sunday, august 19th

it was a beautiful morning-not at all hot, just lonely since i was the only gardener.  here is a few photos of what is in bloom in the garden

phlox

 butterfly bush

 melon i

n the vertical garden

 sedum autumn joy in the rain garden

 the tennessee sweet potato squash flowers are large enough for 3 bumble bees to drink nectar at the same time.

 basil in the herb garden

 native butterfly weed-asclepias tuberosa

 beside bees of all color, the only other worker in the garden-a skipper sampling some nectar

a walk through the breezeway on your way to the parking lot will have you wondering just which flower smells so fragrant.  you'd be surprised to know that it is a hydrangea that is giving off the lovely scent.  even more surprising is the fact that there are two types of blooms on each branch;  the fertile blooms are tiny and located at the tip of the branch or are hidden below the larger, showy blooms.

 the two blooms together

one of the best things about hydrangeas is the fact that these showy blooms do not dry up and fall off.  instead, they slowly fade and change colors.  these are turning from bright white to a pale green with pink.