Looking forward to summer beauty
My name is Kathy Schreurs , and I garden in Sheldon , Iowa . ( You ’ve heard from me before : Iowa Spring , Part 2 . ) I ’ve been love — and begrudge — the late and beautiful GPOD gardens located on the Northeast and Northwest coasts . Our northwest Iowa mood , so dissimilar , waffles between zona 4 and 5 , and in late geezerhood late saltation Baron Snow of Leicester and ice storm and other evenfall Frost merge with torrential rains and implosion therapy in other summertime have challenged husbandman and gardener likewise . As I ’m drop a line this , we are await five inches of Charles Percy Snow on Easter and farting gusts up to 45 mph . And — oh , no!—my tulips are in full leaf out and the perennials have been emerging all week .
I wonder what my garden will be like come up summer . And like hoi polloi everywhere , I ’m wonder what our WORLD will be like come summertime . My religious belief give me solace . And hope . The pictures I scrolled back through give me encouragement and peace , so I ’m going to share some with you . These were all taken mid - July last yr .
Because I like see the options of other multitude ’s flower , I ’m include this panorama shooting that make our perfectly straightforward picket fence seem to be set on a pitcher’s mound . It ’s not ! Iowa is very flat , and so is our property . The piquet fence was already in place when we moved here 25 years ago , but there were no shrubs or prime .

I start with a thin airstrip along one side of the fencing , and it ’s grown since then . No grand plan ! Just a desire to add color and grain to our lives . The boundary line now wraps around all four side of meat of the backyard , as well as instauration planting and a “ bush garden ” ( a secluded orbit of bush that shelters many local fowl all year long and has become a stopover for many migratory birds ) . The second hebdomad in July is hypothesize to be the optimal time for late spring and early summer perennial to overlap in our location . In 2019 , that was true . This picture was taken on July 10 , and the summertime plant were about to take off .
These Asiatic lilies(Lilium‘Eyeliner ’ , zone 4–8 ) are the first thing I see when I step out of our back doorway ahead of time in July . When they sway in the breeze , it ’s almost hypnotic . My hubby built the arbor about 20 years ago . He made it tall enough for our 6 - infantry 8 - in Word to remain firm under , just in case he and his someday St. Bride would need to take pictures under it . ( They did n’t ! ) But I care the proportions with our three - story Folk Victorian house .
The 2nd week in July is the most vibrant in our garden . The ‘ Fireball’bee balm(Monarda‘Fireball ’ , Zones 4–8 ) partake in the fence with the white Asiatic lily .

‘ The garden rocket ’ ligularia(Ligulariaprzewalskii‘The Rocket ’ , Zones 4–8 ) and purpleness - leafed lysimachia(Lysimachiaciliata , Zones 4–8 ) radiate in the sundown . None of them seem to mind that this discussion section of the garden is quite suspicious in the afternoon , although they do compensate with long stems .
This petty garden girl was a gift from my mom . I ’m not sure what / who gave herbegoniablossoms the day I took this picture . The wind ? The squirrel ? Or maybe the three - class - old from next door ?
Lilium‘Tango ’ ( Zones 4–8 ) , an Asiatic lily with dramatic food color .

I plant coleus in parent pots — my married man is handy with old landscaping brick — so they can keep company with grandiloquent plants .
These grow along our backyard fencing . The aroma at dusk when they are all in bloom of youth is amazing !
lily . I can never have too many !

Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have exposure to portion out ? We ’d love to see your garden , a particular compendium of plant you love , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit !
To submit , beam 5 - 10 photograph to[email protected]along with some selective information about the plants in the scene and where you took the photos . We ’d sleep with to hear where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , succeeder you are gallant of , failure you learned from , hopes for the future , favorite plants , or funny stories from your garden .
If you require to send photos in freestanding email to theGPOD e-mail boxthat is just okay .

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