SURPRISE LILIES AND THRIFT STORE FIND!

Well it has been a busy week at our house with preparation for school to start and the end of my vacation from work! We still had some time to take photos outside in the garden. My daughter captured these two butterflies basking in the sun!

My surprise lilies (also know as magic lilies) are coming up! These lilies amaze me as the green foliage and the pretty flowers never come up at the same time. In the summer I enjoy the long, green leafy foliage, in July the foliage dies back and then once has all died back, the lilies emerge from the ground! Pretty neat! These plants enjoy fun sun and multiple each year, much like the daylilies.



This chair I found at a local thrift store for just $5.00! What a find! How cute it would be with a basket of flowers sitting on top, another project for me!

We have been enjoying a bit of a cool down here and it has been very refreshing! 80's in the daytime and 60's at night! Wow, so much better than what we had just a couple of weeks ago! Happy Gardening! Mindy

I am also joining http://www.tootsietime.com/ for Fertilizer Friday, Flaunt Your Flowers!  Join Tootsie and see some other gardeners beautiful flaunts! 

 On my morning stroll this morning (Saturday, August 13th), I found still more surprise lilies coming up and the ultimate surprise!  THE SURPRISE LILIES HAD BLOOMED!!!

 What beauty and they smell amazing too!  Have a great weekend everyone!

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

Well, what a sight I saw when strolling through my garden this evening!  Seems as though this frog has a fancy for the cute little frog I purchased to put by my pond!  I just laughed when I saw the sight!

 He was just sitting there like he knew that is where he was supposed to be!  How funny is that???

This Thursday I am joining Tracie and many other gardeners in Cottage Flora Thursday at http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/ for some fun sharing of gardening pics!

Go Check it Out! 

I caught this bee buzzing around in the shade of by beautiful blooming Crape Myrtle

 Also in the shade of my Crape Myrtle I found this Hosta bud! 

 The shade is also treating my pink Impatiens well!

As far as the sun goes, a lot of my flowers are really taking the heat hard, however, my Butterfly Bush is still going strong and how beautiful it is!

 The Shasta Daisies are still doing well and are being frequented by a new crop of Pearl Crescent Butterflies.  By the way, this picture was taken by my youngest daughter!

 Another cool place in my garden is my pond!  Along with the frogs enjoying the weather, Goldie, my Koi is also doing very well!  She has tripled in size from last year!!! This is also a picture that my daughter took, she is quite the photographer!

My pond has brought me a lot of enjoyment, I was so happy when my husband decided he would put it in for me!  What fun!!!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and beating the heat!

Thanks for visiting my blog!  Happy Gardening!

Mindy

MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER'S POEM

I wanted to share this poem that my 12-year-old daugher wrote.  She has been getting out in the garden with me and is enjoying it very much!  She also has her own camera and has been enjoying taking her own pictures, including the one below.  She especially enjoys seeing the butterflies fluttering around in the garden, which inspired her to write this poem:

THE BUTTERFLY

The Butterfly -

Fragile and light, but yet mighty and charming.

Filled with beauty on the inside and out.

They soar through the air majestically and gently land on a flower.

They effortlessly indulge the nectar, and delightfully soak up the sunshine.

You grin when you see them, and they secretly smile back.

They make everyone joyful, as they show their exquisite colors.

They display their extraordinary patterns, flaunting there elegance.

So unique and so flawless, flourescent and luminous. 

So many words can describe a butterfly, elegant, unique, charming, and equisite; but I'm just going to say BEAUTIFUL!

By Caitlynn