Rain Chains, and the yard in August

Nothing much going on in the garden this month, just long hot dry days and everything is at it’s peak. School started for the kids here this week, so even though the days are hot and there’s almost a month of summer left by the calendar, it still feels like summer is over. The flowers are all in full bloom and I have to water by hand every day — we’ve had very little rain in the past several months. There’s a strict burning ban here, and a high alert for wildfires. Temps are in the mid to upper 90s almost daily. I finally got the new rain chain.. of course it hasn’t rained, so I don’t know if it works or not.. lol

 

 

We hung it at the side of the patio on the carport edge, haven’t replaced the gutter downspout with it yet. It’s very pretty, and no I didn’t spend two hundred bucks for it! lol Actually, it was less than 20 dollars, and I think it will make a nice accent on the patio next to the house. (click photo for larger version)

I’ve been working very hard for the past few days, cleaning out an old “secret garden” flower bed. I’ve had it for years, but it had became a sort of ‘dumping ground’ for things I moved out of the yard, rooted cuttings, etc., and the tiger lilies and ferns had about taken it over. We’ve totally redone it, tore out some old plants and added some new. I’ve ordered some new shade perennials for the space and added some dwarf evergreens. I love it, and look forward to planting more in it next year. I’ll take some pictures this week and post more about it then.

The white hydrangea is still blooming, the pink rose on the fence still looks good, coneflowers, pinks of all colors, all kinds of annuals.. lots of color in the yard, still. Here are a few photos taken in the past few days, of flowers and some garden accents. (I know, I’m tacky, but I like the four ceramic mushroom chimes! lol)

Click photos for larger versions.