July and August are not for planting, I remind myself. They are for watering. Time for me to sit next to the OTL's in the evening shade and enjoy their lovely perfume. Sitting out in a shady spot with a good book and iced coffee makes for a wonderful mini-vacation.
The front flower bed is starting to fill in with the zinnias just coming into bloom. Painter's Palette Gaillardias are getting established, and the pincushion plant in the upper left has broken out in flowers again. They all know how hard I worked to make the ground free of grasses and are putting on a lovely show in gratitude.
These are Will Rogers Zinnias. The primrose marigolds, my favorites, are going to be quite showy. Behind them are the Prairie Sun Rudbeckias. The transplanted hollyhock has straightened up and agreed to be in the picture this time.
Peeking out from the annuals are the orange butterfly weed plants. This is their first year, so they are small, but they surprised me by bravely putting on blooms.
I found this butterfly weed plant growing in the far field when I mowed the path up the hill on Rosie. It was so bright and beautiful that I hiked back up with the camera later.
The sun is intense even early in the morning. Since I am a shade-tree gardener, I moved to the hot but shady workshop. Yesterday, I gave a coat of white paint to a shelf. However, today it objected to a second coat, saying it was much too hot.
