads are gorgeous. I had a few hat popped up from last year too that were unexpected surprises. Don't you just love when that happens?!

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  15. Your post has cheered me up, too, Tina, with all your beautiful photos. We're not quite as desperate for rain as you are, though we're getting there. But I get overwhelmed at times thinking I'll never catch up with all the weeding to be done. It's times like that that a slow walk around the garden, appreciating the beauty in it in spite of everything, really helps to soothe the spirit.

    I can understand Mr. Fix-it making the mistake in choosing the glad--at first glance it did look like a daylily in your photo, and oh, so pretty!

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  16. I enjoy watching all the bees in the garden. They are always so busy. Glad you got a glad in the garden, I added some last year and really happy to have them....thinking of adding more!

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  17. I have Immortality but it blooms in the spring and then not again until October. I didn't realize that you get so dry there. We are very lucky that, although we have droughts, they don't last that long and there is always plenty of water.

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  18. What a beautiful post. I love your glad's, and your coneflowers and your wine bottles. I am a bit fearful to use wine bottles in my garden because of the potential, mutual damage the kids and them might inflict on each other.

    http://www.flowersforums.com/ruth/blog/

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  19. Happy flowers make for great photos and happy bloggers and readers. Your post definitely put a smile on my face.

    Greetings from London.

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  20. I love the close up photos of the bees and berries in your garden.

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  21. Oh Tina I will gladly trade my rain for your sunshine . I suppose like you I will just have to accept it and celebrate my garden anyway. :) How nice to have blackberries. I haven't tasted those since I lived in Vancouver.

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  22. Hi Tina, thanks for visiting my blog. Sorry to hear about your drought. We've not had much rain for about 18 months, but as soon as the water companies imposed hosepipe bans, the rains came, and it's hardly stopped since. Trouble is, it's come at the same time as what should be our summer. Nice to see bees in your garden, we've only just started seeing them this year.

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