Tuesday View August 23, 2016
Cathy at Words and Herbs hosts the Tuesday View, encouraging garden bloggers to post a photo of the same view of the garden week by week and note the changes.
We were away last week so it has been two weeks between Tuesday views. This scene was taken at today at 8:29 a.m. Again the sunlight has found the tops of the trees but has not yet entered the garden, the contrast making for a poor quality photograph. The sun is not actually so harsh as this looks, but the image underscores how on summer mornings moments in the garden are best enjoyed during this early shady period.
The fescue grass is dying back, patchy with brown spots and an annoying annual grass has snuck into the lawn over the past several years. It grows faster than okra and cannot be kept trimmed.
One of the original thymes along the path has turned completely black the last two weeks. It began discoloring after I trimmed around the pavers, so perhaps I damaged it but I think it is stressed from the weather. In past years it has recovered but it looks messy now. The Pink Chintz thyme in the center is still blooming and Angelonia contributes lots of color.
Tuesday View August 23, 2016
Overall the garden is in retreat. There will not be much to see from here on out until early spring when bulbs start peeking out again.
Thanks to Cathy at Words and Herbs for hosting the Tuesday View. Check out her featured view and those of other gardeners.
pbmGarden 
It looks lovely. 🙂 Our plants are in such distress from the lack of water it is really challenging. A neighbor is also taking down more trees so a very long bed that use to be total shade, then went to part shade, will now be full sun. I’m going to be busy moving plants next months when it cools down. 🙂
Thanks Judy. Oh, I hope you can get your plants safely moved. It’s distressing when conditions change like that and you have no control over it.
Looks great, I love that combination of half white, half blue.
Thanks Anca. I’ve thought about doing it all one color but it would be hard to pick one.
I now know what you mean about the appreciation of early morning shade: We had a heat wave temperature in the mid-eighties today [ that will make you smile ] and I did my garden walking at 5 am, three hours are my night walking at 2 am – with a torch. Two miles per session. You are all made of sterner stuff as regards summer heat. 🙂
That circular feature is very photogenic throughout the year and a good indication of the changes in the garden.
Thanks. You’re dedicated to get out and walk during those hours. Good for you. I’m happy the meditation circle has turned out to be a good focal point for the garden.
The morning light is harder to capture than evening I think, it looks really good this week.
Thanks Christina. In just the one week we were away the garden really changed drastically. Must have been a very hot, dry week here. I can’t complain this year though.
I think it still looks good Susie. I cut my Thyme right back this week as It gets all straggly if I don’t do it early enough. I hate having bare patches but it should send up new leaves soon once it cools down a bit. That morning shade looks very inviting. It’s hot here too! Have a good week!
Thanks Cathy. Happy travels.
Looking at the photo, I don’t see the imperfections of which you speak. Looks perfectly lovely to me.
Thank you Ricki! Sadly, they’re all there and more that I didn’t even want to point out. I’m always discouraged by my garden by this time in the summer and not much interested in working on it.
I had patches of thyme burn out like that this summer too. I blame a combination of intense heat and insufficient water. I finally gave up on it coming back on its own and bought a new flat to replace it last weekend.
Kris, hope your new thyme takes off and is happy. The last three weeks have been very hot with little rain so maybe that finished off the thyme in the circle. Some of the thymes are doing fine though.
‘Overall the garden is in retreat.’ Your words weigh heavy upon my heart! I’ve been trying to whistle and deny the fact in my own garden – alas! As long as the annuals keep blooming, I can pretend the end is not near! 😉
It’s a wistful observation to notice the season has swung, but the light is different now. Annuals are great for extending color until frost.
Thank heavens!
I think this is the first time I have ever noticed your grass being anything less than pristine. I wonder what the grass is which is invading. Could it be nut grass? What a pest that is…
I think you are underestimating how nice the angelonia has filled in. It looks great and seems to show no signs of slowing down.
When I get tired of the garden I trim it all back to an inch or two and spread a little new mulch. What a difference it makes to my mood and many of the plants respond with fresh, clean growth which looks so refreshing.
It might be nut grass; I’ll have to get some help with evaluating it. Mulching is a great way to perk up the garden. I’ve done a few sections but need to finish the entire job at once to get that satisfying effect.
It’s so hard to get jobs like that done in this heat though…