Banana Leaves and Wisteria Tablescape

The sensible thing to do is to plan your posts ahead of time if you are a blogger.  However some of us aren't wired that way.  I can be sitting on the porch sipping tea early in the morning and spy something in the yard that was not noticed before.  It was the wisteria.  It's almost July 4th and there is wisteria blooming.  The banana plants are big now and have plenty of leaves.  So I made a dash for it and starting cutting away at the wisteria before the wasps and bees were awake to sting me.


The hydrangeas are starting to get brown spots on some of them so I went ahead a cut a few more.  They are a pretty green with a pink running through them.  I had trouble reaching the prettier ones but I was on a mission.


I got a workout from all the cutting and was now looking for a spot to do the tablescape.  It would have to go to the upstairs dining room (blog room!).  The light is usually good in there and I can get out of the heat.


But before I put this together I needed to eat breakfast since it was now 11:00 and I was shaking from low blood sugar.  So I popped some eggs in the skillet while I made more tea.  I caught myself just about to squeeze the lemon quarter on the eggs in the skillet.  You can judge how hungry I was now!
So yes, it's a little unusual for this time of year but that's a good thing.









The flowers always dictate what I do.  I am fortunate enough to have some things growing in the yard that I can use on my tablescapes.  The flowers themselves inspire me.  The hydrangeas are shown in purple pots that we bought some other plants in.  They were such a pretty color, why throw them out?  They pick up the violet hue in the hydrangeas so well.






























Jan

Manic Monday

Manic Monday, is that today?  The Monday before the July the 4th celebrations.  I really wanted to go with a pinky red, white and blue table today but there were no red fresh flowers to be found.  I like to observe the holiday in a little more subtle way.  What about you?  How do you like to decorate for the 4th?  For now there is the blue and white and a medley of pinks and corals.  Yes, there is good ole orange too.









Blue spode dinner plates surrounded by an almost riot of color.  It does feel like a celebration is going on even if the colors are off an inch.





Do you have big plans?




Swimming, skiing, traveling, snorkeling?




I hope a good time is had by all.




A time to feel grateful for what we have.






Jan

Garden Changes

Thanks to Pam at Everyday Living Blog, for hosting a garden party this morning!  The yard is in transition now.  We have had so much more rain with the tropical storm Cindy not moving away quickly.  I don't have any roses as she knocked them all off but this was how they were shortly before.  The rain knocked off the oleander blooms as well.  I haven't been able to get out in the yard it will literally soak your feet with shoes on.




















Surprise! Surprise!  We have a precious few zinnias and I am keeping my fingers crossed we will get enough for at least a couple of pitchers full this summer.





My daughter gifted my mister a lantana for Father's Day.  I hid it outside in plain sight for over a week and he didn't see it!  It has to be planted very soon.
 




The mister is very sensitive to sweets so he got to munch on a fruity dessert.





It's chopped honey crisp apple, halved grapes, orange gelatin and whipped cream.  My daughter made it, she and the mister like that sort of dessert.










Our hydrangeas are turning colors now.  Everything from blue to green to green with pink or a little of all on one head. This was a very blue hydrangea, remember how they looked?





Yes, same bush!










 










We went out to a local nursery and I picked up one of these hydrangeas that is supposed to bloom until Fall.  I have my fingers crossed.   Each bush has several different colored blooms on it.  Don't cut it back and it will bloom more, it reads on the label.





I thought this was cute.  They had so many plants and all looked so healthy.





Jan

Summer Garden

First of all I want to thank Pam for hosting this Gardens Galore Party.  What a fun idea!  Welcome to our backyard!  We live in the deep South so Spring and Summer weather comes very early compared to some of the nation.

It's a simple yard but a sea of trees here.  I didn't want a manicured, follow the lines yard but something that felt more natural almost like a park setting.  We don't have a garden of vegetables but have planted bulbs by the fence.  They haven't performed yet but we see lots of growth and leaves but no flowers yet except for a couple of gladiolus.  We have blue hydrangeas blooming across the yard next to the woodline.  All blue except for one purple blooming bush.







Early on we had pretty irises blooming.




The wisteria was plentiful.




Purple hydrangea colors range from pinky to definite purple.





One lacecap hydrangea bush as well.




May brought color to the porch with lots of potted plants in an assortment of colors.




Hollyhocks were a welcome addition.




Crape myrtles should bloom lavender but they have been stubbornly resisting blooming.
 




The dahlias are not producing yet this year.  This is from last year.  I am growing anxious about them.





Not one sunflower this year, they never came up.





One zinnia has emerged.  It's a sad sad situation.  Of course this is from last year as well.





I think he agreed.




Rose of Sharon is looking very pretty this year.
 




The Magnolia trees have been taunting me with blooms just high enough that I couldn't reach them.  Meanwhile while riding through town I could have just plucked one off the trees the blooms were so low.  There was one tree in particular that tried to seduce me into taking just one bloom but I didn't want to get shot so I didn't touch it.  Only to find the whole tree cut down the next time I went by it.





This was the garden early in the year last year but we are puny this year so far.





On the other side of the wooden fence are two shrubs.  I don't know the name as I have seen them called different things.  Let's see...Chaste tree, Texas Lilac, Buddleia (Butterfly bush).





But this is what I thought was a butterfly bush.  Anyone know?  I saw these in town and went to buy some at a nursery and they sold us the above bushes.











The blue hydrangeas next to the porch are turning green super fast this year.





We have had three oleanders for several years now.





Deep purple petunia




Pink petunias





To the far right is one of our banana plants growing.  They are usually much taller by now but we had a cool Spring.  They also got ran over by the lawnmower at least once early this year!  But we have several scattered around the perimeter of the yard.





On the left side of the banana plants are my canna.





Jan