August Blooms

Rudbeckia can be relied upon to beak their hearts blooming all July and August.  They come in a variety of plant styles, and have the staying power of Trojans. They are one of my all time favourite flowers and no garden is complete without them.

What's blooming in August

You have to rely on phlox and helenium for colour in the fall.The varigated phlox seen here starts blooming a little later than the rest, so it is a good way to extend bloom time.  My favourite phlox is the one you can just make out in the top right hand corner.  It starts blooming in July and stays lovely into August.  It has a dark pink eye and the pink surround. It is not quite as tall as the standard phlox, so stays upright without staking, even in the rain.
 The helenium or sneezewort comes in a variety of oranges and yellows and is a nice tall plant for the back of the border. You can make it out against the fence.  It's unobtrusive all summer long and then breaks into colour just when you need it.

Water Hyacinthe

Water Hyacinthe 's are are incredibly beautiful.  They only last for a day or two, so you need quite a few to cover your pond for a continuing display.  But when you stare at the incredible palette of colours in the blossoms you are amazed at God's paintbrush.  Look at the yellow centre with the pale blue lines radiating out from the centre, they really are quite remarkable.

Humming birds

You have to see this.

There are a set of pics showing full coverage.  

Read instructions below. Amazing pictures. THE BIRTH OF A HUMMINGBIRD Keep in mind the egg is smaller than a tic tac and a quarter fits the opening of the nest!  This is truly amazing. Be sure to click on NEXT PAGE at the bottom of each page; there are 5 pages  in all.   A lady found a hummingbird nest and got pictures all the way from the egg to leaving the nest. It took 24 days from birth to flight.  Because you'll probably never in your lifetime see this again, enjoy; and please share. CLICK ON BLUE LINK BELOW!                                http://community-2.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM/

Pond - The Finished Product

Well, it has been finished for a while now.  But, I thought I would post the end result of the pond construction my son undertook this summer.  When you look at the finished product,  it looks like it has been there for a long time.  The water lettuce and the water hyacinths are happily reproducing, as are the fish. We put approximately 1000 toad eggs in the pond, courtesy of a Cloverleaf club member and we can only assume they hatched.  The tadpoles were there and then there were none. I guess we will have to wait till next year to see how many hatched. We'll be ale to tell by how many come back to reproduce. I did see two minute toads on the path, so I have to assume there are more, hiding in the underbrush and eating their way to health and happiness.
I bought two large evergreens, the best that my pocketbook could afford.  I haven't got the years I once did to wait for things to mature.
The beloved sons treated themselves to three koi and they are small but interesting to watch.  We leave the fish in the pond all winter, with the pump going and our goldfish have usually survived.