Sunday, August 2, 2009

april to august

"Fairest of the months! Ripe summer's queen
The hey-day of the year
With robes that gleam with sunny sheen
Sweet August doth appear."
~R. Combe Miller

Summer's passing quickly. I can't believe August is upon us, can you? I'm contributing to Mosaic and Metamorphosis Monday sharing with you the natural metamorphosis in our gardens from April planting time to mature August.

This was our patio/pergola in April. We had just freshly stained our pergola and planted our flowers. If you would like to see that transformation, click here and here.

Here it is today. Notice how the Wisteria has grown! We planted it five years ago and this year it is barely covering our pergola to provide us shade at last. Oops, there's hubby reading the morning paper.

And this is where it all began in April with a little sweat and hard work and a lot of God's blessings - rain and sunshine!

Here's one of our planters at the end of the pergola freshly planted in April.

And here are our lush planters in August. I also persuaded hubby to secure a hanger to the post to hang one of my watering cans. It just took him 3 months. ;=) Isn't it odd how the smallest of jobs take the longest?


Freshly planted sweet potato vines. Aren't they puny?!

But not anymore!

Will this pretty little mandevilla ever make it to the lattice work??

I'll say she did!!

Here's the view from our water fountain in April - kind of bare.
But in August, the black-eyed Susan's peek out from behind it.

And in April, a mockingbird laid her eggs in our rose trellis.

And raised them till they were old enough to fly away.

So in August, we're left with an empty nest. :=(

In April, I transplanted some ground cover from other parts of the garden to this vintage container. I wasn't sure whether it would catch on or not.

Lookie here! It's growing like crazy. Well, thanks so much for visiting with me. Hope you enjoyed an August tour through the garden. You know in a blink of an eye it will be Autumn and all this will be gone until we do it again next year, Lord willing. Check out the other party goers at Mary's little Red House and Susan's Between Naps on the Porch. She may be taking a nap on her gorgeous porch, but just give her a click and she'll wake up for you. Thanks Mary and Susan for a wonderful party!!

52 comments:

Joyce said...

Oh my but it is all just lovely!
Joyce

Deanna said...

What wonderful pictures you have.
The close-up of the baby birds is outstanding.
Enjoyed viewing your blog.
God bless,
d

A Hint of Home said...

What a beautiful area you have to enjoy the outdoors. Just lovely!

bj said...

Well, I am just beside myself...this is so so pretty and,
BWaaaaaaaaaaa, I want a pergola (sp?) SOSOSOSOSOOOSSSOOOO bad!
Beautiful work you have done here.

Sarah said...

Wow, what a lovely outdoor area you have.

Signing Out said...

You have quite a green thumb! Your garden and planters are beautiful.

The picture of the birds is amazing!

Jane

Glenda/MidSouth said...

What a pretty outdoor room!!!

Michelle said...

Wow...for a minute there I thought I was looking at pictures from a magazine. So very lovely!

I *adore* your outdoor space.

What a fun post to read, right down to the baby birds. Thanks for sharing!

Ebie said...

A very lovely garden and a nice setting for a romantic dinner. Love the birds!

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

How beautiful! And what a lush transformation! I would be out there every morning with my coffee...so tranquil! Thanks for sharing your beautiful yard with us!...Debbie

Southerncook said...

Beautiful mosaic and I love your Met Mon post also.

Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook

Lana G! said...

Beautiful! What delightful scenery you have!

Marsha said...

Marsha, the transformation from April to August is amazing. Your backyard is truly beautiful, it is no wonder hubby is out there reading the morning paper :)

We don't have mockingbirds so I really enjoyed seeing the speckled eggs and the babies with the stretched out necks.

Gwen said...

Simply gorgeous!! boy you really have a green thump!! I could almost smell the garden such beautiful photographs!

Kathleen said...

Beautiful gardens!

Gwen said...

I am just awestruck with the beauty of your garden. WOW!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful just beautiful!

Blessings,

Linda

Terry said...

Total package post: Great yard, great plantings, great pictures, great story. Must use great fertilizer and TLC.

~ ~ Ahrisha ~ ~ said...

Your patio is lovely and your pictures are great so professional. I really need to get a new camera. May I ask what camera you use and if you are happy with it? Thanks for sharing.
~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

Carol said...

It's gorgeous, just gorgeous, such great pictures, the bird shot is absolutely amazing! Enjoyed your post!

From the Old InkWell said...

To Ahrisha, in answer to your question, I use a Nikon D50 and have a 300 zoom lens.

Claudia said...

This was simply lovely.

I love the before and afters and the mosaic was yummy.

TTFN~~ Claudia ♥

Little Lovables said...

Breathtaking, I love the baby birds, such a talent you have with photography!

Maya@Completely Coastal said...

You've created a wonderful lush outdoor paradise!

Unknown said...

Beautiful post and photos Marsha... Makes me want to just roll around in your yard its so lush... The summer heat has taken its toll on us here in the desert... the only thing I roll around in is crisp clean white sheets and my pool! Have a great week!
~Really Rainey~

ImagineCozy said...

Your patio is just amazing. I would love to spend the afternoon relaxing there. Beautiful.

Becky K. said...

Fantastic!
So much to love in this post.
I kept thinking how it is worthwhile to plant those tiny plants in the spring that seem to get lost in the big landscape. However now, they all make sense!
Beautiful!

Have a lovely Day.
Becky K.
Hospitality Lane

My name is Riet said...

What beautiful photo's you made and a wonderful mosaic. Great idea to show the before and after photo's. Certainly a beautiful garden.

Unknown said...

Marsha, you have such a lovely garden! Great photos and your collage is very pretty!

Thanks for sharing! Have a great week!

Tina

abnsigoslady said...

Your garden is fabulous! Laura@the mansion

Regina said...

Wow. I enjoyed fully.
Very lovely.

Kammy said...

Hi Marsha !
What incredible photos !!!!
Love your green lush yard !
Hugs ~ Kammy

Cass @ That Old House said...

Spectacular! From the subject matter, to the photography --- the metamorphosis from spring to summer is just breathtaking.

And you've got one GORGEOUS garden, too! A green thumb, for sure.

And now ... an empty nest, too! :-)

Thanks -- this was great fun, and so very pretty!
Cass

Decor To Adore said...

Your backyard metamorphasis looks great~ well done.

I love the wee nest.

Have a blessed day!

Jenn @ youknow... that blog? said...

Beautiful! That must take a lot of work to maintain - but the benefits are obvious. What a lovely getaway space!

Mary Bergfeld said...

What wonderful photos. I love the before and after shots of the patio and pergola. It's a lovely area.

Brenda Pruitt said...

This is just so beautiful! So inspiring to see all your work bring all this about. I absolutely love what you've done. The photos are really good. Oh, the little bird's eggs and birdies: precious! I'm going to go back and look at each detail again! What a nice place for the husband to read his morning paper too!
Brenda

Tamara Jansen said...

My, what a lovely garden! Very peaceful and lush :)

The Stylish House said...

Marsha,
You will have to pry me away, because I am moving in! Lovely.
Cathy

RobinfromCA said...

Everything has grown so beautifully over the summer! I really love your yard - thanks for sharing it!

Robin

GranthamLynn said...

Oh how pretty. I love your yard. I love the baby bird photo's. What a lovely post. Thanks for sharing.
Have a Blessed Week.
Sherry

Faded Charm said...

Love your mosiac! All your photos are just gorgeous. Thanks for sharing and your nice comments on my blog.

Kathleen

Anonymous said...

Your pictures are just beautiful!!!

I just put up a NEW POST on my Blog! If you have a chance, come by and say hi!

Have a great week,
Aimee

Deanna said...

Thank you for becoming a follower of HomeHaven. I'm delighted you're here.

I love your kitchen! Very pretty.
I'll be back to visit!

Blessings,
d

Tanya said...

Your pictures are just breathtaking! Looks like a magazine spread. :)

Mike Hale & Co. said...

Now that's one incredible garden space! Mother Nature is definitely smiling down upon you! Bet you find it difficult to go inside at the end of the day :)

Enjoy!
& Co.

Maureen said...

Holy crow! I can only DREAM about having something this beautiful! You are amazing!!!!

Unknown said...

Marsha - This just takes my breath away! What wonderful pictures you have posted. The one of the eggs is worthy of a frame. Thanks for sharing and have a great week.

Charla

Kathy Walker said...

How lovely! I am impressed. What a wonderful relaxing corner in your yard. I am envious. Great photos...

Thank you for visiting my site...I will be back to yours, also!

Robin said...

Absolutely STUNNING! I could stay there all day (all season, for that matter!)

{{HUGS}}

Robin :o)

food with style said...

heavy sigh... the garden is my passion and you have so many things to make my heart sing... i have a weakness for benches, to sit and ponder it all~ simply perfect pics.

Jenny Froh said...

WOW... you're photography is really amazing!!!!