Brie, yes, I live out west. We get gusty winds every afternoon in summer. Everything gets beat up and dried out.

October, we are normally hitting super hot weather - 'Indian Summer.' I fear what it will be like this year...

But ohmigosh. Can I say a word about critters and hippies? We have deer (and skunks and a scrub jay and raccoons). And although my mum is not a hippie proper herself, the dominant culture cannot be resisted. She gave me some sad garden stakes and told me to build a fence with them and complained about my trying to cross-brace the whole time. Felt fence building should take only 30 minutes or so. I have taken a pic in the dark for y'all of this sad, sad hippie deer fence. I should be embarrassed to show y'all, but I want everyone to feel my pain, lol.

Please notice the netting my mum just threw over the tomatoes, making it so I have to crab walk inside this fence.

I rebelled and put a hinged gate with a latch on the hippie fence...Does anyone else suffer like this?

Just beautiful ummlila such lovely colors! Yeah I sympathize about ants on peonies but I always wondered if they really do any damage.

Hey, gardening does not have to be perfect. If the hippie fence keeps the critters out, then I'd say go with it if it keeps peace with your mom

Rachy, Chris, one thing I've noticed about the more diehard gardeners, such as the 86 YO master gardener who lives next door, is that they often delight in reusing, repurposing, recycling odds and ends for their purposes. I do this too at times. The more creative and cheaper the better.

I will testify to that

I don't have a garden but I love taking the pictures when I see something lovely, thank you all for sharing your view.

This was my view in Chicago Grant Park yesterday. I thought the young lady looked like some kind of exotic flower.

Ledonna, is she having a Quinceañera? Her dress does look like a flower!

I could just cry (but went shopping instead). A rabbit ate half of my most promising new climbing rose! I have trimmed it, and built a Rachylou style tent over top to protect it. Something is getting the columbines as well. Could be slugs.

Got quite a bit of work done during my stay-cation, but not as much as I wanted to due to a last minute, week-long visit from my mom.

Pics below - work in progress...

Carla, I'm so sorry about your rose. If the tent doesn't work, try a terrier. They're very tenacious. Your garden is lovely.

Oh no Runcarla I'm so sorry.. I hope the thingy keeps the rabbit out. If it makes you feel any better a squirrel chewed threw the wires of my engine block and created 400$ worth of damage. To my old car.

Jaileen. I'm not sure it looked like a wedding party. Her dress was so so pretty

I thoroughly enjoyed reading about and seeing everyone's garden pictures! I went out and took some pictures of my own which I haven't thought to do for awhile, so thanks J'Aileen!
1 - Peony (this is its second round of blooming)
2 - Lush ferns
3 - Maple we started from seed
4 - Coreopsis
5 - Succulents
6 - Hops
7 - Oregano, Sage and Geranium baby in an area we are working on
8 - Tomatoes
9 - Johnny Jumpups!
10 - Shady spot

Your plants are looking good, Donna!

Donna - wow - I've never seen such a large Johnny Jumpup plant! Your tomatoes are a lot further along than ours. We planted ours two weeks ago and some are still quite small. Your garden is really pretty!

ETA: I love that you started a maple from seed. We have an oak that we started from an acorn.

My deck. I had some survivors from last year. Including a miniature rose that I bought from Trader Joe's as a tiny 2" thing & a lavender bush.
I know geraniums do well.
New plants are a purple daisy thing. African daisies aren't doing as well I expected. Carnations, I was initially over watering because I forgot to pull plugs on container, hopefully they'll recover
ETA I need to work on the whole layering & level thing in containers, where's there's different interests at different heights

Ooh, lovely, Anna. Everything looks full.

Anna, your container garden is very pretty! Is that the lavender in the corner? I've never seen one pruned like that. I love lavender and have a lot in the backyard.

I noticed a blessed event the other day: my orchid is having a baby! I had to google it to learn what was going on. I had thought about cutting off the dead stems. I'm glad I didn't!

That's awesome JAileen. It kinda looks like a jalapeno!

Donna, here's another picture. It's hard to photograph, with the white background.

Oh sweet! That is so neat!

You will have to advise me on orchid care, JAileen. My grocery store orchids are still throwing sprays of flowers 3 full months after I brought them home. I'm just giving then 1/4 to 1/2 cup water every weekend. Seems pretty low maintenance at this point.

Thanks, Donna!

Carla, what I know about orchids is not very much! I do have some orchid fertilizer. It's a liquid that you dilute even further. I don't use it very often. I water them about once a week. I don't know how much, but I water until it comes out the bottom. Mine are from the nursery, the grocery store, and a wedding. I've been told repotting them is tricky. So I've never done it. This I know: don't cut down the vertical stem after the blooms have dropped off. I have one that has put out flowers more than six times, putting out a horizontal stem at a lower part on the vertical stem each time. I do think light is important. I used to have them in the bathroom but they seem happier near this east facing window. They keep surprising me.

Here are a few new pictures:
1-2. The path by the house is lined with lavender. They are meeting from either side. You can't have too much lavender.
3. Peaches are starting to grow. We get peaches about every other year. If we have a late frost, you can kiss them goodbye.
4. Tomato plant. We had them in WallsOWater until the chance of frost was past.
5. Squash plant, with volunteer parsley. Parsley, arugula, and Greek oregano are among our "weeds." I hate Greek oregano with a passion.
6. Strawberries. They usually don't make it into the house..