Another group shot of hosta bed.

Daylily "Paige's Pinata"

Dahlia "Inland Dynasty"

Dahlia "Wyn's Bewitched"

I have been fostering dogs for a local rescue and ended up failing with this little girl, meaning I am keeping her. Her name is Coco or Coco-Nut as I call her.

I am obsessed with plants and dogs...can you tell?

Thanks for looking!

Love both your obsessions - the ones with roots and the four-legged ones!!!

First, congratulations on the return of your Aganthus and gladioli! I wasn't successful with the agapanthus but for three years the gladioli returned...I figured being close to a brick wall sheltered them....like your own micro-climate situation. :)

Second, I really like the Lake Norman Sunset lily! It has a beautiful colour combination.

Third, amazing looking FW! Way to go, Linda! :-)

Looking at your various perennials, I am reminded how disappointed I am that I forgot to buy some dahlia tubers this year! The last few years I always added a Bishop of York or Bishop of Canterbury because I loved the dark foliage on those two! I miss the colour dahlias provide until late frost.

Thanks for sharing your garden! I really enjoyed looking at your pictures, Linda! Your dogs are adorable and I admire the fact that you provide foster care for some needy ones. Kudos!

Thanks Jo, the gladioli have been there for many years so last year I decided to try putting the Agapanthus in the ground too. I actually have two of them, one is hardier than the other one, zone 6 I think, and both of them survived. I have kept both of them in pots for years and over- wintered in the garage. I got sick of doing that so I decided to plant them and see what happened. The other one has darker blue flowers and is just starting to bloom. I also have a few bishop's children dahlias planted in that area and they survived the winter too. I did toss a few leaves on top of the Agapanthus for extra protection.

I still feel like I need a few more later season blooming plants. I have some mums and a hibiscus that blooms in August. Any suggestions for late bloomers?

I just started fostering in March and so far have fostered 7 dogs. Of course I fall in love with all of them and want to keep them all but I know I can't. It is a good feeling to know that you are saving their lives by giving them some place to stay until a permanent home can be found :-)

Love the day lilies (and the pooches). My lilies came and went about two months ago.

One idea I might suggest for later blooms are anemones. Some sedums are becoming quite dramatic in their variegations and flowers, so you might try those. Also, in my area (Ontario on Lake Simcoe), reblooming daylilies and centaurae that were cut back after their spring/early summer bloom, put in a late appearance. I understand there are also reblooming irises now, although I do not own any so I cannot speak to when they return. Oh, and turtleheads, put on a nice, though not extravagant show in late August and September.

Boy, hostas and day lilies have come a long way over the years! A feast for the eyes, Linda. Just love all the colors - And Sammy and Coco Nut - What's not to love about those pooches!!

very nice.. thx

ken

I am jelly of both your hydrangea and agapanthus. I over-winter mine in a basement window. I doubt it would come back outside. I also have terrible luck with hydrangea. I have one, it's about 12 inches high right now (um...yeah a bit too late to do much before winter). It looks healthy, just never gets big enough to produce any blooms here. I keep saying maybe I'll move it, but I'm not even sure where to move it.

I also like what appear to be some very pretty petunias in your garden. Nice mix of annuals and perennials.

Thanks everyone!

Keswick- Thanks for the suggestions. I do have sedum Autumn Joy. Anemones would be great and fall blooming irises too. I will have to look for some of those.

Donna, Daylilies have come along way in just a few years. There are some fantastic ones out there and they are soooo expensive! I will be waiting a few years for the price to come down and I am sure by then there will be even more beautiful ones.

Popmama- my hydrangea is only about a foot tall but at least it is blooming!

There is a large pot in the garden that has some easy wave petunias and a dragon wing begonia in it. I grew the petunias from seed and they are doing very well. I like to put pots in the garden to create some height. Dragonwings are my favorite plant to put in pots because just one plant fills up a large pots and looks great until frost.

Here is my red dragonwing

Here is my pink one

Dragonwing with petunias

Another bowl of petunias in the garden. This bowl sits on pedestal.

Hanging basket of petunias I grew from seed.

Thanks for looking!

Linda, Your garden brings a smile to my face. It is a place of beauty to be enjoyed for sure.

I've always had a passion for day lilies, and have had some of the older varieties for years. Do you see the hummy at the feeder

A stand of Cameran Quartz.

Thanks Donna, Daylilies were my first obsession and I have quite a few of them. Lately I have been interested in buying more LOL. I do see the hummingbird! I have them in my yard too because my neighbor has a trumpet vine growing on the fence and it hangs down on my side. Hummingbirds love it!

Your daylilies are beautiful and I especially love your Malaysian Monarch.

Hi Linda, it appears you and I are kindred spirits! I have about 30 or so hostas and about 75 daylily cultivars. I have what for me is a "trouble free" garden, no time for fussy plants. I also have 5 dogs including bought, rescued and given. They are a joy and they all respect my gardens. Love your garden shots!

sherry

Hi Sherry, I think we are kindred spirits! I have 85 hosta and probably almost that many daylilies. And I have 4 dogs now. One I bought as a puppy and the others are rescues from the shelter. I would love to see pics of your dogs.

Here is a picture of Kai, since he was left out of the pics above.

I really admire you for fostering dogs. What a lucky dog Coco-Nut is to join your group.

Pushing zones is fun to try. I know Gladiolus will come back in the right spot, but never thought to try Agapanthus. If my Cannas in pots keep on multiplying, I want to try a few outside.

Very pretty gardens overall! My Rudbeckias are going crazy right now, too. Your Frances Williams and other hostas are looking very lush and green. And I would have snapped up that bi-colored hydrangea, too.

Both the daylilies you've shown are pretty ones. I like daylilies, but I wish they would be more like weeklilies, meaning I want the flowers to last longer. I hope some daylily hybridizer is working on that.

Thanks for sharing your gardens and your pretty pups!

Thanks Sandy, I wish the flowers on daylilies lasted longer too, but if you get a nice sized clump, they have so many flowers everyday that you don't really notice that each flower only lasts one day. I used to have a musa Basjoo banana tree that I overwintered for several years in the ground. It was really cool. I think I should get another one. Here is a picture of it.

You have a lovely garden Linda, so much to see! I am a total plant nerd so I really appreciate the diversity of plants in your garden. I am a fan of Daylilies too.

Your dogs are terrific and so are you to foster these animals in need.