Gardening

As a break from our Asian trip, tonight I am going to post some photographs from our gardens.  This comes about because several of my friends have been posting such photos on Facebook much to my delight, and in some cases, envy.  

As probably mentioned in some earlier post, our gardens have suffered from complete (or "near as makes no never-mind") neglect due to all the other things going on with our home.  Now we are trying to bring them back to at least a semblance of their former attractiveness.  One thing I noticed is how the trees all around as well as in our yard have changed the garden.  When I went out to take photos the other day, I found that afternoon is far from the best time due to intense sun that used to be blocked by trees now cut back or simply gone.  Now it's morning for pictures.  What used to be the back of the growing area in the garden has moved forward due to the roots and branches of the lilac bushes.  But then a garden changes every day.

The following were taken today, one day after we had finished the three-day chore of spreading 6 yards of mulch.  Given the week, I enjoyed this combination of hydrangea and the flag hanging from our front porch.

This is a section of the big garden in the backyard with a favorite birdhouse.

Most of the rest.

 A long shot that takes in the whole of the garden from one side to the other (the shed is over on our neighbor's property).

Here is one of my favorite things this year, and a real surprise.  This is a stewartia tree which has wonderfully variegated gray/reddish brown bark and incredible 4-inch flowers.  We planted it about 10 - 12 years ago, and while it's grown like a weed (almost as tall as the house), it has never been as showy as it is this year (such a year for trees and shrubs!).  For me the interesting thing about it is the way it ordinarily blooms; it has one or two flowers open at a time.  It has never had as many blooms at one time as it has this year.

Possibly the tree has just matured.