The Last of June ~

 It's been over a month since I've written a blog post.  I was so busy in June working outside & trying to keep ahead of the grass, weeds, transplanting, watering etc.  I was too busy & worked myself into a hospital stay.   It took me, stubborn as usual, several days to realize I wasn't getting any better & by that time I had to ask a friend to drive me to the Dr.'s office.  From there, it was an ambulance ride to Bellevue Medical Center on the 18th.  

Butch made it home Friday evening of the 20th.  By Saturday I was released on my own recognizance. It was a real wakeup call for me, the first time I've physically been unable to carry on.  Now, I'm taking things a bit easier, hopeful my strength will return & anxious for a cooler day to get out on my bike.  Mid-June we received a few drizzles & one really good rain.  It made such a difference!

6-24-25 - Rain!

In the meantime, I've been enjoying the fruits of all that labor.  The garden that runs all along the edge of the woods is finally coming into its own.  The years of transplanting Hosta's have paid off & they are getting huge.  The flowers are blooming in waves, first the iris, now the day lilies, Zinnia's & soon the Tall Garden Phlox & most of the varieties of Hosta.  

6-25-25 Zinnia's & Day Lily's 

Each afternoon when Finn & I take our walk, there are fresh flowers to enjoy.

6-27-25, the Hosta's are now mature~

I admire the Hosta's so much.  I'd always liked them, but in WA the slugs usually took a huge toll.  Here, no slugs!  Just the deer wandering through.  I've kept them covered in deer & rabbit repellant.

6-27-25 Along the woods~

This area used to be a wasteland.  Covered in invasive Honeysuckle & Autum Olive.  The evergreen shrubs were the first thing we planted, to delineate the edge of the woods from the yard.  They've gotten huge & add color in the winter months.

6-29-25 Tall Garden Phlox~

From just a few straggly plants, the Phlox have flourished!  The white was the first to bloom this year & soon the pink should join them.

Double blooming Old-Fashioned Day Lily

I have one patch of the above flowers along the hill that drops down to the marsh.  I'm going to transplant a few more to other locations.  

Zinnia's~

This is the second year I've planted Zinnia seeds along the south fence of the backyard.  They haven't done as well as they did last year.  I used at least six bags of Miracle Grow mixed into the soil the first time & cut back this year.  Obviously, I'll be using more again for future plantings.

6-30-25 Sharkey's Revenge~

Sharky is putting on his usual amazing display of color!  The plant must have at least ten buds!  My favorite of the plants I've purchased from Hillsdale Lily Farm.

The woods~

Two of the biggest trees in the woods have died.  I have no idea why.  They are so huge, there're going to stay standing as snags.  The loss of their canopy has let in more light.  The flowers I've planted on the hillside to the left in the above photo seem to be doing just fine.  There's still plenty of shade to enjoy.

We'll be looking for shade with the month of July upon us!  The weatherman assures us that after today, we'll be heading upwards into the land of muggy & steamy soon!