End of June in the Sandbox

Is it just me or is spring and summer just rushing away.   It is already the end of June.   Ontarians always consider July and August as summer and then it starts to snowball towards the s...... word.     Every year that I get older the time goes faster.  I feel like a poor hampster on a wheel that is spinning and I am trying to keep up.     This week a beautiful little pink waterlily appeared on the pond.   There is a white one out there as well but it has not opened yet.  If you look closely you can see the fish just underneath the lilypads.  

This little pretty is a Stokes Aster "Blue Danube".   The plant likes a sandy soil and is drought tolerant.  The tag says that they should be grown in groups to give a good display but this gardener has never learned the lesson of buying more than one.   Planting in drifts  101 went right over my head.  

Here is the bud of another Stokes Aster.  I like to photograph plants in bud too.  Sometimes they are more interesting.

Just off the drive way I have Tall Meadow Rue or Thalictrum Polygamum a native of North America and probably seeded itself there thanks to a bird eating the mulberries in the tree above.   I love its airy little flowers.

I can never say that I grow roses well but this lovely little rose called the 'The Fairy' just blooms and blooms away during the season.  It has lovely little delicate pink blooms. 

Astrantia is growing out front on the northside of the house.   It has lovely pink flowers and grows intoa nice little clump.  It seems not to have any issues with insects or disease and seems happy enough out there in the flowerbed.  Next to it is the Hydrangea Endless Summer that has lovely folliage on it but no blooms.   I am disappointed in it.

As a member of the Garden Writers Association I am given items to try out and if I think they are worthy I am to write about them.   This is my new favourite tool.   I have made good use of it this week digging out all the grass that has been creeping into the flowerbeds.   It is great for getting in close to the plant and pulling out stubborn weeds.  It is even a good tool when you are planting as it digs a nice hole easily  to slip in the new plant into.   My husband used the CobraHead when we was putting edging in around the bog garden.  It dug a perfect channel to place the edging into.   I think it is a winner and I will be using this alot.

As I was taking photos of the various flowers I almost bumped into this little baby Dove sitting on the fence.  I could have reached out an touched it and it did not flinch.  So I took his or her picture.  They are kinda cute.

Happy Canada Day