Five New Gardens
They did get planted this year with seeds.  Hopefully in about two years, they will be on their own with no weeding.  Two are multicolored wildflowers, annuals and perennials, one is in shades of yellow, orange and red, one is pink and white, and the last one is shades of blue, lavender and purple.  As the beds start flowering more, I will add pictures.

June. It looks a little different through the arch now.	June

Tig .. this isn't a great pic of the roses but gives you an idea.  Most will be about 6' tall when mature
	These are new. Butterfly Bush and Milkweed for the Monarchs.	I know ... too much fertilizer .. but I'm fixing those brown spots :)

Ducks, Rabbits and the Pool

I've had quite a time this year with animals in the pool. First there was the baby duck.  We got him out of the pool and into the pond, but he decided not to make it his new home.  Then there is my friend Mr. Rabbit... not very old .. almost a baby.  I noticed him swimming in the pool.  When I tried to get him out, he hid in the skimmer which you can see in the first picture if you look hard.  Then I laid a towel down so he would be able to climb out .. still no luck.  He was getting so tired, that I finally gave in and scooped him out.  I was hoping this experience would lead him to another garden, but no such luck ... he is still a pest.  And of course we always have the occasional mouse, frog and garter snakes.

Our duck died so this time I got a Swan for the clorine.

June
These are a few of the bushes around the pool ... and yes, that is Ernie's "water dish".

The Pond

I love water gardening since it is seems to be the best way to grow tropical plants in South Dakota.  The first picture is taken June 1, and the second July 1.  I also have a small water tub on the deck which gives enjoyment and is used to grow fish food for the Koi.  My Koi love duckweed and similar "floaters", but it doesn't have a chance to multiply in the big pond.  By the way, the Koi made it through our harsh South Dakota winter just fine.  I put my water plants on the bottom of the pond, left the Koi in the pond, and used a floating pond deicer.  I also have a small rock garden surrounding the pond.  And in a week or so we will have another pond adjoining this one with a waterfall.

May

June

May

May

May

July

July

July

Mr. Turtle - Aug

Aug

Iris

I have a few Iris and really enjoy the brilliant colors in June.  I am slowing acquiring more Iris but did not have a lot of luck with them so far, although the Dwarf and Japanese Iris were lovely this year..  I forgot to take pictures of most of them.  If you look closely at the last picture in this group, you will see that the white flower pot is actually a solar fountain.

Day Lilies
I have Day Lilies planted along both sides of my driveway that start blooming the end of June.  They are in their second year now.

Bird Feeders

Now that gardens surround most of the deck area, I tired of those pesky little animals dropping so many seeds into my flower beds ... so I am turning the feeders into planters.  I still put out thistle seed for the small birds, and surely do not mind the blackbirds not frequenting my deck any longer.

The Gardens

A lot of the garden doesn't change much from year to year.  Here are some pictures of various parts of the garden, corners of the deck and individual pots... most taken toward the end of June.

This is kind of a mess right now.  You can see I cut down all the big bushes. Am going to replace the window with a bay window and then relandscape.  But notice I found another fountain? :)