Early July

As July 4th rolled on by, the garden made a change in scenery. The strawberry have given way to the raspberries of which I couldn't resist a pie. The roses have finished their first flush and are now inbetween flushes of bloom; a good thing since the Japanese beetles are raging right now. Now, we have the lilies of all varieties coming for a show as well as the coneflower, sunflowers and black-eyed susans. The hosta are showing their flowers as well as the hollyhocks, mallow and daliahs. This time of year is just as pretty as when the roses are in bloom.

The lilies are the show stoppers right now. The lovely salmon colored lily is called Lori Goldstron. This year, the plant isn't looking all that great, but the beautiful flower belies the idea that the plant is weak. I'm thinking that it is weak due to the hail storm last year which nearly killed it but hopefully next year it will finally show it's strength.

One of my favorite day lilies is Indian Giver; a lovely deep purple with a yellow center. It's not the largest day lily flower nor the frilliest but there is simply something about this flower that draws my eye even from a distance. It must be the color.

Only just a few here from a fairly large variety of lilies. I like them all such as Grand Cru; a medium yellow with orange centers and lightly spotted with brown.

Each season has it's own beauty. Just wait until the oriental lilies are blooking!