How many common names can this lilly have?

Majic Lily, Surprise Lily, Resurection Lily, Naked Lady or August Lily, these are the names I have heard this lilly called. I remember as a child the hot dry August days when the grass was brown Most of the plants had gone dormate and there they were. These fresh buds coming up out of the dry ground and opening in the hot humid August days.
This lilly is like the first bulds that bloom in the spring. They get me excited that spring is coming. These lillies keep my interest going through the hot days of summer.

What I have been doing this summer!!!!

Here are a couple of before pictures. This is a pretty steep hill to go up and down. Also if I wanted to plant anything it would need to have a couple of walls put in. Still working on that but I do have the steps in. It has only taken a year but they are done.
Doesn't this look boring? I think so. I would much rather see some flowers and folige. Maybe an urn or two. I have a couple that I hadn't found homes for yet. The ideas are almost endless!!!

Here is the after..... Of course Bonnie has to get in the picture!! I'd say that was her best side but she would probable bit me!

I just have the stones stacked on top of each other to make each step. Most of the steps are solid, I have a few that rock back and forth a little. I need to shim those up with some smaller rocks.

Now it is time for a couple of walls to level it out some. Hopefully it won't take another year!

What's New?

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post. I blame it on the puppy, Bonnie. When I try and get on computer she wants to go outside. When she comes in she wants to go back out again. I will take her for a long walk thinking she will get worn out. Wrong, the only one that gets worn out is me! One good thing is she likes the outdoors so that gives me the excuse to be out doors but the bad part is I have to keep an eye on her otherwise she ends up running off. If she sees another person or someone walking their dog she is gone. At least everyone in the neighborhood knows her and where she lives. Anyway enough about her. Here are some pictures of what the garden looks like. But first a couple pictures of what Scott calls the demon dog!





Here are some of the cone flowers. The yellow one is native to Missouri but I guess the purple ones are also.


Here is my Bee Balm flower.


This is a plant that I have read about as being a spreader(don't know it's name). I can tell it likes to spread and may be an issue if you don't have a lot of time to tend to your garden. I have found that the little plants pull out pretty easy and the little bit of aggravation is worth the flowers!
This plants common name is Dotted Mint. It reminds me of pineapple top. You might think that mint would mean it spreads a lot. That is not the case for this plant. I have had the plant for the 3rd year now and it hasn't spread at all. Now that is a good mint!


I finish this post with my simple decorations I added to the pot at the end of the driveway to celebrate the 4th of July.

Marseilli, France

Here is the first stop on our trip. It was a rainy dreary day and who would think to bring an umbrella an a cruise. The tempature was warm enough that it wasn't too cold when we got soaked to the skin.

Iris flowers

Hello all,
Just to let you all know that we left the country on May 22nd. Right now May 30th we are back in the U.S. but not at home. We are staying in Chicago for a couple of days then we will be back home. Will post some pictures of the trip in the next few days.
Here are some of my Irises that were blooming when we left home.

What is this plant???

If you know what this plant is called let me know. The story behind them is this. Back last September I had ordered flowers to be sent to Scott at work. These two were part of the filler in the arrangement. After the flowers in the arrangement died these two looked good and I were planning a party so I thought I might be able to use them in an arrangement. Well I put them in water but didn't use them. The next thing I noticed they had sprouted roots. The roots were a couple of inches wrong and I potted them up. They didn't grow any just sat there for the winter and then in March they started growing. I figure they are tropical plants of some sort but if anyone could help me out it would be appreciated.

Kauffman Memorial Garden

Recently Scott and I had the opportunity to visit the Kauffman Memorial Garden here in Kansas City. I have been there once before and was impressed by the design and the number of plants that are planted in the garden. I recently read that there are over 7000 plants and 300 different species of plants in the garden. Almost up the the level of my garden. LOL!!
There is also a wonderful fountain with three bronze statues of dancing girls. Here are some of the pictures I took during that trip. One thing you will notice is the trunks of the trees are painted blue. I have searched the Internet and haven't been able to find out anything about that. The only thing I do know is that Scott heard on NPR radio station that the blue trunks and the white blooms were to make a pretty combination. I will let you all be the judge of that.

I have never been to the garden on a winter day or a day when snow has covered the ground. However I am sure it is as beautiful as in the summer. With the number of evergreen plants and hard structure to add visual interest.

And here our Chariot awaits us! LOL!! The day we were there there was a bide and groom having their picture taken in the garden. There was also a family having pictures taken. I think you can see why.