Welcome to my midsummer garden

My garden begins quietly in early spring with snowdrops, crocuses, bleeding hearts, lily of the valley, and columbine among the ferns and hostas. Then come azaleas, shrub roses, a few day lilies, and peonies.

In late June, there is a lull, blossom-wise. This is my time to be out dead-heading the spent spring blossoms so the plants don't waste their energy producing seeds. I also get really anxious for the next phase.

And one day in early July, the hot-summer show begins. Abundant purple coneflower, glorious yellow daylilies, spiky liatris, rosy-pink phlox...I love the spectacle. Bees and butterflies seem to be enjoying it, too, and of course they add to the experience.

This summer I'm enjoying all this mostly from my office window, because although my leg is mending nicely I still don't get around so well on uneven ground. And because it's like an oven out there. So instead of showing new photos, I'm sharing this one from two years ago (oh, and the one in the header). Let's pretend we're sitting in the garden enjoying a cup of tea. We can also pretend it's, you know, 80 degrees (F) with low humidity. Have a lovely day!