LOL, great thread idea. You forgot to mention the garden hose. I just realized today I haven't coiled mine up since the drought started in May.

You actually have less grass in your front garden than I do. That's pretty much the only spot the grass does well but the weeds have been getting huge in this drought. I'll get caught up on weeding any day now, really. If I wasn't so sick I'd be working on it right now. Honest.

Is the goldenrod part of your perennial bed? Or something else? A sense of humor does help.

Actually, I saw a series of charming vingettes. Maybe you are a bit behind on some cleanup chores, but the garden has good bones and looks appealing despite that.

I like the goldenrod, host to butterflies, and not the hayfever source people think it is. It blooms at the same time as ragweed but is showier, so it gets that blame that should go to ragweed.

Well, maybe not the old tarp. Still. An old tarp can be a useful thing!

Rosefolly

Alida, what is the name of that purple bell flowering vine growing behind the red you know what? Is that a clematis? What's it's name, I forgot and I have been wanting one.

And is that a dwarf spruce? And I love the color of that blue bench. That's the color I'm going to paint my old metal white patio set that's 30 years old as soon as I get a round tewit.

Did you all get all those trees cleared away from your not tornado? My hubby is in Boston this week and says it's cool and rainy. It's 107 here, yuck.
Annie

Lovely indigenous native annuals and perennials. In bloom, no less.

Alida, you are too funny. But I agree with Rosefolly that your garden has good bones. I've got some areas that are kind of scary right now. Too hot to keep up with the chores. The weeds are getting hard to control here. I think I don't have enough mulch ... this weekend I'm going to load up on shredded hardwood mulch and lay it down thick (after I pull some weeds). I'm hoping that will help.

Is that the infamous 'Knockout' blooming in the front garden? Guess what? I'm the proud new owner of one too. Never say never. This one is special though ... my Mom rooted it her very self from a cutting of her own rose. She's become quite the rose person lately, and has a knack for rooting cuttings. It's a pass-a-long plant that I'm very honored to have.

Randy

Hey, it's green. And lush. Wish it was that way in some of our gardens (ahem).

But the hostas look good. We don't have those here, so I enjoy seeing yours.

Very nice structures and trellis work, lush informal plantings and a sense of mystery and romance is what strikes me about your garden.

Alida

You have just NOT let duties in the garden take over! I mean I get obsessed with taking care of my roses as my wife mentioned the other day. And I still am way behind.

Well then remember that Eleanor Roosevelt supposedly had a weed garden. So you are in good company.

There is always next year.

So where is Pink Robusta in your entourage?

Looks familiar !!!---LOL LOL

Michael,
the hose has been there so long I didn't even notice it until I read your post!

Sherry, the goldenrod is supposed to be there, but not that
much of it! You can't even see the young Magnolia that is
under it. Time to divide.

Rosefolly, yes the butterflies & bees love it! And thank
you for the kind words!

Annie, yes that is a clematis called 'Rooguchi' that I got
from Klehm's. And the tree is Chamaecyparis Pisifera 'Boulevard'. I think that's a fancy way of saying 'Boulevard Cypress'! It is growing very fast too.

Randy, I really do love my 'Knock Out'. For one thing it
is always blooming, but the dark foliage looks nice
against the paler, matte foliage of 'Kathleen' which
is next to it. It also forms large hips. And of course
no blackspot! Congrats to your mom, I'll never figure
out how to root cuttings..

Hoov, yes, there are lots of hostas around here-especially
in my neighborhood-a number of years ago people planted
them in front of their foundations and now they are so
big they look like shrubs.

John, yes I am thankful that there is at least some green
stuff doing it's thing!

Mariannese, that was very nice of you to say, I'm glad you
like it.

Anntn, "Lovely indigenous native annuals and perennials"-
that sounds so much nicer than "weeds"!

Jim, thanks, between Eleanor Roosevelt and all of you I
know I'm in good company! By the way, my 'Pink Robusta'
is now living at a friends.

Athenainwi,
I left you for last because I wanted to give you time to
finish your weeding! I hope you feel better soon!

Alida

Alida, you are quite the magician in the garden. I was led astray by the mass of goldenrods blooming, the great color of your bench, your variety of obelisks, trellises and the KO in full bloom that I didn't notice the weeds.
We can learn a lot in "diverting attention" techniques here. On a more serious note, I find those photos comforting because I have been unable to maintain my garden this spring/summer and misery truly loves company.
molly

I really like the stepping stone pathway. Lovely garden accents and structures, looks like a great garden to relax and stroll around in.

I can match you picture for picture.:-). There's a wheelbarrow propped against the gate to the garden, there's more grass in the beds than in the yard, and several roses are completely defoliated and I spray! Noella has stretched canes across the berm behind our house and Sombreuil has a cane on the roof of the house next door.....I still find things that I find charming in my garden and in yours. Someday it will cool off here, it was 102 yesterday, and I will go outside and take care of these problems. Right now, there are hummers, bees and birds flitting around in the garden and bathing in the fountain. The hardy geranium looks lovely and the sunflower that was planted in the front of my back bed by a chipmunk (and DH insisted we leave there) is 6 ft tall and has a huge sunflower that makes me smile. Your garden looks fine to me.

Carol

Us..Bad? Nah, it's just everything grows bigger in the south.

I'm taking the picures of your weeds and I'm showing it to mine--the kudzu-wanna-be-weeds that I have growing--to show to them how weeds ought to behave.

Liked your yard. It has charm.

Gee, I feel right at home.

Barbara

Thank you for these photos. I felt at home. Actually our garden looked much, much worse. Everything was yellow and burnt from drought, roses defoliated - either from drought or from blackspot -, with the exception of the "lovely indigenous native annuals and perennials". I love this line, Ann, I will try to repeat it when I will be able to force myself to step outside; not right now when the heat index is around 110F.

This is a beautiful garden; love the mix of plants. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has not coiled his hose. I'm having mole and gopher problem in my garden currently. If only I knew how to post pictures, I could show you fresh holes in my garden. I have to comfort myself with the fact that the rodents are mixing and aerating my dense, clay soil and eating the japanese beetle grubs instead of just spending their time feasting on the new, tender basal breaks.

Jeff

Wow! I posted this as sort of a joke, but everything each and
every one of you said means so much to me, you all have kind
and generous hearts. It is deeply appreciated.

I'm off to walk around in the garden -

"Meandering leads to perfection"....Lao-Tzu

I think of my yard as "The Garden of the Good Intentions."

Another gardener friend says it more bluntly - "my intentions are good but my execution stinks."

Photos are terrible at showing the hoses, scattered pots, weeds, whatever. The heart sees the beauty that is there, or is dreamed of.

Your garden looks good to me! Who cares about the trash bag, or tarp??? Out here, where it doesn't rain from May - Oct, every bit of lushness is a treat. People would kill for those hostas. My "Rooguci" clematis is a spindly little thing, and yours is so lovely - I've finally figured out that clematis wants way more moisture than I'm ever going to give them!
Anita

This is why we now buy our tarps in brown.

Anita, clematis Rooguchi is a real champ.I have never seen a clematis blooming so long. Mine has been blooming from mid-April despite drought, heat and neglect while some of my other clems close to disappearing or started blooming again when we gave them plenty of water.

Altorama, please accept my heartfelt apology. Being new to gardening, my mind immediately thought *weeds* rather than *native perennials*. Hmmm, what can the neighbors be thinking about my Asclepias (milkweed) that the Monarchs love so much? Make that "loved". They're pretty chewed up and need to be yanked. At any rate, yours are much, much more lush and beautiful than mine ever thought of being. But I bet mine are sprouting in more places than yours - everywhere! Perhaps I should start pulling them before they take over.

It's beautiful. I wish mine looked so good.

I didn't see any grass. Looks good to me!

F.L.
NAGL

There's plenty of grass across the street from me! A huge
lawn, no trees, and full sun, wasted on grass. Oh well.