Summer Bloom

My garden is in full bloom! The perennials are thriving.

In the front yard, under our tree post, we have several flowers that have awaken after a long winter and chilly spring. The bleeding hearts arrived before the rest and are still in flower. They look delicate, but are extremely hardy. There are also Sweet William (Dynasty Orchid), and a few other varieties that I can't remember their names...but I'll remember as soon as I publish this post, lol.

In our side yard, we have several barrels and planters. We have two varieties of Hydrangea that we bought this year. Also new to the yard are two Kirigami (Aquilegia) that are stunning with blue and purple flowers, and another in hues of pink. They were in planters, but we recently moved them to the front flower bed, where they are thriving again.

Not pictured are two containers filled with miniature red roses. I'm keeping a close eye on those as sometimes aphids like to destroy roses.

But my favorite flower on the whole property is the lily...and I have a barrel full! Last year, I got a few blooms. I don't think they liked where they were planted, and the earwigs hid inside the buds. So, in the fall, I put all the buds into one barrel and stored them in the shed until the following spring. After the previous year's disappointment, I didn't have high expectations. BUT...thirty bulbs sprouted! Several Enchantment Lilies, a couple of Pollyanna, and many Stargazers. I'm thrilled that so many survived last year's disaster. 

This is what I love most about summer...the flowers in bloom. They brighten a yard and your mood. "For those whose soul is a garden, smelling flowers is the most beautiful way to breathe."

Bookstore Adventure

On Sunday, my daughter and I went on a adventure to a new bookstore. We'd heard about Fluffy Cat Books, but hadn't stopped in. I'm so glad we did! What a charming bookstore.

Filled with mostly used books, but all in such great condition they look new. Each shelf has a different theme from fantasy, romance, YA, children's books, biographies and so much more.

My daughter picked up the first two fantasy books in a series by Hannah Witten. I grabbed The Bright Spot by Jill Shalvis. I haven't read any of her books before but the back cover blurb sounded interesting with some drama mixed with romance. However, once I got home and browsed the first couple of pages, I discovered this is book five in the Sunrise Cove series. It states the books can be read in any order, but I'm a reader that likes to start a series at the beginning. I think I might have picked up the first book and put it back on the shelf (slaps hand to forehead). So, book five has been put on my shelf until I find the first four...which means another trip to a bookstore. :-)