It’s been three straight days of research, meetings, writing, stressing and presenting to boards on all things pipeline. I’m sure I’ll be writing about it all real soon (lucky you) but for now, I’m falling back on my comfort zone – my garden.

Here is the latest:

All of my spring planted Sneezeweed (Mariachi series) are blooming already and I had no idea until today.

Speaking of not knowing about blooming, same goes for Eupatorium ‘Wayside’ (Hardy Ageratum).

All of the Lobelia are in full bloom. This is ‘Vedrariensis’.

And Lobelia siphilitica.

Chelone lyonii (Turtlehead) just started to bloom and fortunately they have nearly doubled in count over the past few years.

The only surviving Boltonia is blooming and has yet to topple over. Maybe this one represents the survival of the fittest.

I completely missed all of the blooming Clethra (Summersweet) the past few weeks and this is all that remains.

What more can I say about Panicum ‘Northwind’?

Great color on Panicum ‘Rots’ right now.

Miscanthus purpurascens (Flame Grass) has got the silver blooming thing going on right now.

A Grass Menagerie … cool or a mess? Don’t answer.

Blooms fading on Pennisetum ‘Desert Plains’.

Northern Sea Oats ‘River Mist’ looks nice and thankfully has yet to reseed.

This may sound a bit ridiculous, but a week away from the garden is a really, really long time for me. We’re talking serious separation anxiety. Then again, if you are reading this blog, you probably aren’t surprised as you are more than likely just as obsessed as I am.

We were on vacation all of last week and just returned home. As exhausting as the drive home was to NJ and as tired as we all were as a result of the 5:42 A.M. daily awakening from the seagulls who thought they were roosters, my heart warmed up when we pulled into the driveway. Even from a distance I could tell that the garden had transformed significantly in only a week’s time.

Let’s take a closer look at all of the activity.

There were newly emerged flowers filling the air with a killer scent that screams “sweetheart of summer” as seen with these Clethra (Summersweet) blooms.

Here is a fully blooming hydrangea that has never looked this good in three years of existence.

It was as if the Mountain Mint waited until the minute after we left for vacation to spread it’s wings.

The summer blooming Allium arrived and the bees can’t get enough of them.

Almost all of the Panicum (Switch Grass) are blooming and damn if those wispy blooms don’t light up the garden.

The only Northern Sea Oats I haven’t killed off in self defense is in full blooms and the oats on ‘River Mist’ are swaying with even the slightest breeze.

Many perennials are now showing their first signs of blooming, as seen with the two different Lobelia below.

Others perennials are slowly fading away but still lending a “look” to the garden. Like Allium ‘Drumsticks’.

… and Astilbe.

Others seemed to have bloomed and turned for the worse in the course of only a week as seen with Coneflower ‘Sunrise’.

Even some unexpected and sweet flushes of new growth appeared.

Speaking of new growth, the Red Twig Dogwood is up to 6 feet tall confirming that a pruning to the ground is the way to go as it has never looked better.

We’ve got chiles.

And oodles of tomatoes.

Because I am awesome and have created a wildlife friendly garden, the butterfly/bee/hummingbird/humming moth activity is off the charts right now.

Not all is grand however. A few perennials ain’t be looking so good.

And holy s, the weeds didn’t take a week off as I had asked.

Same goes for the deer.

Returning from vacation is always tough, but coming home to a thriving and active garden makes it all a little more palatable.

Welcome back me.

Here is my best attempt to play professional photographer by taking advantage of the early evening sun. There is nothing more stunning than the sight of plants beautifully backlit by the natural light of the sun.

I’ve done my best over the years to piece together the section of the garden that is best exposed during this “golden hour”. At this point in time, it may be my favorite part of the entire garden.

I hope you enjoy it.