It’s the height of the summer garden flowers here at home. Just wanted to share a bit of the color and feeling of the season. While all these are common and easily available flowers in this part of France, it is interesting that most originated elsewhere in the world.

ZINNIA — Our biggest performer! The packet of seeds said that these were miniature zinnias. Instead we have gregarious clumps of flowers a meter tall and wide.

CREPE MYRTLE — The beginning of a tree in a pot. We see lovely crepe myrtles of red and pink throughout our village.

ROSE — Two trellises soften the property walls with climbing rose plants.

ICE PLANT — The previous owners had cultivated a few hardy ice plants. They have grown to 1.5-meter-diameter seas of flowers. At night, the flowers close and almost disappear. In the morning, the pop back open.

LAVENDER — Last summer, we planted about a dozen little lavender plants. It is obvious that this is their habitat: this year they are giant sprays of flowers.

OLEANDER — These bushes are everywhere around here, including all along our street-facing property walls. (Just like in LA!) They love this climate. They bloom prodigiously all through the hot summer.

DAHLIA — Along with the zinnias, these colorful flowers fill the garden.

SALVIA — We expected that these vertical flowers would show more, but the extraverted zinnias overshadow them — this year!

VARIOUS

MARIGOLD – These flowers repel some of the pests that otherwise would feast in our vegetable garden.

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