Our Garden Blooms in Summer

 It is about time for showing you some photos, taken on September 8...

Things blooming in our garden.

On September 8, I walked around and captured some of our summer blooms.

This is a beautiful summer Azalea, in a pot on our patio, right below the kitchen bay window.

Hummingbirds LOVE it!

Crocosmia blooming abundantly!

Showing you the actual size of a Crocosmia flower...

On September 8, our Hydrangea paniculata, Limelight a late–summer and autumn blooming variety that starts indeed out a bit 'greenish'.

Kwekkie still checking IF there is one more kernel left from her breakfast...

She is on our driveway in the morning—together with the kitties, waiting for breakfast!

A happy duck!

Our Liriope muscari variegata, near the driveway are blooming...

A Moonflower Ipomoea alba, around breakfast time—after blooming at night.

An insect is inside.

New Moonflower Ipomoea alba buds—ready to unfold during the night at our Rose Arbor.

September 8, I spotted the first Spider lilies in bloom and more buds to open soon.

Our Spunky girl—inside the garden hose near the driveway...

On September 12, showing you the HUGE size of our Moonflower's leaves!

Yep, they LOVED all that August rain...

On the trellis against the storage room underneath our balcony... Moonflower Ipomoea alba vine. 

That trellis photo did NOT show the Moonflower Ipomoea alba's actual size!

This was early morning, during a darker day so they thought it still was not yet DAYTIME...

Our Oxalis are blooming again!

They got all whacked off with a weed eater—by our over–active garden crew!

But since those are bulbs, they did come back.

Our Hydrangea paniculata, Limelight on September 22 in the sunlight.

And on the fence, the Potato Vine or Solanum laxum 'Album'.

Hoping you enjoyed our summer bloomers!

Do you have anything blooming in summer?

Related links:

Azalea Society of America | Late Blooming Azaleas at bottom

{Crocosmia} | previous post by me

{OXALIS in Our Garden} | previous post by me

{Our Liriope Muscari - Border Grass or Lily-turf} | previous post by me

Pieter Capturing his Progress on the Wood Trail while I was in Limburg

 While I was in Limburg, Pieter got determined to finish our Wood Trail, adjacent to the gazebo, till the greenhouse in the back.

A short 2:26 minute video of his progress on this Mega Task.Taken with Pieter's limited iPhone on June 5, around 15:50.I'd gone to bed and was asleep when I woke up shortly past midnight and used my iPhone for another video–call via WhatsApp, to tell Pieter that he better uses his iPadPro instead, as that is unlimited. This is the immediate result, captured at 18:30 after supper, in this short 1:30 minute video.Quite a challenge for getting past our HUGE laurel oak tree Quercus hemisphaerica.It made me feel very proud of my 93–year old Pieter who is tech–savvy and also very clever in conducting this final task!

The grass looked rather lush and you can see Kwekkie standing near the pond.

Greenhouse in the back and gazebo to the left.

Speckie, our youngest kitty–girl, is watching over the wooden poles that Pieter hauled back home for placing under the Wood Trail, for elevating it out of the ground so it won't rot that easily.

Thus we stayed in touch over 8,000 km away from each other but still maintaining a Blissful Relationship and Pieter also had the kitties as companions...

Related links:This section got last done when Mom was in her final days | previous post by meHusband Pieter Finished Restoration Work on our Bridges on Wood Trail | previous post by me

Pieter's NEW Love—While I was in Limburg

 One never knows how life is moving forward...

Pieter worked very hard on the Wood Trail, while I was in Limburg, solo.

Short 3 second movie with Kwekkie the white duck that befriended Pieter.

AND, Pieter got enamored; who would NOT?!

She worked almost side–by–side with him on the Wood Trail repair and replacement...

Observe her left foot here carefully as something dramatic happened to her while I was back home.

Kwekkie is a friendly white duck and she is especially fond of Pieter.

Pieter's hand, full with potting soil as he just has potted several plants.

Watch her left foot...

She obviously got attacked by a Snapping Turtle!

For several days she could not walk and Pieter had to bring her food + water.

She then went again inside the pond and it seems her foot did heal but those two webs between her toes will never be like before!

She seems to be happy though.

Zoomed in on her foot...

Our pond is her favorite area

Yes, she adopted Pieter and is getting used to me as well.

Eastern Phoebe Reside in Front Porch with Babies

Our newest residents...

Eastern Phoebe is a flycatcher...

Just a few weeks ago, when my severe midback arthritis pain did not permit me to bike,

I started walking the wood trail through our wood garden.

I left through the front door and noticed a broken bird egg on the tiles in our front porch...

This was on May 17...

SAD sight!

Looking up, I spotted the nest, on the ledge above our Vintage Woodworks...

Clever, as it is rather high!

On May 23, I captured its resident...

It turned out to be the Eastern Phoebe, a fly catcher.

We sure were thrilled knowing what it was!

Here I spotted both; male and female Eastern Phoebe.

How sweet!

You hear our senior kitty Dido in the background, as I captured them through our dining room window.

Here it is on the railing and I love its eyes.

Insect eaters, so they catch also mosquitoes; a bonus to have them around!

Just like our tiny bats on the driveway side, behind the gable vent.

We have had lots of heavy rain and since I have to get up often during the night due to my kidney problems, I noticed that the Eastern Phoebe was high up on the nest.

Pieter mentioned, maybe there are chicks in it?

So today I took the lightweight aluminum ladder from the garage and brought it upstairs.

 Looked inside the nest, with my iPhone on selfie setting...

Guess there are four babies, 3 beaks are visible but the other is moving as well.

Thrilled to have them!

Are you having any birds nesting around your home?

Our Garden in May

 May is still a pleasant month here in the South; not yet too hot and plants and shrubs thrive.

Our Yucca lily is putting on a show again...

Yucca lily is a happy potplant and rewarding us annually with blooms!

So are our loyal Oxalis!

Snapdragons are quite happy and perform if they get plenty of water...

Happy yellow!

Oakleaf hydrangea or Hydrangea quercifolia.

Oakleaf hydrangea with Rose Arbor and Gazebo...

The bumble bee that flew around did not want to pose for me...

Yes, our kitties live in Paradise.

Lounging here under the Quercus Virginiana Grand View Gold, left is Tiggy–Tiger and her brother Spooky to the right of her.

Palm tree is doing well and our fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno' is blooming.

On May 19, Pieter made this photo of a bloom of our fragrant Magnolia Grandiflora 'Namnetensis Flore Pleno' and it measures 26  cm or 10.5 inches in diameter!

And it is double, two layers of petals.

Happy kitties lounging after supper!

Still sunshine around 18:00 o'clock and I love the shadow of the palm tree on the garage door.

The driveway is very warm from the sun and Spunky girl is stretched out, her brother Spooky in the grass...

Gazebo visible in the back and a tiny greenhouse in the distance to the right of it.

This is from the front, as I walked around our property and on the wood trail.

My first exercise on May 17, after my severe mid–back arthritis pain...

When I opened the repurposed mailbox (bird house now!) in the wood garden, the Carolina Wren flew out and I saw that she had now Baby Birds!

Read more in my previous post with photo of nest with eggs→: Husband Pieter Finished Restoration Work on our Bridges on Wood Trail

So glad that Pieter timely did remove the white egg, the brood parasitic bird one, just before they hatched, without disturbing her! 

Did not want to leave it opened too long, nor disturb the 3 Baby Birds; two beaks are clearly visible here.

Do you have birds nesting in your garden and/or around the house?

Related links:

Variegated Yucca Lily Blooming | previous post by me

213 Countries Visited - Welcome Sint Maarten and my Pinterest + Yucca Lily | previous post by me

Turtle Talk

 While Pieter was working in the yard, on May 24, 1993 a Turtle stopped by to Talk...

May 23, 2022 is World Turtle Day!

The little guy seemed not afraid as it looked at Pieter...

Not that tall...

On its way to our pond no doubt...

Related link:

{Our TURTLE KINDERGARTEN} | previous post by me

{TURTLE} | previous post by me 

Our Agapanthus and Wood Trail

 Both of us loved the green intersections in México City, often with Agapanthus.

On our way to work we passed by numerous parks.

Link below post leads to a video of them at 2:07

On May 24, 1993 Pieter is standing next to one of our blue Agapanthus.

This was one year before we started consulting work in Mexico.

Everything grew in our garden when we had access to the spent mushroom compost... Such a great end product from mushroom cultivation!

Saponaria officinalis in the front or soapwort. We also had Saponaria ocymoides or rock soapwort.

Tall blue Agapanthus and Saponaria in the front.

On March 9, 1993 the same year! Pieter dug ditches for getting rid of the excess water, letting our lot drain.

He also built the first Wood Trail.

Lowes at that time sold ready built squares in treated wood.

And then, in 2004 ALL ditches got filled in with the 60 metric tons of dirt, which Pieter shoveled out from under the house, where he built the Rose Suite!

On April 18, 1993 Pieter with the wheelbarrow full of spent mushroom compost, adding to all plants and shrubs that we planted.

To the left you see already one blue Agapanthus blooming here.

Several of those trees we had cut down, way too many and they compete for food with plants and shrubs more than anything else!

Thursday, April 29, 1993 on Pieter's 64th Birthday...

Even in–between the cross tires that we both placed here (they were put somewhere but NOT in the right spot while we worked in Indonesia), with the help of spent mushroom compost perennials thrived.

This is alongside the driveway and retainer wall.

Our Wood Trail on April 29... what a huge difference with March 9 in photo above; lots of hard work planting and tending for plants and shrubs.

A happy Birthday guy and gardener!

Pieter with our Azalea Helena Curtis

Pieter with  the Saponaria officinalis.

Our young Mock Orange

On the cordless phone in the garden...

Wood trail, ditches and to the left in the back you see our veggie garden.

All grew so well on the spent mushroom compost!

Wood trail and to the right you see the gazebo steps and the pond in the center.

Wood trail end and again, our veggie garden.

We sure enjoyed our Paradise, always together with Squirrels and Chipmunks as they were rather tame.

Remember, we did NOT have kitties at the time...

Related link:

Our Mushroom Friends took us Sightseeing in Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque in Jalisco, México | previous post with link below for video with Agapanthus flowers in México City.

{Our Wood Trail in 1994} | previous post by me

{Walk Our Wood Trail With Me + Helen Curtis Azalea} | previous post by me

Our Garden at the Time we had Access to Spent Mushroom Compost | previous post by me

The FIGHT of Growing Grass in Subtropical Georgia/USA | previous post by me about the cross tires being in wrong place