My Garden Bounty of Flora and a Couple of Fauna

My garden, small by most standards, a patch in the front of my house in lieu of grass, has been unusually luxuriant this year. Too often annuals planted, either seeds or seedlings, never sprout and bloom. Perennials die over the winter or, if they grow, look rather sickly. This year was different. Long, hot sunny days and occasional but regular rain showers produced luxuriant plants, deep green leaves, and colorful flowers.

I am not much of a gardener, an amateur unschooled in the intricacies of plant varieties and horticulture. But since retirement I appreciate being outside and gardening, although nothing serious. My mantra: benign neglect. I don’t spend hours bent over, tormenting my body, but derive pleasure from an hour or two every couple of days puttering in the dirt weeding, pruning, planting, talking to neighbors. The last is not part of most folks’ usual garden routine, but the social interaction increases my enjoyment of the outdoor experience.

My array of bushes is eclectic, and my plot unorganized. I notice a bare spot and plant something, often an item discovered on sale at a local nursery. 

Visitors include humans and nonhumans, some welcome, others not. Rabbits ruined my vegetable garden so often I gave up. This year the only edibles planted were four grape tomato plants, which have been prolific, and unharmed by rabbits or squirrels. A squirrel family inhabits a large tree in my backyard, and although cute, they can be garden nuisances.

This week I share in pictures my beautiful bounty.

I love my hibiscus!

My hydrangeas are very particular, flowering only when light, soil, and water meet exact specifications unknown to me. This year started disappointing, but the plants finally flowered in August.

My human butterfly granddaughter, always a welcome visitor!