Just as things were getting desperate for water, the rains come. That seams to be the pattern this summer. It has been about 3 weeks since our last rain, but it has been raining off and on all day today. Not a whole lot, but slowly enough that what is falling has a chance to soak in. The rain also cooled things off a bit. A nice relief from the 90’s we’ve been getting.

Our garden is pretty spread out and impossible to get a good over view in a single picture. Even this panoramic shot of the main part of the hosta garden isn’t the greatest, but it is neat to get a little bit different view. The raised area near the house was redone this spring. After the dead Wegelia was removed, there was more room for some new hostas. The Wegelia was replaced with a Seven Sons Tree (Heptacodium miconioides)…a small tree with white flowers in the summer and decorative, pealing bark.

With the heat and dryness of the past month, the hostas in general are starting to show signs of stress. This is a good time of year, though, to see what varieties are durable and still looking good as we get into late summer. Hosta ‘Holy Mole’ is one of those plants that is holding up well. It is a sport of ‘Guacamole’ with an extra wide, deep green margin. It has the same fast growth rate and large, fragrant white flowers as its parent. It is just coming into bloom now. We will have Hosta ‘Holy Mole’ available in Spring 2006.

Mama raccoon must be getting smarter. She stayed away for a few weeks, but I see a few over turned water lilies again. I’ve still got my marshmallows…we’ll see how long she can resist the temptation…

The hostas may be past their prime, but the water lilies are at their peak! Water lilies really love the heat and have covered the ponds and growing tanks with flowers daily for the last few weeks. The Victoria water lily is the centerpiece of the big pond. The storms a couple nights ago did some damage to a couple of the big pads…the up turned rims act like sails in the wind and a big gust can easily flip a pad over. The damage was minimal, though, so I don’t expect much of a set back. If you need a little get away, feel free to stop out just to enjoy the lilies!
‘Albert Greenberg’ holds its flowers well above the water, as do most tropical water lilies. The hardy lily ‘Highlight’ (in the background) holds its flowers closer to the water.	One advantage that tropical lilies have working for them is that they come in many shades of blue and purple, neither of which you will find in a hardy water lily. ‘King of Siam’ has deep purple, very double flowers that can easily be close to 8 inches across!
Water Zinnia (Wedelia) was a new tropical marginal plant that turned out to be one of this year’s most popular. It is a creeping plant with glossy, dark green foliage that reaches 6 to 8 inches high. Water Zinnia grows easily in very shallow water and is covered all summer with bright yellow, daisy-like flowers.

Not only are the Oriental lilies beautiful, but their powerful perfume can be enjoyed across the garden on a still evening.	While most lilies prefer full sun, these old fashioned Tiger lilies put on quite a show with only part sun on the north side of the shed.
This Pee Gee Hydrangea is trained into a small tree, but the branches are so heavy with flowers they hang nearly to the ground!	Purple Coneflowers are an old standby for the late summer garden. They add lots of care free color that butterflies love and even look good against the setting sun.

See more garden pictures from the past few weeks in the July 2005 gallery.