The Lazy Days of Summer are HERE!

Published on July 25, 2012 by Cecelia Futch

Summer is the time to be outside as much as possible. So I am. Outside, that is. It is easier this year to stay out-of-doors than in the past because now we have our place. I LOVE to garden and it has been years since I’ve been able to dig in the dirt and plant and watch things grow or sit on a porch and watch the chipmunks at play. I still have my studies, but when my head is not in the books or I’m not writing a paper, I am outside watering plants, mulching the flowerbed, digging up new garden plots, etc. I imagine that is the way it will be for the rest of the summer. Growing things and watching a yard come to life is my idea of heaven! So out in the yard is where you’ll find me even on the hottest of days.This year the yard may look bare and scraggly, but next year we should see the beginnings of what promises to be lush gardens.

IMGP7585 — Russian Sage and Lavender: The beginnings of a butterfly and hummingbird garden.

IMGP7232 — What my cone flowers will look like next year!

IMGP7085 — Echinacea (a.k.a. Yellow Cone Flowers). Planted next to the purple cone flowers. Mine will look beautiful, too, next summer. 🙂

IMGP5943 — These tiger lilies grew in our yard this year. My sister-in-law gave me more day lilies to add to these for next year.

IMGP2944 — This is one of my peonies this year. My sister-in-law gave me more to add to the few that I have, and of a different color, too. I can’t wait to see my peony garden next year!

IMGP3686 — A rose-bush grows beside the deck but it has not been pruned for years. I will cut the bush back this fall so that next year roses will fill the branches with healthy, fragrant blooms.

IMGP2927 — We have at least three rhododendrons in our yard! I cut them back at the beginning of summer and new growth has already sprouted. 🙂

There’s more but these are the photos I have. If you have suggestions of what might look good in the yard for next year, please do tell! 😉 I have a big yard and it will take a few years to create a real garden with veggies, flowers, trees, and other wildlife. I plan to make some “proper” birdbaths to place out in the yard next year, something other than old pie tins that I found lying around. I also have ideas for various bird feeders with different food to attract birds of all kinds. And yes, I’ll also put up a squirrel feeder for my furry friends. Do you think that will keep the squirrels out of the bird food?

I’m not around the blogosphere as much these days. On one hand I miss my regular blogging routine. On the other hand, who wants to be inside all day every day when the sun shines, the temperatures are warm and the out-of-doors beckons? Thank you to those of you who check in on Inspired Vision regularly, or just pop in occasionally. Once the cold weather and dreary days return, I’ll jump back into my blogging habits. Until then, enjoy the summer. I know I am. 🙂

Growing things and veggie storage tips (pottedplantsociety.wordpress.com)
How to Attract Birds to Your Backyard (epicahome.com)
21st July 2012 – Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer (myphotoyear2012.wordpress.com)
Let your backyard go to the birds (utsandiego.com)
Top 5 Facts to Know about Squirrels and Birdfeeders (wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com)
Birdfeeding on a Budget – Make Your Own Nectar (wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com)
Squirrel activity down this summer (suntimes.com)
Repulse Deer…Get Hot! (hotcookingguys.com)
Plants We’ve Chosen For Our Container Garden (hbb2obm.com)
Sun dried is good for raisins…. (awinsomejourney.wordpress.com)
New nemesis: plants. (residentwayfarer.wordpress.com)
Watching Birds. Sipping on Yorkshire tea. Enjoying some quiet time. Nice. (mylifeisreallyinthegarden.wordpress.com)
Personalized gifts that can please any gardener (redenvelope.com)
Hip Hip Horray! New leaves are growing from a neglected plant! (mylifeisreallyinthegarden.wordpress.com)
Beat the Heat in the Garden (inyourneighbourhood.wordpress.com)
Sunny days, blue skies .. it’s shaping up to be a lovely summer (mylifeisreallyinthegarden.wordpress.com)

14 thoughts on “The Lazy Days of Summer are HERE!”

misty maples farm says:

July 25, 2012 at 11:45 am

Thank you for linking to my blog…can’t wait to see how your garden turns out!
j

Reply
1. Cecelia Futch says:
  
  July 25, 2012 at 2:30 pm
  
  Thanks misty maples farm. We won’t know how this year’s plantings will turn out until the spring arrives. We bought the house late in the planting season, and didn’t get plants for the yard until the first week in July (visit to Mom’s and Dad’s home in KY where I raided their yard) so things are moving along a little late here. BUT, it appears that all the plants thus far have taken root so in the spring we should have flowers. 🙂
  
  Reply
Jim McFadden Realtor says:

July 25, 2012 at 11:45 am

Thanks for the link! Good luck with the garden.

Reply
1. Cecelia Futch says:
  
  July 25, 2012 at 2:27 pm
  
  Thanks Jim, and glad you stopped by. 🙂
  
  Reply
katehobbs says:

July 25, 2012 at 11:50 am

I love your enthusiasm for this project. I know exactly how you feel about planning and planting up a garden. It’s very inspiring and creative. I don’t know how big your growing area is but if you have room for a buddleia, put on in for the butterfiles. They aren’t called the butterfly bush for nothing. They can grow large, so be prepared to grow them twice a year (once after the flowers have gone, and once in the spring – a hard cut – so that it doesn’t get out of hand).
OH, and thanks for the pingback.
Kate
http://myphotoyear2012.wordpress.com

Reply
1. Cecelia Futch says:
  
  July 25, 2012 at 2:27 pm
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Kate! Yes, a buddleia is on the list. 😉 I have already started a butterfly and hummingbird garden next to the deck, and the butterfly bush will be the next thing to go in it . . . probably in the spring. Hope you are having a wonderful summer.
  
  Reply
Crowing Crone Joss says:

July 25, 2012 at 12:08 pm

planning, dreaming, visualizing – three of the many ways in which having a garden blesses us. Keep on working hard and having fun with it and in a few years you will have created a wondrous place of beauty all around.

Reply
1. Cecelia Futch says:
  
  July 25, 2012 at 2:24 pm
  
  Thanks, Joss. It is fun to visualize what will be. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
  
  Reply
Huffygirl says:

July 25, 2012 at 10:20 pm

Sounds like it’s set to be a very nice garden.

Reply
1. Cecelia Futch says:
  
  July 26, 2012 at 9:53 pm
  
  I hope so. At least I’m having fun with it, but with this unbelievable drought and heat I doubt that the garden will look like much this year.
  
  Thanks for stopping by, Huffygirl. Much appreciated.
  
  Reply
Barbara McDowell Whitt says:

July 26, 2012 at 3:04 pm

Once again, one of the things I miss most (now that we made our decision to move into a condominium) is my gardening and bird feeding. Fortunately our condo building has nice landscaping, and the nearby Country Club Plaza has a wide variety of plantings.

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1. Cecelia Futch says:
  
  July 27, 2012 at 7:41 am
  
  Gardening is a great enjoyment for me, and food for my soul. I’m glad to hear that you are able to enjoy the landscaping where you live. Not the same I know, but it helps. Take care.
  
  Reply
pattisj says:

July 26, 2012 at 9:22 pm

From experience, get a squirrel baffle to put on the pole, and keep feeders at least 5 ft. off the ground and away from other things (trees, shrubs, buildings) where they can jump onto it. They are fun to watch, because they earn every seed they get!

Reply
1. Cecelia Futch says:
  
  July 26, 2012 at 9:52 pm
  
  Thanks, Pattisj. We’ve been looking for the right feeder and trying to figure out how and where to ‘install’ it. I also want to get a squirrel feeder on another part of the deck. Step by step…. Thanks for your suggestions. I don’t know for sure what a squirrel baffle is, but surely someone at HomeDepot can help me.
  
  Stay posted! I’m sure I’ll have updates through the summer.
  
  Reply