Thursday, July 16, 2015

MIA During a Floriferous Time of Year

The front border is full of flowers, and the neighboring farm beyond the fence and field provides a picturesque view.


It's official: I should be declared MIA from blogging. It's been nearly three weeks since I have posted or read any blogs, and in fact, I've hardly had time to use the computer at all in these nearly three weeks since my husband had his hip resurfacing surgery.

The great news is that he is recovering well and getting stronger every day, and he can get around the house pretty well using his crutches. Even though he is still sore from the surgery, his hip already functions much better than it did before, and he is able to walk more than a mile now, as long as he stays on level surfaces.

However, I've had to help him quite a bit with meals, getting dressed, going on walks with him, etc., as well as doing all the chores he usually does around the house and gardens in addition to my own. I thought this week would be easier, as our two children have been away at summer camp, but I guess they really aren't much work these days, and in fact I've had to do their chores this week too, like feeding and watering the chickens and gathering the eggs each day.

At any rate, some things have had to go by the wayside, and gardening is one of those things, and blogging is another. The weeds are beyond control in some areas of my gardens, because my husband can't offer his usual help with weeding and I've had little free time these days -- so that's Zero people pulling weeds. Plus it's been so hot and humid this week that even mowing on a riding mower is unbearable work.

However, now that my husband is stronger, I did finally find a little time yesterday evening and this morning, during a cooler spell of rain, to address some of the worst weeds. There's still a lot of work to do, but I feel a bit better having done a little work.

Flowers, Flowers Everywhere!

At any rate, I finally had a chance to snap a few photos of what's looking good in the gardens (strategically keeping the worst of the weeds just out of the shot). It's the time of year when flowers are, figuratively speaking, "coming out of our ears," because while the heat and humidity are hard on us, many plants here thrive on it. Here are a few scenes:


Lilies, phlox, yarrow and snapdragons in front of our porch.


Coneflowers, daylilies, hollyhocks and marigolds.


White coneflowers in the White Garden.

Cimicifuga or now called Actaea racemosa, in the shadier part of the White Garden.


the Yellow Garden is coming into full bloom as the Black-eyed Susans begin flowering.


The North Border.

A candy-striped phlox in the North Border.

Some pretty pink daylilies, also in the North Border.

The phlox in the Pond Gardens looks like cotton candy  when it's in bloom.


Coneflowers, lilies and sedum.

Roses, hollyhocks, petunias, snapdragons and white phlox, around the East Patio.

Basil, German chamomile, dill, borage and potted rosemary in the Herb Garden.

A final scene, looking across the fields of tall Iowa corn. A Grant Wood scene to be sure.

I greatly appreciate all the kind comments that were left on my last post just before we left for my husband's surgery. I can't wait to catch up with what's been happening in your gardens as I read the posts I've missed over the past few weeks, and I hope you are enjoying maximum flowerage in your own gardens during this floriferous time of year.

Thanks for reading! -Beth

16 comments:

  1. So glad to hear that your husband is recovering. Also glad to see that you took a little time to post some photos. I just knew everything would be flowering away right now where you live.

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    1. Thanks, Jane! I'm glad to hear from you too. :-) -Beth

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  2. Hi Beth... I somehow missed that fact that Brian was to have this procedure.... I am thankful that he is doing well and hopefully will be out of pain once fully healed. You wives are amazing... I can't tell you how many times Sarah has taken over all our responsibilities while I was hospitalized and even more difficult when I was recovering as she would take care of me as well... that's the reason we've never added a water feature... she insists that she would not want the responsibility of maintaining that if I were ill and I agree that her request should be honored... my best to you and your family and a special sarcastic thank you for sending us your Iowa heat and humidity... it's going to be a scorcher this weekend and for open gardens Sunday afternoon... I wonder if anyone will show up... I suspect I wouldn't with heat indexes hitting 100... take care... Larry

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    1. Hi Larry, Thanks for your kind words! I'm sure Sarah has had much more to take care of than I have with Brian as your gardens are so much more extensive than mine, but it's nice to be able to rely on our partners for help, as I did when I had a stress fracture in my leg two years ago. I'm sorry to hear about the weather interfering with your planned open garden on Sunday -- this heat really is a killer, and I'm back inside now that it's back after our cooler rain day. I hope it cools off soon for you, so that people can enjoy your lovely gardens. Thanks and take care! -Beth

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  3. Absolutely gorgeous! Your white picket fence with arbor is really lovely.

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  4. A good thing to hear that your husband is recovering and about the weeds, as long as your property is not covered in weeds it will be no problem. We only see gorgeous pictures of flowers, and the beautiful surroundings. The views across the fields are magnificent and as I wrote before the pond gardens are my favorite, love the vastness of the background.

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    1. Thanks so much for your kind words, Janneke. I'm so glad you visited! -Beth

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  5. I'm glad to hear that your husband is recovering from his surgery. It's something my husband needs, but is reluctant to have done as he doesn't like to be inactive. Your gardens look charming and I particularly like the white cone flowers and the herb garden. I'm waiting for our candy pink phlox to flower and, of course, enjoying our roses, lavender and other cottage garden flowers.

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    1. Thanks for reading, Linda. I hope your husband's surgery goes well when he does have it. Best Regards, Beth

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  6. Wow, you have had your plate very full! So glad to hear the recovery is going well and I pray that this will give him the results he needed. Your gardens are lovely! Glad you got out and pulled a few weeds............that is great therapy for the gardening soul.
    I did have a question if you happen to know. My candy tuft has put out some seeds and I am wondering when to remove them...............do I dry them out first..............when do I sow them?
    Thank you! I do enjoy your blog so much.

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    1. Hi Kim, Thanks for your kind words. As far as the candytuft seeds, I have never grown them from seed, but I imagine that you could take the seed pods off and then dry them in a paper bag. I read that there are only two seeds per pod, so you'd want to gather quite a few pods in order to have enough seeds. Good luck and let us know how the process goes. Thanks again for stopping by! :-) -Beth

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  7. Good news about your husband, I'm glad he is recovering nicely. You have a wonderful mix of blooms. What I love best about your garden is the fence. I so envy you that lovely picket fence. Nothing says country garden so well as a white picket fence.

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    1. Thanks for your nice words, and for reading! -Beth :-)

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  8. Beth I am glad your husband is recovering and your garden is blooming with such love!

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    1. Thanks, Donna, I appreciate your kindness. -Beth

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