My garden in August....

As we don't have a very big garden and neither of us are particularly green-fingered, we (that is, I) tend to just have displays of container plants each year, which I love doing at the beginning of the season. Each year I usually take some photos of the plants to remember them in the winter months and possibly as future subjects for my artwork. However, I've not yet used or shown any of the previous years' photos so thought I'd better display this year's before I forget again. I love bright reds, oranges, purples, pinks and blues so tend to try and stick to those as much as possible. My favourite flowers this year are new to me - a lovely trailing version of the Thunbergia, Orange Beauty variety. I just love the dramatic flower heads against the trailing green leaves.

I'm afraid if you don't like looking at flowers, leaves, hover flies and buds then please stop reading now, as there follows a fair amount of the above in the series of photographs I am about to upload! Nature never ceases to please, especially this time of year, I think, and it is always beautiful.

The gorgeous head of the Thunbergia (Orange Beauty)

 Marigold - one of the many plants I got given this year by a friend

Thunbergia plant in the container on our back wall.

A gorgeous double-headed petunia, also a donated plant.

A lone viola head - these little gems appear each year in one of the containers!

This marigold bud looks like a small creature, ready to uncurl and pounce!

I love the detail on this clump of geranium buds - so hairy!

These geranium buds are a little bit further on than the previous set.

Although leaves may not be as pretty as flowers, I still love looking at them - these are begonia leaves

Variegated geranium leaves - free (flowers included) from my friend.

Marigold leaves.

The succulent leaves of the Portulaca plant, which also bears some dainty flowers.

Having shown you all the photos I took of the flowers, buds and leaves this year, I thought I'd also share the images of the hover flies which are abundantly present in our garden. They are very pretty to look at up close, but I don't particularly like them buzzing around near me!

Just look at the symmetry!

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Settled on the lobelia.

It's almost as though I arranged for this one to sit like that!