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Garden Tour and Sneak Peek of the New Pond!

August has arrived and there’s no place I’d rather be than outside enjoying sunshine and nature. The flowers are at their peak so I thought I’d share my garden tour with you – along with a peek at my new backyard garden pond!

Hanging Petunia Basket - My Garden Tour with Pond

 

It’s the first Saturday of the month which means I’m joining a few blogging buddies to share ways to cozy up your living during the month of August. For me, August is all about the garden and relishing its beauty. I hope you’ll enjoy my garden tour!

We recently added pretty foxglove to the cutting garden. This is a newer hybrid called Illumination Flame. I was searching for fall-like colors and this beauty was on sale for $5 at our local nursery.

Foxglove in a cottage garden

 

My goal is to create a shasta daisy border along the east side of the flower garden. You can see all the zinnias in the background, along with newly planted hyssop.

Shasta Daisies with Ornamental Onion in Background

 

I find State Fair Zinnias to be the best type of zinnia for cutting and using in flower arrangements. The stems are long and sturdy and the blooms are larger than most zinnias.

State Fair Zinnias in a Cutting Flower Garden

 

State Fair Zinnias in a Cutting Flower Garden

 

An errant Heavenly Blue morning glory popped up in the garden and I’m letting it wind its way on the chicken wire that supported green beans last year. Isn’t that an amazing shade of blue?

Blue Heaven Morning Glory in Flower Cutting Garden

 

Purple liastris is new to the cutting garden this year, selected for its ability to attract bees and butterflies. I’m looking into what it takes to have the yard certified as a wildlife habitat.

Purple Liastris for Butterfly Garden

 

I think this is butternut squash. We didn’t plant any squash this year but this one popped up in the garden from an errant seed. In the past I’ve had both spaghetti squash and butternut squash. So we’ll see what grows from its beautiful flower.

Blooming Squash in a Vegetable Garden

 

Coneflowers always look pretty in the garden this time of year.

Purple Coneflower - Garden Tour

 

In the backyard, phlox pair with coneflowers next to the fence. My goal is to create a series of gardens throughout our property.

Garden Tour with Coneflower and Phlox against picket fence

Phlox are deliciously fragrant and I love sitting next to these. This is the best-smelling flower in the garden tour.

Garden Tour with Aromatic Phlox

 

Backyard Cottage Garden Tour

 

You know what else I love sitting next to?  OUR NEW POND!!! The crew installed it on Monday and I’ve fallen in love with it. This weekend I’m planting bushes, flowers, and ground cover around it and will take more photos to share on the blog. The pond is my new cozy spot in the garden and the perfect way to celebrate the month of August.

Backyard Garden Pond with Pebble Beach

 

Here’s a close-up of the waterfall. It’s so relaxing sitting out here! Hubby is starting the deck tomorrow and then we have a small patio to install. I can’t wait to show you the entire backyard when it’s done.

Backyard Garden Pond Waterfall

 

Next week I’ll share some of the pond construction process, along with before and after photos.

And now, please visit my blogging friends to see how they make life a little cozy during the month of August!

Cozy Living Series - August

Making It In the Mountains//Town and Country Living//Vinyet Etc.//Duke Manor Farm

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29 Comments

  1. You have an amazing garden! Those phlox are stunning! I’m sure you will be enjoying that pond with all your gorgeous landscaping. I’ve never seen a foxglove that looked like that one, do you know what variety it is? I also have many different types of wildlife here, from bird of all types, butterflies and of course, the deer, chipmunks and turkeys. It can be a problem keeping the deer from my flowers. I spray with a repellent at least once a week, and also use a granular product which fertilizes and repels them. I’m so enjoying this last month of summer, and really hope that we have a long mild fall. Here in northern Michigan things change quickly and the weather can be unpredictable but summer is definitely my season. Winters here are way too long.

    1. Hi Mary!

      I live in Illinois and agree that winters are far too long in our area! That beautiful Foxglove is Illumination Flame. I’ll update my post to include the name. It’s been performing beautifully even though I planted it mid-summer. Hope you’re able to deter the deer – we don’t have that problem in our yard. Instead I fight Japanese beetles that like to eat everything in sight! Although I have to say, they’re less prolific this year which is good.

  2. Just beautiful. The pond looks so serene and cool. I too would love to know the variety of your foxglove!

  3. I love your new pond. What a wonderful place to sit and relax. I also enjoyed seeing your flowers. I have an area I want to replant next spring and that has given me some great selections.

  4. Jennifer, your garden is amazing and the colors gorgeous.

    Your pond is fantastic and love the waterfall. You must be so happy. You wanted this done badly. Enjoy your time out there.

    Can’t wait to see more to come.

    Have a super weekend.

    Cindy

    1. Thank you, Cindy! The yard has truly been a labor of love this year. I feel like we’re finally close to getting it all finished. I’ll definitely be sharing more about the pond in the near future. I love it!

  5. I love your garden and the pond. I’m sure you’ll explain how you managed to get a waterfall and a pond full of water out of dry land. 🙂 It’s looking amazing already.

  6. What a perfect place you will have to sit and enjoy nature. This will certainly be a great place to relax in the evening just before you go to bed. Hard work but, so worth it.

    1. Thank you, Marty! It’s all been a work in progress – but really it doesn’t feel much like work because tinkering in the yard is good therapy! 🙂

  7. WOW, WOW, WOW! Honestly there are not words to describe the beauty of your spaces.
    I am so happy for you 👏

  8. I pinned your pond to my garden page – it’s inspiring! I’m working on a much smaller scale waterfall as part of a dry creak that I ended up building out of necessity when our sump pump drain became clogged and I decided I did not want to go underground all the way to the storm drain. I had some landscapers do the initial ditch and liner for the dry bed, but I ran out of $ so am finishing on my own and adding a very small waterfall. Your placement of rocks is perfect and looks so natural!

    1. Thanks, Jeanne! We had our pond installed and the crew was careful to use a mix of rock sizes to make it look more natural. I’ve also thought about doing a dry creek in our yard to help direct stormwater to where it needs to go! You’ll love the soothing sound of your waterfall when you’re finished!!

  9. I love your pond! It looks beautiful and nothing is as soothing as the sound of the water bouncing off the rocks and creating the waterfall. Enjoy! Before we downsized, we had a pond in our backyard and I do miss it. And your flowers are all beautiful. I’ve been seraching for hyssops for a while. Can you tell me where you purchased your plant? I’m sort of local, south suburbs.

    1. Hi Judy!

      I’m so happy with our pond and will share more of it in the future, once we finish the deck (hopefully this weekend). I found the hyssops at Wasco Nursery in Wasco, IL – just west of St. Charles on Rt. 64. That’s where I get most of my bushes and bedding plants. They have such a great selection!

  10. This is a beautiful garden tour!!! I must say thank you too, I am often overwhelmed with garden planning… but your very logical way of planting little gardens within your larger garden is so smart, also a cut garden, i NEED one!

  11. Can’t wait to see this project as this is on my wish list! Jennifer, I forget what part of the country you live? Are you in MN? Thanks for the sneak peek! Can’t wait! laura

  12. Hi Jennifer! WOW!!! Love your pond! Your garden is amazing and it makes me really homesick for my last garden in California. My potted plants are suffering this year with the long and really hot Texas heat; lost two rose bushes already, and am hoping just to save the last three. Sooo ready for our next house and garden! 🙂

    Thank you for sharing your lovely garden and plantings with us,
    Hugs,
    Barb 🙂

  13. I would love to see a plan of your garden, that is the part I find most difficult – how to lay it all out!!