Around the Flower Gardens

66°f this morning when I got up at 7am, expected to reach 90 today. 18.9°C. Apparently we had quite a storm after we left on our trip Friday, because the wheelbarrow is full of water. Hallelujah!

The flowers have suffered badly this summer, and I hear it won't get better as we are heading into another week of 90°+ weather. But at least we have enough rain that we shouldn't have to water. I hope.

Is this the Stargazer lily? I think I mis-identified an earlier one.

Purple bee balm, much too tall for where I planted it. I will have to move it, and the coneflowers, which are also too tall. 

I have had this pink phlox for years. I think I dug it up at the old abandoned house on Bucket Run, the abandoned road that borders our land on one side.

 I meant to sell this old tool box, but planted it instead.

Not sure of the name of this lily.

My poor hollyhocks take a beating from the deer. For the third year in a row, they have eaten my red ones, but the pink has so far avoided the marauders.

A red miniature rose that for some reason the deer haven't bothered. They will eat other roses but this one is safe. So far.

Lantana also seems to be on the deer do-not-eat list. But I also have chicken wire on the ground in front of them, just in case.

 

A type of aster, planted last year. 

I need to figure out what bug saws the petals off the coneflower! Poor things,  most of them have ruined petals.

My baby coleus thst I started from seed. Tbey take a LONG time to grow 

Phlox-under-chicken-wire, the only way to keep this one safe.

Coreopsis is doing okay, the lambs ears are all gone to seed.

Deer ate this geranium. I thought they didn't eat this plant but they proved me wrong.

Newly planted black-eyed Susans benefited from the rain. No need to water, yet.

This canna came up from seed a couple years back and continues to spread. I need more cannas, as they seem to love it here.

My one yellow canna. I hope it makes seeds.

I planted glads last year, and it looks like few will bloom.

Planted 4 years ago, this phlox struggled for its first 3 years. I had to really pamper it, but it is finally well established. 

A few views of the big flowerbed that the deer so often attack. They weren't a problem years ago when I started this bed. It was quite small and I intended to only plant annuals here. It keeps growing, and is almost all perennials now.