Lusty Flowers, Birdsongs and Busy Bees

Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) in cutting garden

July gardens are a happy mix of colorful flowers and songbirds and bees gracefully dipping in and out of the gardens. I see visitors mesmerized watching the activity of bees on the flowers and hearing the goldfinch sing nearby.

The Cutting Garden still has sweet peas blooming on the arches and we’ve all noticed hummingbirds visiting them daily. This garden is a patchwork of lusty, vibrant flowers and a busy bee town.

Lilium ‘Orania’ in the Rose Garden

In the Rose Garden, Lilium ‘Orania’ is an interdivisional (oriental x asiatic) lily blooming alongside Rosa “Lady Elsie May’ for a picture-perfect summer display. Many roses are still blooming and the roses and lilies combine to perfume the air with a sweet summer scent.

Even though the flowers in the gardens take center stage, the ever-supporting wildlife really makes the gardens sing. The comforting sounds of songbirds, the soft, focused movement of the bees and the quick vision of a hummingbird creates a pleasurable setting. There is much to see on a summer garden walk.

Cutting Garden with orange Mexican Sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia), blue Sea holly (Eryngium planum )

Featured Image: Cutting Garden blue Sea holly (Eryngium planum) and sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) on bamboo arches.