Later July in the Garden

About this time of year I always try and make lists of "What I would do again," and "What I would skip next year." It helps when I've had all winter to glorify my garden, and I forget all the things I was less-than-happy with come August.
-Prune the Trumpet Vine back just a little more next spring. It's mammoth this year!
-So far, I'm thrilled to have had success with morning glory in some various spots that I have failed in the past. Extra attention to those remote areas with water was the key.
-I'm loving the taller zinnias, as opposed to the "Thumbelina" variety that was covered in powdery mildew by this time last year.
-I will not spend my money on Bayer Advanced that claims to kill Japanese Beetles because they are worse this year than they ever been. I will commit to the bucket of soapy water to knock off the bettles each morning, and clipping the roses second flush just so I won't have to watch them get devoured by the beetles. So sad! I'd much rather have the roses in my dining room stinking up the place in a great way!
- I will do the greenhouse (the set-up plastic variety) next year, as I yielded dozens of new perennials, including painted daisies, lavender, and dozens of wonderful annuals including a million verbena, petunias, cosmos, zinnia, not to mention a haryd crop of basil!! YUM!
-I will not be buying those tempting body bag roses any earlier than April. I lost all the early ones, and the later ones are doing incredible!
-I will not buy anymore bareroot clematis from Farm and Fleet, as they have all been incorrectly labeled, and I have too many purple, including 3 polish spirit planted too close together (none of which were supposed to be polish spirit, lol).
-I will use Powdery Mildew prevention (Ortho spray). I have much less PM than last year.
-Move those blasted Bee Balm that mold out of control each summer to the back of the garden, not the very front where all can see!
-I will definately fetilize the evergreen shrubs and trees. My large blue spruce and two dwarf tolleymore spruces have responded swimmingly!
-Let's pull all the yellow johnny jump ups our of the fron bed next spring, they make too messy.

I'll continue to add to this list as the summer commences.

Here are some recent delights:
A butterfly that let me follow her around.

Containers and a sign my mom bought me that reads, "Blessed with Grace and Abundance."

Climbing White Dawn

One of many zinnia.

The kids found this guy in the clubhouse and I rescued him from their grasp. he looked right at home on this $6 cement birdbath I found at a yard sale this spring. He stayed here for a long time. He had a yellow belly.

Love Echinacea Tomato Soup!

The dahlias are totally worth the effort, and I will make sure I overwinter them carefully (last year they molded, and I was heartbroken, so I had to start my collection all over again!).

Here's Hamari Gold.

Arabian Night

Kogana Fubuki, my favorite

Mystery Day

Happy gardening!