Do you see what I see?

This is not a Christmas in July post as my post title may lead you

to believe.  Rather, it's about the first signs of autumn in my garden.

I'm not talking about the unsightly spots or half-eaten leaf.

I'm talking about the color!

It's not even August and the leaves on my vine have started to turn red.

Elsewhere in the yard..............

I may plant these Wave petunias in my window boxes next year.  As you can see on my garden cart to the left, they don't get as leggy as the pink and purple varieties.

The first Helen's Flower to open.  This plant gets to be about 4

feet tall with thousands of blossoms in all shades of orange and yellow.

Ebony and ivory.

Diablo Spirea and Annabelle Hydrangeas, side by side.

More hydrangeas trying desperately to cover the ugly chain link fence!

These sweet pea blossoms are the star of the show.  I planted a perennial sweet pea vine this spring and it's just starting to blossom.

 There is no editing done on these photos.  The colors of the flowers are so vibrant!

Here's what's happening behind the vine.

We are trying to tone down the hideous color of the fence.

Disclaimer:  We did not pick the magenta color behind the trellis, we

inherited it from the previous owner.  Can you see why I 

missed the first blossoms on the left?

The Benjamin Moore dealer assures us that the burgundy color will hold up
much better than the magenta which we my painter has to scrape and
paint almost every year.  I'm hoping the CEO of Ben Moore reads this
post and offers to repaint our house inside and out.  I've already
chosen the colors.  :@

This phlox need to be moved away from the fence.

The violet against the burgundy is not a pretty combination.

The cone flowers and pansies have reseeded themselves in new

locations from last year's flowers.  They seem to be healthy,

so I just let them be.

Black Eyed Susans can't be beat for late summer color.

Some garden art.

In the front yard.....

I like these Pink Diamond Hydrangeas with their white blossoms,

but as the name suggests, they turn a dusty rose as they mature.

The Wave petunias in our window boxes have been given a trim

in hopes they will fill out again during the month of August.

The old wood shutters need to be painted this summer, so you can see

why we're trying to pick one color for the fence and shutters.

It won't be me climbing up the ladder.

Every spring I sew new cushion covers for my ice cream chairs.

I use the lime green color to counteract all the burgundy..cranberry...

er magenta, whatever that color is!

The chairs were purchased wearing the

 black ballerina shoes (aka electrical tape).

Our neighbor has slowly weed wacked the shrubs between our
yards to death (directly under the flag in the photo) over the past 2 years.
 Do you think she'd notice if I removed them in the middle of the night?

Thanks for coming along on my garden tour.
Vickie