The flowers in the courtyard continue to provide color even into the fall. The front garden is still blooming nicely, and the hanging baskets still have some color. They have done so well this year, but I can’t say that about my experimental vegetable garden in mostly shade. The heirloom tomatoes and peppers just now have blossoms, which probably will freeze with overnight lows coming in October before they even produce fruit. But it was an experiment, so will have to try again next year.

The courtyard blooms continue to come early – some varieties of Hosta are already blooming! The blossoms on my largest leaf variety stand over 4 feet tall. The Sedum are blooming as well; I didn’t even capture a photo of the purple sedum in full bloom. Some are flowering longer than I expected – the Shrub Roses, Gaillardia, Yarrow, Veronica’s Candles, and Hydrangea are still in full bloom!

I love this time of year, everything is so lush in the courtyard, and shaded by the tall pines, it is a welcome respite from the hot summer sun.

What a beautiful season in the garden. Everything is so lush! With this early season though, it just leaves me wondering what will be left to bloom the rest of the summer. Alas, we still are thoroughly enjoying the beauty!

The Tiger Lilies, Daylilies and Climbing Roses were here when we bought the mansion – the rest have been added as we created the courtyard garden. The lilies were featured when Steve Hanks painted “Shelter for the Heart” in front our our inn, so even though some were moved, I had to retain that image through the wrought iron fence .

(I lost a few plant markers during the winter, so forgive me – and leave a comment – if I haven’t remembered all of the flower variety names accurately.)