Scored big time!

This is part two of the lost photos that I took the other day.  Somehow my camera put them in January's pictures.  I don't know how to put them in August.  :)
So we will begin with my big score:  Last week at Wal Mart I saw they had huge markdowns on their plants and they had a lot of forsythia bushes for $5.00.  I decided to wait til this week and think about it some.  And when I went back yesterday, they still had plenty, so I got six and Jerry is helpfully planting them along the fence line between us and our neighbor, so we can both enjoy them next spring.  These are nice, good sized plants, they still have 2 months of good growth time and should be magnificent in the spring.  
Now onto the other scores of the week.  I had also gone to Lowe's and they also had great markdowns.  Some plants looked a little shabby but that's just because these places don't hire people who do a good job with them.  I found what I was looking for, a plant called a crape myrtle:

These are about bloomed out for the year, but a pretty light pink.  They have white and a very hot pink and a purple variety.  I'll be looking for those next year. They grow into these amazing large bushes down here, I've seen them ten feet tall.  The two small pines in the front yard were removed and these two put in their place.
Now remember I told you all about a type of native, hardy hibiscus?  We have several growing in the garden but darned if they didn't have one that was a light pink at Lowe's, too:

When the flowers are totally opened, it is specatacular, these were taken just before sunset.  This one is out with the Myrtle sisters.  I think I will call her....hmmm...Hibiscus has a nice ring to it.
These are the Rose of Sharons that live here.  There are about a dozen of them around and most of them are pretty big but these are along the driveway.  We actually lost one of the smaller ones in a windstorm this spring and so it had to come out.

Here are some of the zinnias that are along the front area.  It is so hot out there, lots of concrete, white siding that reflects the sun and some white rocks that also absorbs the sun and reflects it.  It makes that corner very hot.  Unfortunately, it's the main door to the house.  The zinnias are hanging on but I will give them some miracle grow this weekend.  I think they need it.  If I don't water them twice a day, they totally wilt, if I water them then they don't wilt but the leaves are not a healthy green, kind of a yellow tint which makes me think they have too much water.  Sheesh.  I think I will try marigolds there next year.  

It usually doesn't look all that trashy, but I'd been hauling mulch for the rose garden.
Here is the second rose garden.  There were a variety of plants growing there but I moved all of them and took out the fountain.  Then planted roses, Stella D'Oro lillies and took the hostas out of the back yard and put them there.  This should look wonderful in another year, it already is quite a wonderful and pretty change there.  But the weeds had gotten bad for the second time this year, so have killed them off, and now have about two thirds of it covered with landscape cloth and red mulch.  I hope to finish this project this weekend.

The top one was where I left off in early June when it got really hot down here.  Below is the other night when I used up the rest of the mulch.
I have reloaded on the mulch and cloth now, so that project will soon be done.
Here are Jordan's bunnies that I took from his sleeping spot right before we left.  I left the little memorial markers there and the new owner promised to keep the graves tidy and maybe put some flowers on them.  I feel that I brought part of him with me in the bunnies.  Now they have a nice garden to live in.

Here are the myrtles and the hibiscus:

And lastly is the first rose garden that I planted out front.  Can you see how much it has all grown?

I think I'm done buying plants for the year but still could put two more forsythias over by that fence.  I didn't know how many to buy but will look at it when Jerry is done planting them and decide.  I have tried to plant things that bloom at different times, don't take much care as far as deadheading or spraying, just a little fertilizer and water.  I will work on more more myrtles next spring and am thinking about doing a corner garden in the back yard.