Greenhaven, I'm so glad you posted pictures. Welcome! You've really done a tremendous job in a short period of time. How lucky to have all that ledge and the way you've incorporated the gardens is really great. It all looks quite natural. PL, Love those sunflowers! I've tried them from seed before a handful of times, but as soon as I get them planted the chipmunks come along and dig them up while mocking me. Jewel weed brings me back to nature walks with my mom. Used to use it on poison ivy. I always thought it was a great cure, but as I got older I realized I'm not allergic to poison ivy, so I'm not sure if my "tests" as a child were valid! It looks great in such a mass like that. I guess I made it just in the nick of time to post for August. Hard to believe tomorrow is September. I know there was some talk in another thread about the smaller butterfly bushes. They're kind of hard to photograph, but I have three in a row forming a bit of a hedge and I really like the way they bloom later. There was also a discussion about heptacodium on another thread where everyone said it would break and most were unhappy with it. That really changed the way I'm treating this shrub/tree. I was planning on limbing it up into a tree, but after reading everyone's experiences I've decided to leave it more as a very large shrub, or at least a non-limbed up tree. The hibiscus are in bloom now on the other side of the fence. Those will stay when we get our new fence later this fall. I've never done annual asters before, but this middle bed of the veggie garden starts as lettuce and once the crop is done I let the nasturtium take over. I threw in some annual asters and I have to say I really like them a lot. One of the back beds with zinnias still going. Another bed back there. Holy cow! The bees are insane with the turtlehead and anemone blooming. Interestingly, the bees swarm to the barely open anemone flowers with 5 or 6 of them all huddled and fighting for space. The open flowers are not touched. The lespedeeza is starting its show. I do wish the clethra would bloom just a tad later so the white would be blooming with the pink. Here's a closer shot of one of the back beds. There's a carpet rose blooming in the bed behind the butterfly bushes. I like the peach and blue combo with the physocarpos mixed in for good measure. Love the fairy rose that comes back strong while so many other plants are withering in the heat! The front slope is filled in with all the colorful shrubs. Lobelia and caryopteris. I put them together because the caryopteris can hold up the lobelia when it flops. Cottage garden gone wild! I really, really, really love amsonia hubrichtii. I'll post this picture again when the amsonia and the climbing hydrangea both turn glowing yellow. Ironweed is great this time of year. Okay, okay, I'll stop! LOL! I get carried away. There is so much going on in the garden now and so much more to come. Such a great time of year.

Hi florence, great to have you posting. And I'm glad you are enjoying these threads "showing off" our roses and getting us through the long, grey winter weather. Roses certainly can raise the spirits, can't they! Make sure you see our yellow and our red threads also--plus the stripey thread, and I see someone started a climber thread. I know you have some climbers you can add there, florence. Kate

When I started this thread, I said I didn't have many whites. Well, now I have one more, and is she a beauty--but it is really hard to get a decent photo of her. There she sits in the garden looking pristine white, but put a camera in front of her, and a faint brown edge begins to appear--as though she suffered from thrips. I think these pics largely overcame that that problem, but shame on my camera for revealing a lady's blemishes! Memoire/Ice Cream--new rose, first two blooms on it. Can you see that irritating faint brown edging? And such a big, full beautiful bloom otherwise. Another view of Memoire/Ice Cream--shot at a longer range (so the faint brown edging won't be so apparent--hee, hee!) That's it for my whites. Anyone else have any? Kate

I only have two red roses- Munstead Wood, which I got bare root last summer and is barely hanging in there, and Showbiz. I find myself attracted most to the red and white roses. I love Cherry Parfait- I have Double Delight, but Cherry looks redder. I also love all of those red/white reverse roses- Snowfire set my heart on fire! Fire and Ice is another one, and Mariposa Gem is perhaps my favorite of them. Beth's black-reds are unbelievable. I would never even try one of those here with our heat, but I swoon when I look at them. I may replace the Showbiz I have with Lavaglut, since Showbiz don't like the heat and lasts such a short time. I am also looking at Don Juan- almost bought it today. Here's Showbiz: Renee