We're in the middle of a 'severe drought' here in east-central Minnesota, so things are looking tattered and withered, but this morning we had cool, overcast morning, so I thought I'd share a few pictures.

I'll tell you what you WON'T see in this thread:

1. Green lawns

2. Whole plant shots. (This is the year two for JBs in my garden. Their handiwork is everywhere. They arrived recently in MN.)

3. Lush vignettes a la Fine Gardening. We're in the second year of the drought and seven inches below normal for rain. Hot-hot-hot and windy every day, too.

The first rose I see when I enter my back yard is the lovely 'Heritage. She blooms all summer. She shrugs off the heat and she can survive our winters easily. She is very, very fragrant. I cannot endorse this rose enough.


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'Heritage'

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'Heritage'

Nearby is the hybrid musk 'Wind Chimes.' This one outdid herself this year. I decided to let her arch and sprawl rather than affix her to the pillar behind her. She offers perfumed clusters of little flowers throughout the summer. Don't touch her without gloves; she's quite thorny.

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'Wind Chimes'

Between the back door and the patio lies a small pond my youngest son built in the garden. He's now in college. It's inhabited by several goldfish and guppies. They spawned this year and their fry hide under water lilies.

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'The Emerald Pond'

The pond is guarded by Lazy Leonard. He gurgles all day long. We enjoy the sound at the dinner table and the patio. My favorite part of summer is to listen to Leonard's song and that of the birds when I read the evening paper on the patio (with a glass of prosecco, of course)

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'Lazy Leonard'

I have a mix of roses, mostly shrubs and OGRs. I cull the mediocre and weak roses. 'Weak' means 'can't survive my lazy gardening technique.' 'Graham Thomas' is in his second season and is doing better than I expected; each year he builds upon himself, getting bigger and stronger. I find his scent both attractive and odd, like a potpourri of old rose with leaf tobacco. His color is quite fine in the morning, especially on cloudy days:

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'Graham Thomas''

I want everyone to know about this new rose. I am quite excited by it. It's called 'All the Rage,' a shrub rose from Bailey Nursery's 'Easy Elegance' series. It's pretty new and hard to get. I find most of the 'Easy Elegance' roses to be boring and not especially hardy, but this one is different. The color is outstanding: the best mix of bright red, pink and amber. Older blooms alter their colors, so the visual effect reminds me of a bowl of nectarines. Quite healthy. The semi-single flowers are fragrant, a bonus missing in the other 'Easy Elegance' wallflowers. It's a bushy ball. I expect it will get to three feet for me. No comments on hardiness yet.

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'All the Rage''

I have an older digital camera that has trouble with strong reds and oranges. Beleive me, the color in this one is wonderful.

Nearby is a old birdbox. That was a second-grade project with another son, years ago. Wrens take this one over each year. They finished raising this year's brood. When I emptied the box, I was surprised to find the nest was made of roofing staples! The little mites worked hard carrying these from the house next door when the next door neighbors replaced their roof. A good defense against the other neighbor's marauding cat, yes?

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Old bird box with 'Black Dragon' lilies

And before I close, I should note that some plants never noticed the drought stress. Helenium 'Moorheim' is a selection of a native prairie plant. It's a ever-blooming, three-foot mound of these flowers:

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Helenium 'Moorheim'

Unfortunately, I underestimated the vigor of this great plant, so I'll move it this fall when the seasons shift into autumn.

Another is Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum.' I grew a flat of them from seed that the rabbits quickly ate early this summer. Imagine my delight to find this one survivor, in bloom, hiding among some taller plants:

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Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum'

So, there's the remains of the garden. Please pray for some rain for the parched souls in Minnesota!