Destruction

It started raining in the later afternoon but I was surprised when I got home to discover the damage to my trellis. There must have been strong winds here in Warrenville, even though I didn't notice any from my window at work.

Petunias

There was frost on the ground (and my car) this morning. Tonight when I got home I noticed that the leaves of the Morning Glories looked wilted. These Petunias however are still looking pretty good. Not sure how many days they have but I'll enjoy them as long as I can.

Fall Tomatoes

I'm hoping there's time for the last of my balcony tomatoes to ripen. It's been overcast and rainy for two days and the temps are supposed to be in the 50's for the next four days with lows into the high 30's.

Fall Garden

Even with a dry fall my garden is blooming gloriously.

I even found the closed Morning Glory blossom intriguing.

Fall Gardening

On Tuesday I bought eight new perennials for my garden. Each year I've been adding a few and this time I decided I'd better get ones that would thrive in sun because I lost all the shade when they cut down the tree in my yard last month. This is the only one blooming. It's a Sweet Kate Spiderwort. I like it because it should flower in the Spring and then again in the Fall.

Morning

My Morning Glories are finally blooming!!

"Dead" Bush Blooms

My neighbor has this bare tree in her garden. I thought it was dead. Recently it got leaves on the top ends. Today I noticed a pink flower. I did some googling and decided it's a pink frangipani.

Reflowering

Tonight I noticed a number of my garden plants are once again producing flowers. I think it might be that we've gotten a bit of rain over the past 3 weeks and some that flowered early and quit blooming are starting to produce again.

This white Hosta is blooming for the first time this year. Of course the Black-eyed Susan is a native prairie plant and survives even when their isn't rain. They have been in bloom for almost a month but i think they are a bit more prolific now that the rain has come.

Gardens

Lately I've been noticing the gardens of two neighbors. This evening I went out to take some photos of both of them and my own garden. In the end it was an individual flower that I decided to post.

Vinca

We're in a second serious heat spell this summer with temps just below 100. My balcony flower boxes need a good watering every morning and some of the plants are struggling but this box is thriving.

Feeding

The bees and butterflies were out in full force this afternoon at Cantigny Park.

Purple

Purple Cone Flower from my garden.

Tomatoes

Tonight I'm showcasing the cherry tomatoes growing on my balcony.

Peppers

I've got some beautiful purple peppers growing in my Topsy Turvy Tomato Tree on my balcony. Other than a daily watering, I think most of the credit goes to We Grow Dreams Greenhouse.

Giant Leaves

Elephant Ears at Cantigny Park & Gardens

Rain

We had a cold soaking rain all day. It already is good for the garden.

Red & White

Over the holiday weekend I did a bit of balcony gardening. Here's a flower box with Vinca.

Gardening

Today I bought a flat of petunias and made up two hanging baskets. These are on a new garden hook near the front door.

Hope of Summer

I put up my trellises tonight. They look a bit barren but in a month or so they should be full of clematis flowers. As I was finishing up, my neighbor Tony stopped to give me some lily's that a co-worker had given him. Each year I've been adding perennials to this garden in an effort to share the beauty with my neighbors. 

Lilacia Park

The Lilacs, Tulips and Daffodils were in all stages of bloom. Some were finished and others just peaking.