Frog Hollows garden tour is finally here......

It is the final day before the garden tour.... Lets have a look at what I have for people to see. Did my pruning back lengthen the blooming of some of my perennials. Where my efforts rewarded? I will let you be the judge as you walk through my garden on this wonderful Friday. Hydrangea with ornamental grasses beckon people to come into the newer area of my garden which is the butterfly garden. It was struck a nasty blow while I was gone. I had a friend volunteer  to come in and water while I was in Alberta. So between Bear and her I thought I had it covered. But, I lost all the squash, pumpkins and potatos which were all laying limp and ugly so after arriving home at 7:30 I worked until dark removing 5 large wheel barrow loads of very sad vegetation. I did rescue two large pumpkins and a few other smaller ones plus some little gourds. I was left with one summer squash plant and the runner beans still growing up the ornamental grass. I have yet to dig the potatoes out of the ground. I was back up Tuesday morning at 6am and worked till 6pm dead heading and removing ugly brown from every where. I even managed to get a cold shower and feel refreshed before everyone started arriving at 6:30pm. Thanks to a good friend who stopped by to bring me a contract we had put together while I was gone. Fran went in and took over baking the cookies that would be offered to our guests.

 Red Celosia and a dwarf variety of  Solidago along with the blue grass 

 New Helenium put on quite the pop in a corner where Lychnis Maltess cross had been pruned back but didnt start blooming again...acelpesis butterfly weed is still blooming but mostly set huge set pods waiting to feed the Monarch butterfly caterpillars we get each fall. Monarchs have been here this past week along with a beautiful black butterfly with very ornate lower wings. I haven't yet had time to try to identify it.

 Blue Phlox down by the pond came back very well.

 Yellow Stella D'ora is blooming still.

 Sedum's put in last year have gone from one stock to clumps.

Red Roses and Sedum dragons blood break up the yellow flowering Potentilla along the walk way. This picture is from down on the grass from the other side. Myosotis alpestris or forget me not's suffered while I was gone as did all the plants along the walk way. Its an area not irrigated and 10 days without water cost me a lot of potential flowers. With soil that is really pretty much pure sand....I actually water every day with the heat we have been getting. Putting in some form of additional irrigation in the new areas and around the walk way for next spring. 

 This Sedum I believe to be Neon is really just that and will last well into late October where it really does become Neon in the landscape.

 The Phlox I cut back was blooming in the moon garden along with the sum and substance Hosta. White Cosmos and some Leucanthemum are blooming around the edges of this bed.  A varigated Sedum is just starting to bloom but the lady tresses will be a week or so.

 Hibiscus syriacus 'purpureus variegatus' is a variegated form with an oddity of buds that never open.

 I love it in the moon garden for its variegated leaves and its form. The red buds are perhaps cheating a bit but it is my garden so I write the rules!

Clumps of sunflowers planted by the chipmunks were left as punctuation marks through out the garden.

 Ornamental grasses put out their seed heads while I was gone and it was a very pleasant surprise. I have both the red and white variety of this grass. This white one is at the far edge of the moon garden and when the sun is shining through it it literally glows.

Crocosmia saved a few blooms to share

 Clumps of this red day lily are still blooming. I had only the one clump last year but divided it into several which have really impressed me with their constant reblooming and by how the divisions grew in size as well.

 Ligularia is still blooming around the pond where its shadier and cooler. 

 Because I believe in Fairies..... I have added somewhere for them to sit and relax...They might just be inclined to give me a helping hand.

Peaking under the foliage I even spotted this area.....

 The  Buddleia  'white profusion' is covered in massive blooms this year. Monarchs are starting to come through the garden on their yearly migration and hopefully there will be enough to entice them to stay a while.

 Mixture of pink Diantus showed up just in time where the Aquilegia has long since quit blooming

 I found a Hydrangea which promises to have the deeper red blooms that were on the hydrangeas outside my old office window. I took cuttings which are growing nicely but couldn't resist adding this one some where just in case the others didn't make it. This one is called Pistachio 

 The new pink flowering Gaura bloomed just in time

 Hibiscus blooms 

 I have beautiful clumps of a Hosta I believe to be Sum and Substance blooming in several areas of the beds. The clumps are huge with bright chartreuse green leaves which really contrast nicely with other foliage.

 I large grouping of vibrant red Diantus greets you as you come up the drive

My pots are holding their own despite the damage from pests! 

 Oenothera biennis is really coming on. Now if we could just get the purple fall aster to bloom while its blooming what striking combination as you drive in 

Fuchsia is still blooming thanks to taking them down and putting them in a shadier spot and  the two watering fairies while I was gone.

 Some areas are looking soft and more pastel... That is until the fall flowering Aster which is a beautiful vibrant purple.

 A little bit of "pop"

 Roses put on another flush of colour just in time

 Red flowering Gaura

Phlox with Hyssop in the back ground

 I asked the people attending if they could guess which perennial known for its true blue colour I absolutely love and do not have in my garden. No one guessed it! Can  you?  By the way if you ever want to know just how many different plants you have then decide to put out labels.. I only did one per genus and didn't bother with the species. That is to come!!  I handed them to the hort members and made a game of it having them place the tags at one o'clock behind the plant.  I did it because not using my latin daily like I use to Im losing it. Also, because of a head injury years ago I sometimes will "know" something when asked but like a deer caught in headlights I can't always instantly recall it when put on the spot. Its very frustrating.  I did find out that what I had previously called my ginger is actually bloodroot.... I have been offered some ginger which is awesome.. Two more labels to add to the list of the ones not yet made.

I hope you enjoyed your walk this week. Please leave me a message so I know you have been. I do make an effort to  answer all messages and even drop by to see your gardens if your a fellow blogger. If you would like to have new posts sent directly to you so you don't miss them, then please select the  FOLLOW button on the lower right side. 

Have an amazing week.... enjoy the cooler temps that come with September... The quieter days with the children back at school. Have a cup of tea out on the deck enjoying reduction in bugs! and always always remember.... It is never too late to become what you always knew you could be!

Kate