Rose of Sharon in Bloom

This is my favorite time of year. The flowers around our home are in full bloom and something blooms constantly. These Althea or Rose of Sharon bushes were planted the year we moved here five years ago...all but the largest one. It was already here. There was no shrubbery around the house. It was just a plain house. A friend, Karan, gave me two of these bushes. They were growing in her walk and she wanted to get rid of them. Fortunately, they are some of the prettiest shrubs we have.

Every morning, I get up and feed Missy and Slinky and give them fresh water and then I begin watering my flowering plants. I make myself a cup of tea or coffee and sit on the patio and enjoy the birds and the flowers. It's a lot of work but well worth it. The one here on the lower right is just beginning to bloom. But these lovely shrubs will bloom for months and will grow almost anywhere.

The hanging baskets are on our porch area. Those are vining geraniums and asparagus plants.
Bob painted the porch floor yesterday so everything out there looks nice and fresh.

Soon the crepe myrtle will be in bloom. It's a later plant but is another one of those plants that will grow anywhere. They die back in winter but come up again from the roots and often grow as large as a tree as do these Rose of Sharon.