Monday, August 12, 2013

Overlooking for Bloom Day

I have found that no matter how bad the garden as a whole looks, there is always a section or two that brings a smile to my face.  Right now, it's the main rose garden.


I especially love the area around Madame Berkeley.  The lantana blooming next to her loves the hot weather we've been having, and obviously, Madame Berkeley doesn't mind it, either.  She always seems to bloom during the hottest months of the year.

Madame Berkeley

There are other roses blooming in this bed, too:

Gruss An Aachen
Look closely and you can see a grasshopper!

Carnival Glass
Christopher Marlowe


The rest of the garden is suffering from a lack of attention:

The lantana walk has turned into a more-grass-than-lantana walk!

So, I've trained myself to overlook the ugly:

The grass has overgrown its boundaries, and the edges between path and flower bed are lost.

and to look for the joys:

Pat Austin with a new-to-me Verbena 

I'll overlook the weeds and grass invading the beds:


While I take the time not to overlook the blooms:

Innocencia Vigorosa


Soon, I will finally be able to dedicate my time to garden work, and I'll enjoy every minute of it.  I have a new area, started this spring (then abandoned this summer), that needs to be completed.  Weeds to eradicate.  Hedges to trim.  And dreams to dream.

In fact, I've already started dreaming about the tweaks I'll make to my walking garden (below).  A book I've been reading has given me some ideas - I'll share more with you on the 20th in my Garden Book Review meme post.

The Walking Garden

Oh, I can't wait to get back out in the garden!

But I'm expecting more company to arrive tomorrow.  So, I'm joining in Garden Bloggers Bloom Day a little early.  And I'm overlooking my garden's liabilities for just a few more days.


30 comments:

  1. Missed you and your postings. Good luck reclaiming. Hopefully you'll have a good rain to loosen those roots and make pulling weeds easier.

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  2. Holley, your roses are very nice as always! I love the color of Pat Austin, pretty rose. I have no roses of such color.

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  3. In my garden it is the same as in yours. One section looks nice, the other looks ugly. Roses are over their top now but Hydrangeas are showing great in my garden. The Verbena bonariensis looks very nice with Pat Austin, it is not such a hardy plant in winter but is self seeding so may be you have many of them next year and that is even more beautiful among the roses.

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  4. Beautiful! I really like the photo of the garden box that sits in front of your bed! How clever is that!!! It really defines the area in a fresh way! Have fun with your new garden!!!

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  5. Hi There, I am back after a week of birthday celebration... Sounds like you have had lots of company this summer...

    Your garden is gorgeous --to all of us! We don't see the weeds---just the beautiful flowers... You just need to enjoy the flowers that are blooming --and ignore the rest.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  6. Like you, my edges are blurred between flower bed and grassy path. I snatch a few weeds on my rounds and vow to dig grass in the cool of fall. I'm not working in heat and humidity right now.

    I'm already looking forward to things like the Salvias that bloom in fall, not only for their great beauty but because they herald cooler weather.

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  7. I misspoke about the sumac. The white flowers make red berries on the good kind. Poison sumac has white berries that never turn red.

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  8. your attitude is wonderful and so inspiring!

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  9. Oh, I really like Christopher Marlowe! Your garden looks great, but I know what you mean--sometimes you just can't get to it! Enjoy your company!

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  10. I can imagine when it's hot you don't go into the garden to get out weats. The roses you are showing I have never heard of them before but they are gorgeous.
    Have a wonderful day Holley.

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  11. Your Rose garden is looking beautiful Holley! And looking forward to the tweaks you'll be making to the walking garden :) You'll get more time to do some gardening soon but for now enjoy your company!

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  12. Your Rose garden is lovely. Always enjoy seeing it. Sometimes our gardens just get away from us. Just enjoy the beauty.
    Cher Sunray Gardens

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  13. We are on a similar path as as far as lack of time in the garden and the beds being overtaken by weeds and grass...add volunteers to mine. I won't have time until September finally so a couple of months on weekends will only get me to a quick maintenance...I am overlooking all but the blooms too. Of course I do not see weeds in these pictures. ;)

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  14. Weeds? Grass? All I can see is roses and lantana and more wonderful roses! :D

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  15. You have so much joy to look at Holley, good idea to focus there. I have a groundcover that I've been battling all summer. I've declared it the winner... at least for now. I'm choosing to focus on the blooms.

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  16. Holley, when it reaches 74f here I feel puggled so I can imagine that gardening is hard work in the temperatures which you get. Forget the weeds your Roses are exceptional.

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  17. I love seeing a lush garden. Yours looks beautiful. Abundance is better than sterility.

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  18. great garden, thanks for sharing this with your blog !

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  19. I've missed seeing your garden! Everything is looking beautiful. We've had so much rain, the grass is really growing, too. We can think of it as the vertical aspect of the garden! I love making up new rules!

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  20. Enjoy your visits, your garden chores will wait for you :-)
    Loved to see your roses, over here my roses have taken a pause after their very late first flush - and haven't really got going again. There are signs of new growth and buds everywhere but it will take time. Happy blogger bloom day - tomorrow!

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  21. Selective vision is a wonderful thing. Your garden looks so beautiful, I'm sure no one even notices the weeds. Only the gardener notices the flaws, I think.

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  22. Who can see the weeds for the roses. Your eye goes right to them. Love the white Innocencia Vigorosa! Have fun with your company!

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  23. The rose garden looks great! Jeannine

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  24. I'm going to try to take your words of wisdom about overlooking the ugly and focus on the pretty as I work in my beds over the next several weekends deadheading spent flowers and wrestling with the vigorous grass. Having an overgrown garden is better than having no garden at all

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  25. Your garden looks relaxed. Just enjoy it for what it is at this time. You have plenty of lovely roses and and other flowers to enjoy for their individual beauty. You can get back to focusing on the whole picture when you have more time. Happy Bloom Day!

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  26. I see only beauty! Your garden will be waiting for you when you're ready. I've had a bit of a down season this year too garden wise and that's just fine. There's always next season!

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  27. Is it bad of me to be happy that your garden isn't perfectly maintained? I love looking at perfect gardens, but they do make me feel a bit inadequate, as mine is never completely weed-free and tidy.

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  28. I'm at a loss to see the neglect - your garden is absolutely gorgeous. There is always time to catch up. The summer here has been perfect and I've done very little in the garden, except enjoy that is!

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  29. Madame Berkeley is a true beauty. I love her reflexed petals, and the lovely blush pink. My garden is such a shambles right now with the drought, that it's nice to stop by and see one that's green, and in bloom. Don't worry about a few weeds, you should see mine! I'm also waiting to get back in the garden, and dream. Dream of cooler weather, fall planting, and rain!

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  30. I completely understand "garden guilt." I don't know if that is a term but I am going to use it. Spring fever hits us and we get soo excited but then summer comes and the heat is just hostile. Lately, it feels like fall is approaching yes...so with a second wind I begin again...believe me I understand.

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