The weather is so much cooler and I am back in the garden, however it's for the purpose of cleaning up faded perennials... getting the garden ready for fall and winter. These are probably the last blooms on my rose bushes.

I must say they are going out in style this year... this round of blooms is so pretty.


I shot these pictures with an f 1.4 50mm lens... pretty fast and it really blurs out the foliage. This is a good thing because there is a bit of blackspot on some of the leaves, particularly on the yellow rose plant.


I wish I had more roses in the yard but I don't have enough sunny spots to sustain them. Many of the trees in the yard have grown so large and I have found myself having to switch to shade plants after all these years.


I wish I could tell you the names of these roses, but my golden retrievers have a bad habit of pulling up all my plastic plant markers! 

Summer is fading... the days are slowly getting shorter...

The weather is cooling off (thank goodness!)... only getting up into the 80s of late...


The children in my neighborhood are back in school and my purple coneflowers are in full bloom. I can always count on them for some late summer color in my garden. I love the color combination of pink petals and rusty centers; I think these two colors only blend together well in nature.


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What have you been up to this week? Take a minute to link up below and show us what you've got to share!



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I do have a few young hydrangea bushes that were just coming into bloom. I could snip a few of the clusters and still leave plenty for enjoyment in the garden, especially if I snip those that face the fence.




I wish I could share the exact name of this hydrangea variety with you, but my golden retrievers have a bad habit of removing all my plastic garden tags. The blooms are not as full as what you typically see, but I like the little buds as they are just coming into bloom. The vintage silver sugar bowl is an estate sale find. It's really big, and the tallest sugar bowl I've ever seen. It reminds me of a trophy!




Typically I like to have a huge bouquet or large candle on this island in my kitchen, but given the size of the floral arrangement I decided to add a candlestick as well. It's something I picked up from Home Goods earlier in the summer. I love shopping at that store; I can always come home with something new to dress up my home for under $20--I think the candlestick was $12.99.




Small touches--a candle here, flowers in vintage vessels there... pretty little things that make my home seem special to me. What do you do to dress up your home? Link it up to my Share the {Blog} Love link party. The link stays live through Saturday!

Just outside my kitchen is a little deck with a very small wrought iron table and four chairs. The furniture set has been out there for years, in the rain, snow and sunshine. I enjoy the view of it every day.


I like to put a little something in the middle of the table; a small accessory each season. A simple bowl of flowers is out there now.  In the fall it might be adorned with a little pumpkin and even at Christmas I had a small table chandelier with red candles.


It's a great little space to take a break after work or sit while on the phone with a friend. The deck overlooks my yard, giving me a bird's eye view of  my garden and the field beyond. It's very peaceful... and pretty thanks to my little bowl of pink and blue happiness!

Linking this post to:

Oregon Cottage Tuesday Garden Party 

 The peonies are in their glory in my garden. I have cut a few to bring in the house to enjoy and put them in one of my most recent thrift store finds... this pretty silver plate vase.


There aren't as many blooms as in year's past and I'm not sure of the reason why. Someone told me that you shouldn't cut all the blooms as it will result in fewer for the next year, but I'm not sure if that is true.


Then I began to notice many bare stems... like blossoms were plucked off the tips of them.


And sure enough, I found them.... all over the yard.


Funny how they were picked while they were still in their tight, rounded shape; like little tennis balls almost. And there is someone who loves tennis balls in my house....


Yep, it was Marley. Both of the dogs love to romp in my garden, pulling their favorite weeds to munch, but never have I seen them eat flowers... until now.  Luckily Marley responds well to an "ah-ah" while he's in the middle of doing something and knows that sound means he's doing something he shouldn't. I've only found a few peony balls since then so I'm hoping the attraction has stopped. He is a cute garden pest though, isn't he?









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at Snowflakes and Dragonflies. 

Lastly, hop over to A Few Pennies to see glimpses of her gorgeous garden. I love how this frame, one of her newest thrifty finds, is set in the garden. I think it was just placed there for a quick photo but I actually think a frame as a garden element could be kind of cool. Wouldn't it be neat to wrap a frame in chicken wire and let it become covered with ivy or morning glories? I would use something more simple for this purpose, this one below is just too pretty to cover up!



Linking this post to:
Oregon Cottage Tuesday Garden Party
DIY by Design
Fishtail Cottage: Cottage Flora Thursdays 

Thanks so much to each of you who linked up last week. I truly enjoy visiting each and every one of you to see what you've been up to! I'm ready for another week of fun, so let's get the party started...

Two easy requests...

• Please link just one specific post you want to feature, not your whole blog (to do this, click on the title of the post you want to link and it will open on it's own page, then copy that url
• Please link back to my blog with either the party button or a text link. 

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This Lamium is beginning to take off in it's second season. I love how it spreads and the beauty in the foliage. The little purple flowers are a bonus!

 
Summer wouldn't be complete without geraniums. Lowe's had some gorgeous colors this year and their prices were the best in the area.



Thsi is  another of my favorite garden ornaments. An iron trellis from Plow and Hearth. No matter if it's covered in Clematis blooms or bare in winter, it's beautiful either way. I'd love another of these in the backyard.

What are your favorite garden elements? Do share...

Linking this post to...

Transformation Thursday at Shabby Chic Cottage

Everything has been so late to bloom in my garden this year due to the cold spring, but at last, I am seeing blooms. Here's a few snaps of what's blooming in my backyard.
 

I don't always save the little tags that come with the plants on my perennials, so please correct me if I have gotten a name wrong. The pretty blue ground cover is bugleweed. I love the blue flowers. They don't last all summer but they are gorgeous in the spring. This plant also spreads... which I love. It's like getting free plants!


Here's a closeup of one of my lilac bushes. If you haven't seen it already, check out my post on an arrangement I made with lilacs and vintage silver here.


This pretty blue plant I cannot remember the name of... but I do love it. It just blooms in the spring as well, and I have it planted among my roses. The foliage is pretty too. The flowers are so delicate!



The plant above is everywhere in my back yard. It's a hardy geranium and is covered with these pretty magenta flowers in the spring and it will rebloom if I cut it back. The foliage is similar to ivy and it spreads as well. it makes a really nice ground cover between my roses and taller perennials. I have a few different varieties of hardy geraniums.


 My golden retrievers are loving that I am spending more time in the yard with them. We go for walks everyday but it's also fun to watch them run among the flowers. Marley is a cute garden ornament, isn't he?


I've also planted a few annuals, mostly baskets of annual geraniums in pots here and there to provide some constant color throughout the season. I'll be sharing more pictures as the growing season continues; it's good to be in in the garden again!

So what have you been up to this past week? Thanks to all of you who linked up to last week's party. We had a record number of participants and clicks from the links and I've met lots of new blog friends!


Here's some of my favorites from last week's party... Every girl, no matter how young or old, loves a playhouse. Molly over at Birdie Blue has created the most amazing play space for her daughter. From the beautiful windows and shutters to all the special details like a window box and sweet ornate door, this house is just about the cutest one I have ever seen. Click here to see the rest of this adorable house--I know you'll love all the details inside and out!



Next up is this beautiful jewelry corkboard frame created by Janina a la Maison. I know that when my jewelry is on display and easy to see, I would be most likely to wear it often. Janina has made several different boards that you can check out here... She also made these glittered pumps for her daughter and has all the details on that craft in the same post. Each board has it's own different style, but I love that she has created a work of art with her frame and the jewelry. Why not keep all your pretties on display so they are easy to match with an outfit when they look so fabulous in these frames!






And last but not least, I love this one day, one chair redo over at The Homeless Finch. I pick up furniture here and there and it seems to languish in the basement for months before I get to it. And when I finally do, it certainly takes more than a day to complete. That doesn't have to be the case, and I admire Lesley for her accomplishment. Not only did she paint and colorwash it, she reupholstered the seat and did some stenciling on it as well. She did some experimenting with leftover acrylic paints on top of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint and had some really great results. Check out the whole project here.






I'm looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to! Thanks to all of you who linked up last week. I can't wait to see what fabulous projects and ideas this week will bring! 

Two easy requests to participate...

• Please link just one specific post you want to feature, not your whole blog (to do this, click on the title of the post you want to link and it will open on it's own page, then copy that url
• Please link back to the party so that others can find it. Grab my cute button (code is on my sidebar)  to include in your post or somewhere on your blog; text links are fine too.

Link up and start visiting... let the party begin!

Linking this post to
My Back Yard Eden 
All Things Heart and Home 
Savvy Southern Style
The Shabby Chic Cottage
A Beach Cottage
Blue Cricket Design
Elements Interiors
Oregon Cottage Tuesday Garden Party 
Someday Crafts