My Garden

My garden isn't much this year. I wasn't here to plant new flowers or to keep things waters and treated against bugs. Though you cannot tell now, there are 2 peonies and 1 rose bush in this photo. I was gone when they bloomed, and I was very sad about that.

It has been a strangely dry year and recently extremely hot. My hostas aren't loving it.
I don't generally count hosta flowers as flowers at all, but since I am so bereft of real flowers this year, I decided to count it. It brings my total (that I get to see) to 4.

One of my favorites: purple coneflower or echinachea. The bumble bees are loving these flowers too. On a side note: in Taiwan we bought the kids some oil pastels. One day the kids and I sat and drew pictures. I had never used oil pastels. I rather successfully drew some coneflowers. I was impressed with myself!

A lone rosebud. I have old English roses which I love. They bloom profusely in the spring. (I assume it did this year.) But as summer progresses the heat and Japanese beetles take their toll and I just hope they'll LIVE through to the next year.

One of my daylilies. I don't like common yellow varieties. I had hoped for something purple but I believe I bought this at the end of the season, on sale, when there wasn't much left. I rather like it, even if it's not "my" colors. (By the way, if you look closely there is a small moth deep inside and another bug on the stamen.)

Sadly, this beauty is not in my garden. It is at our community pool. It is a crepe myrtle. I love them. If I ever live here at the proper time I will plant one in my yard.