Did I forget this blog or have I just been busy.  I have more pictures, I just need to spend time to add them.  As the holidays approach and the garden is now just

dying back, believe it or not I still have a rose or two blooming, it seems I have less time and not more.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I still have to plant the Spring bulbs I bought 4 weeks ago so it is not surprising that I haven't kept up the blog.

 

 

The  gardens are taking on a different look and feel as summer progresses.  The butterflies, bees, moths, and other creatures seem to become more active.  Maybe the brighter color palatte has a little to do with it.  Or, maybe it is becuase the temperatures are much warmer and the fragance of the flowers more potent.   It is often too warm to be out pulling weeds so if you spot any in the pictures just look the other way.

I recently read a blog that indicated why cone flowers were a favorite flower.  This person was from Nova Scotia.  Cone flowers are also one of my favorite flowers.  I live in Illinois and the Purple Cone Flower is a native perennial that is easy to grow, survives with no rain, keeps filling in all the bare spots (and some spots where I hadn't planned for it to fill in) and attracts, bees and butterflies during the bloom time and yellow finches after seeding. 

 

I can still remember the first year that I let the cone flowers go to seed and looked out the window to see the seed heads bobbing everywhere.  Looking closer that was a yellow finch on each bobbing seed head.  From that time on, I don't cut back the seed heads until spring to give the birds a chance. 

 

Admittedly, the garden looks a little ratty all winter but the birds love it.

It is iteresting to watch the seasonal changes in the garden.  As the weather get warmer different flowers begin to bloom. The garden never looks quite the same two days in a row.  this is what makes gardening fun, besides getting your hands dirty after working on a computer all week.

What better way to celebrate than taking pictures of the garden.  Yes I do like variety and a lot of my flowers qualify for the cottage garden.  A little wild and untamed.

I have posted new pictures but as summer is now here and I am back to work after vacation, I don't seem to be blogging as much.  Weekends are full as summer weekends tend to be and I just don't set down to the computer.  Too many other things to do.  I still get great pleasure out of taking a new arrangement of flowers to work each week.  People tend to appreciate them as much as I do.  My dream job would be to have spring and summer off and just work fall and winter.  Maybe after retirement.

I finally found a cicada after hearing about them all month.  I knew there must be some close by as the noise kept getting louder.  Today I was able to get a pcture.

Every year I find that I planted something last year and forgot to record the name and location.  Each spring I play "try to remember" as these plants bloom and add life to the garden.  I often end up labeling my pictures as you see here - blue something, pink something.  But I have the pictures to try to match to my flower books to see if I can find a name.  I have one plant in my garden that I am still not sure if it is a week or a perennial.  Oh, well.  Such is the life of the lazy gardener.  I still have fun.

It is the first of June and the strawberries are getting ripe.  I picked 5 yesterday and eight today.  Not enough for strawberry shortcake but enough to know that I really do have my own strawberries.  Somehow they always taste sweeter. 

We saw this black butterfly last year -- I hope he returns and brings his family with him! So far this year we'll only seen monarchs.

 

A beautiful Memorial Day to take new photos of the early spring gardens.  The Peonies and Poppies are in bloom, as well as the mountain bluet and coral bells.

The wild yellow rose is almost gone but will bloom again.  I hope you enjoy some of the photos.  The birds on a wire were a garden sculpture given to me by my sister a few years ago.  I should repaint them but have enjoyed them every year as the peonies bloom around them.

 

It is amazing that the red peonies are so far behind the white peonies.  The red ones are still just buds while the white are in full swing.

Our cat's name is JeSuis. In French it means "I am" which is what God calls Himself in the Bible. Our cat thinks she's god. Here's a picture of her. Maybe she's looking for cicadas! We still haven't seen any.

Still no cicadas!

 

The mountain bluet though looks perky as it peeks from behind the foliage of the cone flowers. The lilies of the valley this year have pushed beyond their bricked-in boundaries and into the yard. Hopefully, I will find some of them a new home. Imagine paying those outrageous prices for a few pips when someone like me is willing to give them away!

The peonies popped open over night. Hopefully some of them will hold off as we're supposed to be getting a storm this evening.

 

Isn't that always the way? You wait and wait while the buds grow. Then suddenly there's that burst of lush color and fragrance. Next thing you know some hard rain or strong wind has blown them down.

 

 

According to this morning's news, the cicadas should be making their appearance today. So far I haven't seen any. But the mountain bluet and coral bells are in bloom with the peonies not far behind.