A FUNNY WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: CHICKEN JOY RIDE

Guess who noticed the new compost today?

This is Phoebe and Zeebee, our Barred Plymouth Rock hens.

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

GBBD: A TROPICAL JULY GARDEN ~ Color from blooms and foliage

Bauhinia aculeata

Happy GBBD from Tropical Texana. Carol at http://maydreamsgardens.com/  hosts this garden tour each month. Thanks, Carol. :-)

 HOT is what it's all about in a Tropical Garden. And if you've ever been to Houston in the summer, you'll be walking into an oven. So, let's see what the oven looks like this month. I've cooked up a lot of color for you to enjoy.

Aechmea 'Little Naru' is blooming for the very first time.

This small Ruellia is from Cindy at My Corner of Katy. It's one of my favorites.

 Ruellia brittoniana in a shade of light pink.

Dwarf Katie Ruellia.

Phlox panniculata is now in bloom. It has suffered from this drought though I water it daily.

Close up of Phlox panniculata.

Turk's Cap ~ Pam's Pink, also from Cindy at My Corner of Katy.

Close up of Pam's Pink

Not all of the colors in the garden are from flowers. This neon skimmer owns our backyard. Currently, there are two females also interested in our pond.

Since our back yard is very shady, I rely on these colorful bromeliads to liven up the garden.

I use crushed lava rock and a hint of compost in each pot. Neoregelias (pictured) like a sparse soil.

This Euphorbia milii (Crown of Thorns) wins the prize for blooming every month.

A shelf with more colorful bromeliads.

Various textures and colors by the pond. Notice our pet dragonfly. It hardly flinches as I walk up since it's waiting for females. I could probably hold it on my finger.

The backyard tropical shade garden. This is my favorite part of our yard. The pond attracts 3 kinds of dragonflies and other wildlife. A raccoon visits on some nights. The plants with the large leaves are Canna musaefolia. It will have small, red flowers later.

Finally, here's Hoot, the friendliest of our 6 pet chickens. She greets me every morning ready to play in the garden. Everyone should have a pet chicken. They love digging in the garden almost as much as I do.

Well, that's it for July. May we all get some rain down here in the South.

Thanks for visiting.

See you next time.

David/ :-)