High Summer Garden Party

The Herb Garden rich with scents, flavors and textures.

The Cafe Garden full of fancy and colorful cutting flowers all set for the party.

A quiet and shady place to sit a spell.

As the dog days of summer set in and High Summer settles herself smack-dab in the very middle of the gardens with an attitude, no less,  I thought I should try to soften the blow of her hot and humid breath and invite High Summer to a garden party, of sorts!  Okay--we have had a lot of garden parties here this season, at Blooming Hill, where the flowers were the entertainment, not the various garden club guests and High Summer kept making her presence known by sending her high temperature messengers to remind me that she was not included on the list of invitees.  High summer can be pushy!

Pink petunias, coleus and brugmansias arriving just in time for the party.

Sleepy garden cherub supposedly keeping a lookout for the nosy devil deer.

To quote Winnie the Pooh, "You can never tell about bees!"

So today, this impromptu garden party is for Blooming Hill's guest of honor, High Summer, and the flowers, along with their cousins, aunts and uncles, will be her party companions. The busy bees, chirping birds, fluttery butterflies, crafty spiders and the regal praying mantis's will supply the entertainment while, I'm sure, those sneaky devil deer will show up, uninvited as usual as the garden fairies and angels doze in the shade. However, Rain will remain elusive as ever and may come and go unannounced.  But, I won't count on Rain because his presence, although much desired, can put a damper on things as only Rain can and his cohort in crime, Wind, the diva that she is, can be down right rude and try to grab all of the attention for herself, as we have experienced her shenanigans lately!

Lavender refreshments fit for the "High Summer Princess."

Shy pumpkin blossoms peeking though the leaves.

You are welcome to stop by and say hello to High Summer, too!

A garden party it is, right here on my porch, to honor the season's most demanding princess, High Summer, in all of her glory. Bring on the heat, the sun, the rain, the humidity, the bugs and most of all the colorful fruit, delicious vegetables and wonderful flowers that hang around with her almost exclusively.  I shall raise a glass of lavender lemonade, dip a cookie dusted with lavender sugar and toast her Highness by officially welcoming High Summer and find the joys and blessings she so freely offers during these doggiest of days.