Jack Frost!

Where Did The Summer Go?
Where did the Year Go!
Just the other morning as I was heading out the door on my way to work, Jack Frost grabbed me and insisted that I stop and take pictures of my Garden covered in the sparkling crystals of Late Autumn! This happens to me often, Dear Friends, as I rush past the Garden on my way to work; that I Must stop and take pictures and try to capture the Beauty that is such an endless source of Joy for Me in my Garden! It seems it was only Yesterday I was adoring the crocus that bloomed so beautifully and so Early this year! And I really meant to come back here regularly and often to share the Beauty with you! But Alas, I did not and now the year has sped by..... but I did take the pictures and I will now try to share a few of the highlights with you...

The weather turned hot in the middle of March this year, and continued to be hotter than usual for most of the summer, which meant that all the flowers bloomed earlier than usual and for shorter length of time. Beginning with the Tulips that usually bloom in May arriving in April....

 And the Sweet William too.....

 Capturing me as I rushed by.....

And the dew drops on the Lady's Mantle....

Glistening in the morning sun... 

Who could resist stopping to take a picture or two.....!

And the Lilacs came in April.... 

when usually they bloom in May...

And in May the Roses .... 

that usually wait for June....

Not to mention the Clematis....

That I must admire as I enter my door....

And even a rainy morn captures me.... 

as the rain is caught on the leaves....

of  Lady's Mantle...

And Rose...

Leaf and Bloom alike.....

But we cannot linger, Dear Friends,..... rushing to work.....

As the plants are rushing to bloom.... 

and the seasons are changing so quickly....

Peonies explode forth....

Roses adorn Every shrub.....

And Foxgloves.....!!!

That seeded themselves last summer.....

With Such Abandon.....

Only rivaled by the Blossoms of the Roses Overhead....

And Every Single Blossom wanting to be admired....

As I rush by.....

On a Beautiful Summer Morning....

Calling to me....

In the morning....

In the Evening..... And was that only June...?

July was Merciless.... but the Day lilies didn't notice....

They glowed.....

And my Favorite Orchid Lily too.....

But before we know it, the Summer is passing by.....

The Queen Anne's Lace and the Phlox begin to bloom.....

And this year the Queen Anne's Lace was a sight to behold!

In the heat of the Summer all the other flowers faded.....

But the Queen Anne's Lace simply took my breath away...!!!

I could never get enough of it!

But even this must pass....

We are busy rushing back and forth...

And suddenly the Summer is Gone!

Cobwebs and dew greet us in the fading dawn...

Some so splendid they rival the most beautiful bloom.....!

And the morning light is meeker as I rush by....

And evening light is just as soft.... and early....

As the leaves begin to fall....

And cluster at the gate....

While the late roses continue to bloom....

And seed pods cast their treasures....

Until Jack Frost appears......

Where did the year go?

Alas... I think we know...!

Summer Mist

I MEANT to Invite you back sooner, I really did! To see more of the Garden while the Full Summer Sun shone strong and hot and LONG. To visit again with the Daylilies who were just getting started when last you were here. How Quickly the time has gone!

And the Queen Anne's Lace nods elegantly over all the other flowers.......

And Achillea 'The Pearl" crowds the gateway to the Garden with a Cloud of dainty blooms.

And my FAVORITE Daylily spreads it's curly petals wide and scents the air with an Orchid's fragrance.....

And the sun as it rises higher sneaks through the overhanging branches of the Silver Maple to illuminate choice patches of the Garden.... for a MOMENT..... and then moves on....

Highlighting it's friends on the ground..... greeting them with a kiss..... of Summer.....

Making them GLOW as if on fire.....!

Making the petals glisten with iridescence...... each blossom open for just a DAY....

Can you BELIEVE the Black of this one?

And the Lavender of this?

And my Favorite! The Daylily called the "Orchid"..... so exotic!

See what I mean? Don't you just LOVE it?

And then there are the other Lilies....

the Oriental Lilies with AMAZING clouds of heavenly scented blossoms!

Perfuming the Whole Garden........

But Summer is moving on...... you know it is Past the middle when the Phlox begin to bloom....

In COLORS so intense it is hard to Believe the pictures are real.....

And the Honeysuckle vine is covered with a second flush of blossoms.... better than the first!

And the Hot Pink Phlox "Wildfire" ignites its corner of the Garden with a color so intense....

Rivaled by the Lingering blossoms of "Falstaff".... who wishes not to be outdone!

And the Rose "Tropical Sunset" joins the fray.....

As if to say...."Summer is NOT over yet!"

But then one morning as I leave for work, the Garden is swathed in MIST.......

And I cannot RESIST the urge to take a moment for photographs.... even though I am late....

The Morning Fogs of Late Summer have arrived.....

bringing an almost Melancholy beauty to this little patch of Garden.....
.

Spangling a cobweb amongst the late blooms on the Rose bushes.....

Betraying the Spider's snares.....

Dripping from the nodding Roses....... presaging the coming Frosts!

The soft MISTY air seems to reveal the Garden in a way the Sun cannot.......

showing the beauty of the Clematis Gone to Seed

And the Echinops beginning to fade........

Making Ghosts of Cobwebs......
And the CHILL of the early Morning keeping the Bees clinging to the flowers, too cold to fly....

And twists the Candle spires of the Veronicastrum into Bizarre distortions......

And coats the merest Rose leaf in minute diamonds....... for the Moment......

As if Weeping Quietly for the loss of Summer.......

Summer Missed

Summer Mist