HOLY HOT!

So, as I am writing to you at this very moment, it is now officially 96 degrees and so humid, you can cut the air with a knife. It's soooo disgusting! June 9th and I'm already complaining about the heat and humidity! That might be an all-time new record!

Last week, of course it was sort of decent enough that you could be out working in the yard and it was pleasant enough. Now, for the last two days, of course, I've been working on a gorgeous garden overlooking the ocean (thank GOD for seabreezes!), but we've been in the BLAZING HOT SUN! It was too much today, and we luckily finished by 2pm. Holy heatstroke!

I don't know if you caught the "we" reference up there, but I am collaborating with the loveliest woman who has her own gardening business and her family actually has a great farm. She was hired to do this oceanfront garden, but was completely overwhelmed by the scale of what had to be done, so she asked if I would work with her! It's been wonderful and we luckily have the exact same taste and work very, very well together. I don't think I could have asked for a greater collaboration, so that's been a real blessing!

The garden/pots/planters and millions of other projects we've done (with the help of some incredible garden helpers!) are all looking just gorgeous! I will see if we can take pictures of the finished product, because it's looking rather spectacular!

In the meantime, I FINALLY took some photos of the scene in my side gardens. The back yard is gorgeous this year, too, and my butterfly bushes are doing fabulously and I have a million flower heads on my hydrangeas again this season! So exciting! : ) I still have some trimming and shaping to do on the butterfly bushes, so I'll photograph them after that's done - maybe over the weekend I'll have time.

So, to satisfy the 3.46 people who come to this blog (Hi Mom! Hi Dad! Hi 1.46 other people!), here are some pretties for your perusal! Enjoy!

Pickling cucumbers and a dill. They are waiting to find their permanent summer home!

Pretty lettuces and a HUGE cherry tomato!


The garden by the back door. I harvested those lettuces just a few days ago when I made caeser salad with sauteed chicken and french fries on the side for dinner! My husband was in heaven! Asked why we don't have french fries every single day! hee!


The other side of the door - I recently put in the pink and white angelonias that you can hardly even see for all the grass and perennial euphorbias there!


The pretty planter that I did up for our lovely upstairs neighbor. It's really full and pretty already!


Pretty Scotch Broom that I put in by one of our side doors. They remind us of my husband's grandparents - they always had a yellow variety of Broom in their yard.

My pretty, antique variety of rhododendron. Most come in sort of gaudy colors, but this one is the slightest shade of pink and it is just so lovely! It started blooming on my birthday!


And last, but not least, a little plot I've just replanted with a mixture of sweet alyssum (which is just so adorable!) and pink angelonia:

Next couple of posts, I'll be showing you the gorgeous perennial shade garden that I've been working in for four years. I recently also did up the planters in this garden, and they are spectacular - garden and planters! Really something to behold this year!

And I'll also be showing you the GORGEOUS flower boxes we have going at our house this year! Spectacular already, and then once they fill in more, they are going to be just the most amazing ones I think I've ever done! Wheee!

So, I'm in gardening heaven over here and so thankful to be getting paid for doing something I love!

Gotta run!

Ciao!