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I visited Puget Sound with the 2024 Garden Fling for the first 2 days (of 4).  I thought I would post a few of my favorite pictures/moments, as I've not organized all my photos yet.  From Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden.  This blew my mind, not algae but a tiny fern Azolla covering the pond.  I live in such a dry area, this was mindblowingly green.  There was even a little sign warning people not to walk on the water.   Closeup. A private garden on Vashon Island.   Oooh, cones. A sort of natural swimming pond, 7 feet deep on one end. This may be the most inspiring section I saw.  Not just using rock in the slope, but the addition of wood was so great. I left early to visit my parents in Portland, I don't see them enough.  They will be 82 in September.  They are doing great, and had added 40 shrubs to their garden just recently! After moving them in and out of their garage all winter to protect them from the awful freeze. Home to various scorched and messy areas in my own
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The tough and not so tough...

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we've made it through 2 weeks? of mostly triple digit days.  That was brutal and I'm thrilled we're headed into some delightfully cool 90's.  Hahaha, but the nights will get down even into the 50's which makes a huge difference.  I'm thrilled when I can open my bedroom window at night and the mornings are cool enough to make my run not so painful.  I thought I'd share a few shots of plants that thrived in the heat, and others that would rather be someplace cooler.  These beasts in pots next to the back of the house took it in stride, I gave them a drink every other day.  These pots seriously bake. Close up of Browningia Hertlingiana, I love this cactus.  The blue is growth from this year. The spines get extra dangerous with more sun.   Ugh.  Ugly, need to do something about this.   A beautiful seed grown (Sophia & Ivan-my daughter & her bf, both phytophiles) Aloe plicatillis.  I have several of these but I really love the shape of this one.  Probably
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Hotted up

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 I believe Wednesday, 110° was our hottest this week.  Honestly, when it's triple digits I can't tell the difference between a few degrees.  The excessive heat warning keeps extending.  Mon/Tue are supposed to cool down to 92°.  Then back up again for a couple days.  So, basically I'm explaining that it's July.  😀Dahlia, Cafe au Lait.  I'll share a few pretty things, so far the umbrellas and shade cloth have helped but I worry as this goes on & on it will take some plants down.  Here is an ornamental oregano Amethyst Falls, next to my walk to the front door.  I had 3 of a different oregano Kent Beauty here prior - I think I prefer Kent Beauty.  I like the way the "shells" got huge as the summer went on.  These seem tiny in comparison, but still a pretty oregano.  The drumstick dahlias add so much to the front, I'd be happy with a few more. They have a good amount of blooms and stand up so nice & straight! Sedum Autumn Joy is completely confuse
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A small revamp

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Probably not much change, but I wanted to "lift" this bed and freshen the top dressing.  Here is a before, sorry for the "hot" photos, this area really gets blasted by the sun.  I was working on a timeline, I had a 3pm dentist appointment.  *I'm just about at the end of a 7 month invisalign treatment to move a molar back in line. THIS was the main reason, this ground cover is beautiful in spring covered with tiny pink flowers.  Then as we get hotter it turns into a brown crispy blob.  Not tough enough!  And the blue elf aloe does ZILCH for me.  Scorched ends.  I find that when plants are labeled drought tolerant full sun, that doesn't always cover my full sun situation.  We are headed into 7 days of 100°, Wednesday is supposed to be 106°.  Thankfully we do cool down at night, I'll go out in the mornings and hopefully clean my house in the afternoons. :) Some big fruits on Echinopsis had split open.   I set aside the silver torches and sedum autumn joy an
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