Dahlia season has arrived!
Actually, I got them in late so they are running behind schedule.
Perhaps I should plant some early and late next year so we have a longer time to enjoy them.
Not a bad idea. Enjoy!
Dahlia Season
Tag Archives: Country Life
Fall Approaches
As fall approaches, it is a lovely time to hang out on the patio. Cassius approves. The cooler weather allows more time for focusing on lounging, less time required to keep chasing shade. We move the furniture around when it is hot so as not to sit in the hot sun.
The flowers are not at their peak anymore, but they are still beautiful. The gladiolus are putting on their final show of the season. In a month or so it will be time to dig them up, dry the bulbs for a few days, then put them into paper sacks to await next year’s planting. There are still flowers to look forward to this year. The dahlias will open any day now. And of course it is chrysanthemum time.
And so, the view is good. Next year this new flower bed will be totally different. It went in mid-summer so I grabbed some impatiens to fill out the few plantings we had for it. We will plan over the winter and put in some perennials in the spring.
In the afternoon, there is still time for a snooze after a busy day of frisbeeing.
House Guest
We have a house guest for the next week or so. This is Paisley. She is staying with us while her family is on vacation. She is little but mighty at 20+ pounds. Full of energy and likes to play with the big boys.
Actually, I don’t think she cares what size the other dogs are, she just wants the frisbee.
Paisley is also affectionate. And she calms down nicely too.
She appreciates hanging out and chilling on the patio just as much as the others.
Seasons of Summer
Time for a quick stroll around the patio garden. It was hot over the weekend so that is my inflatable pool chair behind the hibiscus.
This is one of my $2.00 clearance finds from one of the big box stores. It is a mounding annual vinca vine.
Another clearance find. This is called pentas. I wasn’t familiar with this one but I am enjoying it.
The coleus growth is slow this year but they do provide a lot of color.
The Peruvian lilies are getting their second round of flowers.
Mandevillas are a perennial favorite at our house. Pun intended.
The hydrangeas are becoming quite spectacular. This one is a little confused. It is part bluish purple and part pinkish. This might be good for a yin-yang theme.
Here is a picture of our newer flower bed with Cassius lounging in the background.
The roses are doing fine and as you can see, it will soon be the season for gladioli.
Summer is good to measure in mini seasons, for maximum enjoyment. Lily season, rose season, glad season, and so on. There is always something to enjoy, and something to look forward to.
Summer In Bloom
See, even the dogs appear to be enjoying the flowers!
It is lily season in Ohio right now. The main reason we don’t grow more is because the bloom season is relatively short and we want something to be blooming all summer.
So we also have hibiscus.
And roses.
And much more! I will keep you updated as the summer progresses.
New Bed!
What do you do when you have a spare hour or so and some extra stone? You put in a new flower bed. Of course then you have to drive to the store for plants. These are lantana and heliotrope, marked down at the local grocery. They attract butterflies according to the tag.
I made this bed myself. (Hubby did haul a couple buckets of dirt for me. Thanks dear!)
Now I can enjoy while I’m lounging on the patio. Until I decide it’s time to replant the green beans that never sprouted, either because the seeds were eaten or washed away.
But first, I must read a chapter from a book!
The Five
This collage illustrates why life is good! Dogs! These are our five dogs.
Nikki, upper left, is our oldest at 12. She is also our tiniest dog weighing in at 22 lbs. Shelby, upper right, is our other sheltie. She is nine years old, and protector of the house. She warns us about approaching storms, or really rain of any sort. She also alerts us to vehicles passing the house, especially when those garbage men come and steal our trash. These two are referred to as “the girls” and are my regulars for visits to the nursing home.
Zeke, aka Zekie, is our not quite sheltie. He was transported to us for fostering as such. He’s more of a spitz type that may have some sheltie thrown in. He is our problem child. He has severe separation anxiety possibly from being abandoned at a shelter. Or perhaps he was abandoned at a shelter because of the separation anxiety. Either way, he is a loving boy.
Baxter is sunning himself and enjoying the fountain. He was dropped off here as a pup 10 years ago. What a blessed day it was for us.
And lastly is Cassius the greyhound. He is 6 years old and a retired racer. I think he enjoyed racing. He still loves to run and play. He has no idea how big he is and our lives would not be complete without him.
Take a moment to pet and love your own dogs. They each make our lives all the richer.
A Quick Evening Walk
I volunteered at an AKC Obedience Trial yesterday and today so only a little time for weeding this evening and a quick walk around the yard. This is my new foxglove plant, also known as digitalis. Haven’t decided where to put it yet, but we have been wanting one.
These blooms are from three different azalea bushes. The last one is very old. The trunk is as big around as a small tree.
Our traditional lilacs are in bloom. Not a lot of flowers on them this year, but the Miss Kim’s and the French lilacs are still to come.
And the lily of the valley are just starting to open up. My mother used to have lilac and lily of the valley perfumes. I wish I could find them now. They smelled remarkably like the real thing. I hope
I hope you are getting out to enjoy your own flowers. Spring is a beautiful and peace inducing thing.
Stay! Good Dog.
Zekie continues to improve his behavior. He can hold a stay long enough for me to take a few pictures.
Of course just last week he chewed a second bungee cord in half that was used to hold the pasture gates together. Without it there is only the latch and cross board holding the gates together at the top. With no bungee cord Zeke can push his way through and escape. I was working in the patio garden and he couldn’t bear to be that far away from me. The gate is now held together at the bottom by a chain and a metal closure with a snap on each end.
Sometimes you take what you can get. Look at that stay!
Playing Fair
Hey look, it’s Bat Dog! I think Cassius looks like a bat with his ears standing up and his fangs showing.
He was trying to stay warm in our subzero temperatures last week. Cassius doesn’t generally like to wear clothes but it was so cold that he tolerated a sweater.
Our dogs really are our kids. They even wear hand me downs. The sweater Cassius is wearing belonged to our greyhound Phoebe who has been gone for a couple of years now.
The sweater still has a pink heart and Phoebe’s name embroidered on it. I did remove the white satin bow before I put it on Cassius. But I couldn’t bear to remove the pink heart. I did promise Cassius that I would add another heart in red with his name on it.
That seems like playing fair to me!
Sanctuary Acres 