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About the Header Image: Idlebrook Wendy Darling Evensen "Wendy" one of our four Labrador Retrievers.

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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Flowers and Fishies in Our Back Yard

Good morning,

I finally have a chance to format some of the images I took just before we left home last week.  This beautiful hardy hibiscus is blooming in our back yard.  It and many of its relatives came with the house 34 years ago as a hedge row.  I transplanted a pink one out front that I have kept trimmed to grow in tree shape.
Many years ago I purchased this trumpet vine by mail.  When it arrived it appeared to be a six inch dead stick in a small plastic bag.  I soaked it for a couple of days, then planted it near the gold fish pond and put a small pebble against it to make it lean against a tree.  It has now grown up that tree to a glorious vine of a couple hundred blooms (as of the day I took this picture) reaching at least 80 feet into the sky.  This trumpet vine is also known as a hummingbird vine and the hummingbirds have found it.  If I had more time before we started traveling last week, I would have taken my big camera outside and waited for some little hummers to photograph.  Perhaps next year.
What I was really outside to do that last day at home was to drain part of the gold fish pond and fill with fresh water.  That's an old green garden hose section that I use to siphon out the water.
Although the pond is self-sustaining, I drain a portion of it every year to be able to clip back the greenery around the edges and pull out some of the dead leaves at the bottom.
These fish have been in the pond year round for years.  I bought them as feeder fish about a half inch long.  They are now 8 to 10 inches long.  So pretty! We put a pond de-icer in the pond in winter to keep it from freezing over.

A couple of years ago I published a more comprehensive post about taking care of the pond with the help of Erik, our Black Labrador Retriever.   Check out that post here.  ;)

So, there you have it!  Flowers and fish in our back yard.

What do you have in your back yard?

;),
Lois
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27 comments:

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

Oh wow! I love your fish pond. Amazing!

VP said...

Your fishes are amazing, even better than your flowers!

Diana said...

Thank you for the name of that Trumpet Vine Lois. I saw one growing around a pole and I wanted to plant one around the phone pole in our ally. Had no idea what it was called!

Your photos are gorgeous!!

Love Di ♥

Jan n Jer said...

Sounds like a lovely place to enjoy! beautiful flowers!

Rose said...

The fish are a brilliant color...at least on my computer. Very pretty.

And I love trumpet vine in its place...just think it is so pretty.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Nice, I bet you have a very nice and relaxing yard.

TexWisGirl said...

love that you have a goldfish pond! and am jealous for your trumpet vine. mine is still pretty puny after several years of trying.

Anonymous said...

How pretty your flowers are!! And I love the pond!!...debbie

Nancy said...

I love your pond! Someday I hope to have one. We have the hard liner for it but use it as a goose pool right now. :)

Sherry said...

Oh! That pool at the hotel looks soooo inviting!

DeniseinVA said...

How wonderful to have your own pond with all those gorgeous goldfish. The flowers are lovely too. Thanks for stopping by, I am back on line now :)))

Reena said...

Someday I would love to have a little fish pond ... yours is lovely! You are one traveling lady. Enjoy!

dr momi said...

I had a pond with fish at our old house. It was great fun. (and a lot of work)Now with all my little grandchildren I decided a pond maybe could wait. Besides, Billy the golden retriever would get hot playing outside and jump in for a swim.....I can do without that!!
:-)

Bob Bushell said...

The bright fishes, red should be better than goldfish.

Hootin Anni said...

The fish are so red!!! They're gorgeous. And the hibiscus is one of my favorite flowers. I've tried to get a trumpet vine to grow from seed with no luck, I must buy one at the plant nursery.

XoXo said...

Great combination for the backyard Lois... the hibiscus is simply beautiful.

Jack said...

You have some great foliage (and fish) in your yard, Lois.

Lots of cruise ships on the blogs recently. You must enjoy them.

Kathy said...

That hibiscus is gorgeous! I'm surprised they do so well in your cool climate (cool compared to Arizona and Texas, that is). Here in Texas they go dormant in the winter but in Arizona where I used to live they will get killed by the frost because they stay hardy through the winter.

Anonymous said...

Lois, Your flowers are beautiful and your fish are amazing!! I would love to have a goldfish pond someday. Your backyard must be a wonderful space to enjoy! :-)

Jim said...

Beautiful blooms.

mrscravitz said...

I love your fishies! :) and your flowers are beautiful! My back yard is trees and dog-do! LOL My front yard is roses and petunia's because everything else I plant never makes it! LOL

betty-NZ said...

What lively colors you found in your back yard! Great post.

Andrea said...

I love that hummingbird vine's color. Its leaves and flower shape looks like Tecoma stans, but they are commonly yellow, i don't know if there are other colors as well.

Vores have said...

Great pictures you show. Wishing you a good weekend :) Hanne Bente / hbt.finus.dk

Unknown said...

my first time to see a pink angel trumpet--it's beautiful. i love your pond!

singapore daisy

Anonymous said...

Beautiful blooms and lovely fish!

Melbourne Australia Photos said...

Sorry I haven;t been around much, Lois. I have a new job and things are pretty hectic for me at the moment.

These are delightful floral photos, indeed!

Thank you for participating in Floral Friday Fotos!