Signs of summer

My gardenias are beautiful this year. We have had an abundance of rain and they are happy....I used to dream of a patio surrounded by gardenias...This year the dream is back..but I don't have a patio yet...is that an old fashioned term? maybe I am dating myself..oh, well...I still want one surrounded by gardenias...maybe next year...

This glad is very hardy..I planted it about 3 years ago when I got some bulbs from Old House Gardens and it has just continued to bloom with no care at all...kinda reminds me of myself...keep on blooming no matter what...like Bloom Where You Are Planted......always have liked that saying...

I love this chaste tree...it is my third one..this one is doing really well.. I bought it for the wedding two years ago and then put it in this flowerbed after we were done...when it starts blooming, I know it is HOT! it is so striking that it has caught the eye of Will and Mac as they are playing in the backyard..they stopped and tried to pick the flowers but they were too tough to pick..needed some clippers...it is just at their eye level this year and the bees love it too.....so if it can stop a 3 year old and a 2 year old in their tracks, it is a keeper for sure....
So, as I look around and see these flowers blooming, it can only mean one thing...IT IS SUMMER and IT IS HOT!!!!!