Remember June Bugs ? ?

Can you believe June is all but gone? I do not
know where the month went. Time goes fast
when your having fun working in the garden
or playing in the flowers. Our time of the year.
It has been such a great month once the warm
temperatures decided to come in and stay around.
It has also been a month of fighting with the critters,
such as the deers and the impolite raccoons.
Now it is time to deal with those dreaded little
Japanese beetles that love to munch on the Roses,
Hollyhocks and Rose of Sharon blooms,although
they have beaten my Rose of Sharon blooms this year.



I posted this picture on my nature blog and
one of my blogging friends and I started
reminiscing about remembering when we
were younger and as kids how there use to
be June Bugs that came out everywhere in
June, thus the name June Bug, I gather ;-)

Do any of you remember seeing June Bugs?
They use to be just thick when I was a kid,
if you have not seen them before it is alright.
It has been over--- years since we have seen
any around. Seems like ancient history now.



Anyway, the pesky Japanese beetles look just
like baby June bugs. June bugs however are twice
the size of the Japanese beetles. I cannot remember
whether the June beetles did damage to the gardens
or flowers then or not. Kids, you know how they are
Summer is for playing outdoors without shoes,
the swimming hole at the creek, and in June you
ran around catching Lightening bugs and June bugs.

June bugs use to swarm all over the yard and in the
grass and we thought it was great fun to catch them,
they tickle your hand while your holding them.
Okay, so we did not have loads of toys and electronic
contraptions. We found our fun with the simple
things and a lot of imagination.
It was fun reminiscing about something so simple
that we both had experienced that is now no
longer around.

Sunday Sparkle

My geranium's keep multiplying in the garden every year
so that now I have a few different color.
I love the old fashioned flower because it just keeps on going.
I over winter them in pots and by hanging them by their
roots in the basement and re-potting them in the Spring.
It seems then that every Spring I always try another new
color that grabs my fancy so I have a few now and I started
some this Spring I started seeds for the new black leaf variety it
is just now starting to bud and I am looking forward to see
what they will look like. It will appear in a later posting.

So for my 'Sparkle Sunday' I am sharing some
pictures of a few of my Geraniums.

This is 'Imperial' pelargonium Ivy Geranium that
over wintered in the kitchen. I love the deep red color
fading out to a lighter red and into the white on the top
part of the bloom. The lower petals are white with just
a hint of pink tinting them.



I have another Ivy geranium called 'Gardener's Joy' but her buds
are just starting to open so I will show her off later.



This is 'Rose' she is so bright it appears she is neon rose
in color and is almost to bright for the eye.







This one is a subtle pink or almost light salmon color
and she is very pretty with the 'Sweet Caroline' purple
potato vine.






Just have to have 'Pinto White' to break up the colors
and add some brightness to the containers.








I have had this geranium for three years and she is starting
to show her age. Her blooms do not get as big now and her
body or stems are getting woody. {Kind of like her owner}
I just love the deep salmon color of it and should try to
get some starts from her, though I have no success with
cuttings.






This is 'Bright Eyes' and she appears orange in the pictures
but she is more of a red orange.She was from seed started
a year ago and she was over wintered in the basement in
pots and hanging by her heels or roots. I have too many of
her and she is so hard to mix in with the colors that she may
not get to spend the winter in the basement this year.
She really clashes with my pink pot. I should have put 'Rose'
in this pot maybe.





There has been a little problem with Photobucket
uploading the pictures for posting in that they are
loading very slowly. Also Blogger has been wigging
out again and slow in saving postings and the feed
is not picking up new postings fast enough, if ever.
Since it is free I cannot complain to much but just
wanted everyone to know of the possible problems.
Thanks Lynn for the contacting me!

Happy Gardening Everyone!

Friday's Blooms

Burgundy Gaillardia Blanket Flower.
I believe this flower is changing its color or
reverting back because it is not blooming the
wonderful burgundy color and
is getting more yellow highlights on it.




White Achillea Yarrow



Flowering Shamrocks
These were some free bulbs that came with and order
for flowers. It has not bloomed yet but the foliage is
still lovely.




Pink Geraniums




Meet Pink 'Orchid Mist' double cascading Petunia's
that were grown from seeds this spring.
Its blooms are so big and fluffy.




Veronica Speedwell 'Red Fox'

She is new and just starting to bloom but its blooms
look more of a bright pink that red but maybe
the blooms will darken with age.



And of course it is Lily days.



I got the lilies in a bulk buy so I do not know the
names of these. If you recognize any please let me know.




Lantana with a little visitor.
And the last one is Purple Clustered Bellflower Campanula.





Today is Fertilizer Friday at Tootsie Time . To
see some more fabulous blooms hop on over and
take a look or join in on showing off your blooms.

Happy Gardening Everyone
And Have A Wonderful Weekend!

In The Shade Garden

I have been having visitors in the garden for a few
nights. They have been dining at the bird feeder and
have destroyed two of my plastic feeders.
Not only that but they have had the nerve to unhook
the hanging basket of impatiens that are hanging
on the same tree limb and dumping the whole works
onto the ground. So I knew it was probably raccoons
but what was the deal with unhooking the flowers and
dropping them to the ground. The poor impateins were
put back as best as one can after two crash landings to
the ground but they are now pitiful looking.
So I decided to just set the bird feeder on the potting
bench and watch last night to see what happens.
Well after dark I turned on the light and there on the
potting bench were two adult raccoons and three babies.
Not only were they eating the sunflower seeds from the
bird feeder but the three little ones were playing and
digging into the planted pots of flowers I had setting on
the potting table. The little heathens! :-)
And they had the nerve to just stay there eating
and playing as if they were invited guest and
turning their nose up at me.
I grabbed the broom and started after them
to vacate them from the potting table, telling them
not to come back. Afterwards I wished I had gotten their
picture before I chased them off because despite my
anger I had to shake my head and laugh at
the little marauders.
So I am guessing that the baby heathens were more
than likely playing on the hanging basket and
knocking it off of the tree limb. Children get bored
often times at family gatherings and get into trouble.
Don't you think that parents should teach their children
better table manners?

I have so much shade around in my yard so to add
color I have planted a number of Astilbe plants.
They seem to be such a forgiving plant and grow fairly
well in this old clay soil. The blooms on the plants
dry up and add texture to the garden even after they
have stopped blooming.



The white astilbe adds light to the shade.

I have gathered several ferns from the surrounding
woods and planted them in the shady beds along
with some Japanese Painted ferns.










I do not seem to have much luck with Hostas in my hard
soil but I have put two baby giant blue ones in the woodland
bed and an ostrich fern which I am hoping will be much bigger
next year. I planted and Elephant ear bulb but it is going to be
a baby pachyderm instead it appears. The hard clay soil strikes
again. The failed plants in my beds are too numerous to
mention but the need for flowers keeps me trying over and
over again to find shade and clay accepting plants.

What do you all plant to add color to your shady beds?

Sunday Sparkle

Some Sunday Sparkle and Glow.















I do not know what these little critters are on Stella
but they really love her.

Have A Wonderful Weekend!

Fertlizer Friday Blooms

I am joining in the fun today with Tootsie at "Tootsie Time" in
"Fertilizer Friday" to show some of the things that are in
bloom now around the garden.
I use Miracle Grow on my plants by using their container
for liquid fertilizer that attaches to the garden house.
I also use a slow release granule type fertilizer.
This year I added compost to my container pots and I
can see such a difference in the plants that I started from seed.
They are going to be much healthier and larger.

Around the yard.



Clustered Bell Flowers and White Achillea.

Sweet Caroline Purple Ipomea Potato Vine.




Lantana

The Pansies that I just hate to uproot.




The first bloom on the Morning Glory Bush ' Convolvulus'
grown from seeds.



A few Roses are still blooming.

Regatta Rose Lobelia

Lolipop Lily



Blue Hill Salvia




Sweet Peas






Crown Vetch



Honeysuckle



White Balloon Flower Campanula

Happy Fertilizer Friday and Happy Gardening!