Hibiscus overload.

Here in western New York we are enjoying a beautiful end of summer day!    This is my hardy perennial hibiscus.   It has been very prolific this year (apparently it likes a lot of water).   The flowers are always huge....easily 6 inches across and sometimes 8 inches.   As you can see..... The flowers seem as big as the whole shrub!!!!!    

Seasonal visitors....

Our seasonal visitors have been quite frequent the past 10 days.   I don't know if it is because we moved the feeders around and moved the canna lilies to be near them.....or if they are actively beginning migration,   Anyway, we have been enjoying watching them.   I struggled to get a photo all summer and this one I caught while on the phone, using only one hand on the camera...with a long zoom lens,

Daylilies.....keep appearing!

My latest day lily...isn't it pretty, and my favorite color too!

Fireworks

During the summer, if the local baseball team (The Mudckdogs) plays at home on a Friday night, they end with a round of fireworks.  Last night was the final Friday night of the season, and so in the continuing quest to learn my camera, I decided I should try some photography,   I got a few good ones, but I will say fireworks photography is a lot harder than it looks.

Here is the Muckdogs Baseball Team farewell to summer!

Hibiscus

My hibiscus is in full bloom right now,   I love the color of this perennial.

Hundertwasser inspired art quilt project!

I belong to a small group within my art quilt group (RAFA - Rochester Area Fiber Artists) that is currently working on small 12 x 12 pieces inspired by different artists.   Our first venture was Henri Matisse and this time we chose architect and artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.   I was impressed with his use of spirals, bright colors and black as a bold contrast.   My flowers are based on a spiral multi colored button I found at my local quilt shop.   Then I found a piece of black spiraled fabric in my stash and decided to contrast the two against a bright colored landscape background.   Even the stems are spiraled.   And, if you look closely the jolting is all done with free motion spirals.

Around the Garden - despite the rains!

We have had an inordinate amount of rain this season, and not so much with the hot temps.  Some flowers thrive, some do not.   Here are a few around the yard photos.

 

 Butterfly bush, right outside the front door!   My favorite color!

 

We planted new grasses along the driveway edge.    The lawn got beat up pretty bad from all the snow plowing over the winter!   I had always wanted to do a line of grasses - this was the perfect impetus.    The task next winter will be to keep the snow plow from burying them.

One of my favorite daylilies - they are about to be done blooming for this year.

A garden in process - near the back of the property.    Trying to get some height and fullness.

Black-eyed Susans are EVERYWHERE here!    And they are prolific this year!

A view down the southern border garden.   You can see the black eyed susans with coneflowesr in the foreground, some salvia and that tall green leaf plant is an oak leaf hydrangea.    Those leaves will turn to gorgeous shades of pink, purple, red etc when fall gets here.

Hydrangea at the corner of the house.

  Closeup of hydrangea flower.

And what would a summer garden be without coneflowers - purple ones - they are prolific here also.