It's been awhile since Dante showed you all the changes in his front garden, so today he's just relaxing and taking the time to show you all around.
"Da gahdin is my mostest fafurite place ta hang out!", says he. "Duz yoo wonta come an' hang out wif me?", he asks.
One of the best picks this year has been the blue hydrangeas (though we ask that you don't actually pick them). They have exceeded all expectations and are thriving and producing a whole bunch of those bold beautiful BLUE-ooms!
"Da colour is simply amazin'!" exclaims Dante. "Dey reely stands out, even frum da street."
Dante on his gardening bench is privy to the look, smells and, in some cases, the tastes of the variety of flowers and bushes that surround him.
"If yoo recalls", recollects Dante, "I PURRSonally taste-tested da 'Wine an' Roses" weigelas before dey wuz planted. Dey wuz yummeh! But da flowahs is gone fur now. Mama says sumtimes dey blooms again in Awgust."
"Mama plantid flowahs in pots, too, and she putted one pot on eidah side of my bench."
"Dey has pretteh pink flowahs in dem which is called "Verbena" (dey is da darkah wuns) an' "Impatiens" (da lightah wuns) an' sum "Begonias" (da mediyum pink wuns). Mama also placed a liddle green kitteh potsittah on da rim of da pot. She sure loves kittehs!"
Dante turns his attention to the other side of the garden which follows the entrance of the walkway. There are more potted plants in various shades of pink, and another blue hydrangea bush planted in the garden itself.
"Da gahdin starts off with free (that's 3, not 'gratis') bootiful hostas. Mama put a wire kitty beside each wun of dem. Da first wun looks like me; da secund wun like Dylan; an' da fird wun like Domino. Dat's us -- da 3-D Cats!"
"Heer you kin see da hostas a liddle bettah. Dere is sum 'spireas' plantid behine dem."
"Heer I am inspectin' anuddah weigela which is da furst plant aftah da hostas. Dis is a white wun. It duzn't smell or taste as good as da "Wine an' Roses" varieteh, but dey sure is pretteh annehway."
This is another look at the line-up of potted plants and kitty garden ornaments that adorn the walkway leading to the seating area. (Note the green leaf shape at the bottom center of the picture.)
The garden cats include two white ones adorned with pink blooms, two blue calico cats, Buddha kitty seated on his tiny bench, and a verdigris cat with leaf birdfeeder.
And so we come full circle back to the bench where Dante is still hanging out. All in all not a bad place to hang, huh?
"Dante, Dante quite Coontraray
How does your garden grow?
With pinks and blues
In various hues
And three hostas all in a row."
