The garden is slowly emerging from the snow, but it is pretty homely at this time of year, with just a little bit of green, and a lot of dirty snow and dead stalks that I didn't get cleared out last fall. By the front of the house From Early spring 2014 The large perennial bed along the old barn foundation From Early spring 2014 The big bed at the shop From Early spring 2014 I look at the vole tracks in the melting snow and cringe when I think of the damage they must have done, but I can't see enough to know yet. From Early spring 2014 The stream is in full flood from the rain (all our recent storms have been rain, even when MA residents got snow.) From Early spring 2014 From Early spring 2014 The big field doesn't look nearly as lovely during mud season with its piles of muddy manure and areas of slushy melt water. From Early spring 2014 I know that this messy stage will only last a week or two, and I am enjoying the daytime temperatures in the 50's.

I also keep checking back to this thread. I figure ... If I can't grow some things, at least I can admire them in your gardens. Indian Pipe.... wow! Thanks, Steve. I haven't seen that in a long time but used to find it growing in the woods in front of my old house. Your lilies are opening and the yellow one looks like one of mine, which are all done for this year. (I just cut back all their seed pods.) Yes, I miss their scent which even reached up onto the back deck. And I also enjoy seeing so many of the things I've lost over the years. Kind of the Ghost of Gardens Past thread, for me. Susan, your Stokesia is gorgeous.... that's one plant that I miss. I tried two of them and then gave up. The Veronicastrum that nekobus grows... loved those white spears. That's one of the reasons why I planted H. 'Light the Way', which is still showing well in our yard. White kind of sparkles in the garden, I think. Of course, the David Austin roses and especially the Lace Cap hydrangeas. Well, in all honesty, I haven't grown the Lace Caps because there just isn't any room in our small yard. I miss my Monarda, but it took up too much space. And the space that some of you have! That I admire. Sped your contrasts of orange/blues and purples just stand out against all of those green fields. Nhbabs... the way that you contrast colors and textures make your gardens so much fun to look at. So keep posting. This thread is my garden tour. Molie

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.

Pixielou, I love your rudbeckia and wish I could get them to grow for me. The only time I ever successfully grew a patch of rudbeckia, my puppy (at the time) decided to uproot them and race around the yard with mouthfuls of the flowers! lol! I figured ok I'll just grow new ones next summer when he's past the chewing stage, but the rudbeckia never grew well again. Your pepper plant is cute too. I have friends who once were given a similar mushroom kit and reported that they harvested two crops from it. Not much is blooming here at the moment, but the foliage on the maples looks promising. If we would get a good hard frost, we might have some spectacular colors in a week or two. This was taken from a clearing in the woods behind our house (looking down on the house). Just little touches of orange and red so far.