Glimpses of Summer at Shaddy's

This plant is in a plastic pouch that Lon attached to one of his birdhouse posts.

Blossoms on a St. John's Wort shrub on our berm add bright color.

I've plucked hundreds of these little rascals, mostly dome-shaped ones from the grass.

Our river birch has some rough and shaggy bark; I like it.

 



These impatiens thrive in the shade.  If the hot sun gets to them, they wilt and my heart breaks at the sight of them.  They always perk up again and I breathe a sigh of relief.



A rustic planter holds these sweeties.

Fireworks!!

An order of coneflowers on the side... 

"...Listen up, smarty pants.  I used to be pretty too when I was young."

So this is what it looks like to a bee.



Don't forget me!!




I'd sure like to know how that chipmunk got up on our birdbath.  Maybe after watching the birds, he learned how to fly!



We added this variegated grass plant to the border around our screen porch this year.

We're getting grass after our septic repair excavation.  Compare this to the photo below. 

A few weeks ago, we had straw covered dirt and grass seed to look at!!

Enjoy your summer days.  They're precious. 

Shaddy's Summer Passion

All spring and summer, I've been spending time in my yard.  These three hydrangea plants under our front window only produced ONE flower which is pictured below.  I've watered and fertilized the plants as you can see.  I guess a lack of flowers isn't uncommon here in southern Wisconsin according to K & W Greenery.

This is it!!!  It's so big I had to stake it up today or it would be lying on the ground.

My husband lures me to a chair beside his firepit on summer evenings.  It doesn't take much to get me to take a seat beside him these days. 

Visitors receive this greeting when they approach our front porch.

High humidity outside and air conditioning running inside created this artwork on my sliding glass door one early morning last week.

This berm adds life to the southeast corner of our yard.  The birch tree behind it is giving me fits as it drops yellow leaves.  This has been going on for several weeks.

That's the birch right there!!  Everyday I spend a good chunk of my time picking up the leaves it drops.  I've been watering it since I was told it is very sensitive to heat and lack of moisture.  I'm getting plenty of exercise; I'm thankful for that!! 

I added this cute little birdbath to our berm recently.  It doesn't hold much water but it sure is cute.

Isn't it grand?

This pagoda dogwood adds life to the southeast corner of our home.  If you click on the photo you'll see our little wheelbarrow full of red impatiens.

This is another view of the same corner.  As you can see, I've got the sprinkler going.  Our grass is as green as it can be thanks to my constant attention to its need for moisture.  I love the challenge of attemping to have a perfect lawn. 

This robin appreciates the water in this birdbath.  I love watching the robust splish splash when robins bathe.

In the southwest corner of our lot, this vinca vine garden used to be a sandbox.  The ladder leads to the fort overhead where I've been doing some journaling recently.  

I wish I could sit still for more than two minutes in this cozy corner.

 

We had pretty good luck growing grass where the septic tank repair was done.  Some areas still need work and there are tons of weeds but at least it's mostly green.



I adore our little shed which sits in the northwest corner of our lot.  That's where I go for the lawn mower on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, my designated mowing days.

This view is from the shed along the north side of our lot towards the road.



That's another birch tree.  It's just as naughty as the one in the front yard.



The rabbits have been eating the impatiens at the base of our pin oak.  I sprinkled some granules on them this afternoon.  They won't hurt animals but will repel them.  I hope it works!! 

This view is from the front corner of our house along the north side looking toward the backyard.

We're back to the front yard again.

I sat in that chair on the front porch while I composed this blog post.  We've had rain recently so I haven't had to run the sprinkler here, there and everywhere.  It's nice to have some time to share these photos with you.

I'M SORRY TO KEEP YOU SO LONG.  I ACCUMULATED ALOT OF PHOTOS OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS.  I HAVEN'T INTENDED TO BE AWAY FROM MY BLOG BUT MY PASSION FOR THE OUTDOORS HAS KEPT ME AWAY.

HAPPY SUMMER TO ALL OF YOU.

Welcome To a Scene in Our Backyard

Please take a chair and enjoy the delightful sound of our newly acquired, lighted trickling water pots and the beauty of our first summer with coneflowers.

The continuous background sound of water trickling as it travels from pot to pot is relaxing and soothing as I work in this area.

We've fallen in love with the colors and impact provided by these hardy coneflowers.  We plan to add several more plants to strategic spots in both our front and back yards.

Do you have a favorite flower that is a must in your yard every summer? 

Too Pooped to Post!!

As much as I'd love to post to my blog regularly, I'm too tired after working in my yard to have the energy to do so.

I even have a new camera but can't tear myself away from my perfect-yard obsession to experiment with it.

Hopefully, my obsession will soon fade.  Pray for me, will you please?

My Unpleasant Yard Visitor

Before I left for work this morning, I walked around the yard with a cup of coffee. I found these two unwelcome guests hanging out in the bark chips on the north side of our lot.  Since they weren't there yesterday evening, they had to have snuck in during the night.

Upon searching the internet, I discovered this awful sight is "dog vomit slime mold."  I also learned that it's not harmful to plants, animals or humans and can't be prevented from showing up.  It grows in mulch. 

I didn't have time to dispose of it before I left for work, but during my lunch hour I immediately went to it.  I scooped it up easily with a small shovel and wrapped it up in a sheet of tin foil and disposed of it in the garbage.  

I've seen numerous types of mushrooms around the yard over the last several weeks, but this slime mold makes them look much more acceptable.

I hope I haven't ruined your day.  I just couldn't resist sharing this unusual finding of mine.  If you find something similar in your bark chips or mulch, at least you'll know what it is.