I feel like I am so behind in my gardening efforts, and I am! It is mid-June, and I just started shopping for annuals, a few perennials and hanging baskets. We've been traveling (see posts under travel). Time to get back to New Hampshire and whip this house back into shape!!

My (second) favorite plants are the hanging bougainvillea. See opening picture. I buy new ones each year. Yes, I have tried to winter them over with little to no luck. We live in zone 5, so all you Florida and California people will never feel my pain! I've cut them back, put them into dormancy, fertilized and then spent a summer with lovely foliage but no blooms. I've tended to them faithfully all winter only for them to get aphids in May, weeks before I'd put them out. So I spend $40 per plant to get lovely blooms each year. Money well spent.

Around the mailbox, there are a lot of perennials. Basically lilies (Stella D'oro), daisies (wild), spring daffodils and Lady's Mantle, which is an oldie but a goodie! I then supplement with annuals. All I have in right now is the nasturtium in the foreground, which should pop into color all summer long. My plan is to add some marigold, maybe some coleus and something else jazzy that catches my eye. Stay tuned for the August garden edition.

Across from the mailbox sits this garden, which anyone visiting the house will see immediately. I have planted SO MANY different plants here, especially echinacea (coneflower) which I desperately want to thrive here, but they do not. The stupid deer eat all my tulips and my spring bulb garden requires annual re-planting. But in late spring, the peonies come back bigger and better, I have some purple salvia and I just planted (2) pink annuals as seen in the picture but I forget their names, sorry. Don't judge me.

The past few years I have been sourcing these amazing red geraniums from Twin Elm Farm (blog post coming) that are so healthy and vibrant! Since I am late to the party, they are sold out, so I bought these Boston Ferns at Walmart and I am gonna make it work! Feels a little Savannah, Georgia, yes?!! Twin Elm Farm is primarily an antiques boutique but in the spring they have a great plant selection. PS, the ferns from Walmart were $8.97 a piece, total bargain. But enough about Walmart, if you are ever in the Peterborough, NH area, get yourself to Twin Elm Farm!!

Around the pool area there is a lot going on! I have planted and re-planted these beds 97 times, finally called in a professional to do it, as I am never happy with my results. There is salvia, allium, hosta in the early season, plus a few potted plants, including the pink begonia I am in love with, and my most favorite plant of all (sorry, bougainvillea!), the agapanthus. As it is not yet in bloom, you must wait for it. Some wave petunias provide year round color. A few plants I am not as happy with, but overall, it feels good.

Lastly, we have the herb garden, which needs some love. More herbs, some lavender, and maybe some more marigolds as bug deterrent. My kids bought me some grape vines for Mother's Day a few years ago and they are actually still alive! I bought a rosemary plant as my last one did not survive the winter (I blame Tyler), so I will put it in a pot and try and make it last for years to come.

I have some planters in full sun that I put tomatoes, basil, jalapenos and some other things in. So much work done, so much work left to do! I will update you in late August, everything looks so different then! Hope you enjoy, and thanks for following Ann!