Seeing Double.

First off...before I get into my current infatuation...IT RAINED!  Not a few drops, not a quarter inch...a good 1"+!!  Ahhh...a huge relief!  I have been waiting & waiting for rain.  I have found some great deals on flowering shrubs this fall & haven't been able to get them in the ground because it is just un-diggable.  They'll all go into the ground this week so they can spread their roots & start growing!  Oodles & oodles of hydrangea and other flowering shrubs for next season!!

Now, let's keep some steady rain coming through fall so that I can get lots of these planted...!!

& these...

& these....!!!

Aren't they amazing?!  I am in love with double tulips!...and thankfully, have finally found a good wholesale source for them!  I cannot wait to have all of these blooming next spring!  They're going to be GORGEOUS in wedding bouquets!

Loving Our Land.

Olive & I had a super productive Monday night!  The 3+ inches of rain over the weekend made planting a breeze!  I was able to get all of the lilies, a bunch of hosta, some limelight hydrangeas & a viburnum in the ground!  We even did some weeding...& butterfly chasing!  {Don't mind the weeds in these photos, though...there's still mulch to go down.}

Olive was a great supervisor!...as her reward for doing such a great job, we took TWO walks back to the field {where the new flower rows are getting started} and did a lot of ball throwing!  :)

...and now, getting ready for a big wedding on Saturday!  Fun! 

Wilted.

Highs near or at 100 degrees with heat indices near 120 degrees is enough to make anyone wilt!  Looking around the yard, plants that never wilt are wilting and sad...there are cracks in the ground that I'm sure could send my little dog, Olive, straight through to China!

We need rain.  A nice 2-3 day stretch of steady showers would work wonders for the sad shrubs and tan colored lawns.  In the midst of this dry spell, the perennials that we planted over the 4th of July weekend are thriving!  Yes...I have been watering them nearly every other day, but still...the heat alone knocks me out!...still, they stand tall.  Without meaning to, I happened to order quite a few drought tolerant, heat-loving plants -- baptisia, yarrow, helenium...they seem to be loving this insane weather! 

Right before our extreme heat hit, I had the opportunity to help with a beautiful wedding!  I love doing wedding flowers!  We have another BIG wedding coming up on the 30th that is going to be really pretty!  Also, a few more weddings this fall!  So fun!!