Rose of Sharons

When nothin' else is bloomin' in the dog days of summer, there is one good ol' reliable...

The Rose of Sharon.  Drought tolerant, fast-growing, bee and hummingbird attractor, this garden staple of ours doesn't have many draw backs.

This particular variety right here is an Althea.  They don't spread all over your yard like a regular Rose of Sharon might, dropping her seeds into your garden beds.  The bright pink is vibrant against dark summer greens.  The Althea doesn't have the yellow pistil coming out the bloom.

This Rose of Sharon is right out our front door.  She greets us every morning with her flags.  Come every late July/August, these girls WILL NOT let you down.  I'm tellin' YOU, the only water they EVA get is from the rain, and if you live where I do, it didn't rain for three straight weeks here and everything got toasted... but not these girls.

View from the front yard....

...and our doorstep again.  

This bush by the chimney is a pale pink.  She is a transplant from my mom's house, as is the one by the front door.  These are a bit more wild than the Althea.  Tiny little shoots will spring up on the ground underneath her and you will have to pluck them out when the ground is damp.  If you choose not to, you will have a bumper crop o' Sharons that you could use to make an entire hedge.

SO ideal for when you need a fast-growing, but beautiful, hedge near your fence for privacy from neighbors (remember good fences make good neighbors).

Or maybe you appreciate her for what she is all on her own.

Well, tonight I think may be a night for some prairie dove love.

Get your head out of the gutter!!

As soon as the boys are back from the soccer tourney, we're goin' pickin'.

Tonight's the night for puttin' out the trash and with summer goin' strong, people have trashed some pretty neat stuff in the past month.  Must be cleanin'.  More news on roadside salvage comin' to you this week here @ townandprairie.

And I'm linkin' up with DebbieDoos for Newbie Monday!