August - Summer at last....

Finally the sun. After a month of what is now called "the coldest summer on record" we are enjoying a beautiful day. Temperatures are forecast to rise into the 80's. The lake while still cool is inviting for young and old for swimming. The blueberries and raspberries are ripe for the picking. Add in kayaking, canoeing and the new addition of the hydro-bikes and you have a perfect summer day at the lake.

The flowers are in their mid-summer splendor; the lilies are the stars of the moment. Their bold orange blends well with the gold of the rudbeckias, the pink bee balm, bright blue of the delpheniums, the pink plumes of pink filipendula and the yellow of the cephalarias. Next we'll enjoy the fragrance of the phlox.

It's hard to pick our favorite pot this season. I love the copper washtub filled with the soft large leaves of salvia argenta, echnicea, Heuchera "mocha", yellow petunias and the ornamental oregano. It's full of soft colors and great texture.

The log planter in front of the post is a great mixture of spilling purple heart, orange zinnias, giant artichokes and a sharing from our Arizona home, our curvy pedialanthus. Karen and I added the twisted metal sticks that were purchased during the winter; they add the colorful whimsy which we love. Also, the tomatillos are coming along nicely for fabulous fall time salsa and kitchen additions.

- Lonnie