"Dirty hands, iced tea, garden fragrances

thick in the air and a blanket of color before me, who could ask for more?"
~ Bev Adams, Mountain Gardening

A Cabbage White sunning on the leaf of a pink mallow. A good day to be a butterfly;)



A Tawny Emperor nectars on a purple coneflower.



Kwanso still blooming at the bend of the drive, welcoming visitors with a frothy display of vivid color.



Globe thistle just beginning to show its misty blue color.





An Eastern Comma, displaying the tiny white mark about half way up his hind wing. Nature designed the Commas to look like brown leaves. I wish he would have opened his wings to show the amazing angles and curves. Butterflies tend to be uncooperative. They never believe me when I promise to make them the next Elle Macpherson of butterfly models;)


David just beginning to create his snow capped mountain effect in my garden. Old, faithful David, I wouldn't dream of gardening without him.



August, with its clouds of scented blooms,
August, with its great stacks of giant clouds,
August, with corn plants standing like rows of soldiers,
August, with watermelons, full and heavy, dozing in the sun
~ Mary Naylor

Oriental lily Mona Lisa.

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: Matthew 6:28

I haven't done a Skywatch for a long, long time. (Click on the link above to be transported to some of the world's lovliest skies.)

Last week our skies were dark and ominous but there is a lot of color and movement in skies like these. Gray skies make for good photographs. Not just cloud photos, the colors on any photo are truer and detail isn't washed out by the bright sunlight.

For two weeks I have been assigned the task of medicating my sister's cat while she and her family vacation. Kitty has to have a daily dose of Prosac and she doesn't like it. Since I'm the bringer of the nasty stuff, she doesn't like me either;)

Driving the 15 miles to Monroe Center everyday might have been a tedious chore, but in fact I've really enjoyed these trips. The countryside is lush and green, beautiful houses, scenic views and wild flowers everywhere. Who knew there are so many pretty back roads all going to tiny Monroe Center?


As far as I could see down this little country road, tawny daylilies blanketed the fence row. What a lovely sight. Some folks call them ditch lilies, but whatever you call them it was a pleasure to see them there. I always wonder how they came to be in the fields. Perhaps some farmer's bride brought them from her mother's garden. A dependable flower to begin her own garden in a new home.

When I first moved into my farmhouse there were patches of daylilies dotting the hedgerows and fencelines. The ones on my farm were a little unique. The flowers were doubles and triples, amazingly beautiful. I dug clumps and brought them home to start my gardens.

(Kwanso from 2006 photo)

Siloam Double Classic is one of the daylilies I grow in my own garden today. Hybridizers have made some wonderful strides with daylilies. Almost every imaginable color, diamond dusted, doubles, spiders, and ruffled edges like old fashioned crinoline petticoats.

Double Classic is one of my early bloomers right behind Stella d'oro and Hyperion. The display goes on for weeks well into the heat of July. No pests or diseases and SDC increases fairly quickly. The flowers are variable and some of the first few are singles. Delicious peachy color, ruffled edges and a glowing yellow throat are some of the things I love about SDC. If the beauty alone isn't enough, she has a sweet fragrance.

Have a great weekend. Heres hoping everyone of you turn a corner and come upon a field of wild flowers to brighten your day.