All the Hibiscus shrubs have burst into bloom this week. I love the one above — I think it’s Hibiscus syriacus ‘Aphrodite.’ I also have some double-flowered ones — they’re quite frilly and don’t really look like Hibscuses at all. Oh, and one more of the Aphrodite shrub, too:

And I finally got my ‘Pink Simplicity’ rose hedge blooming well this week. I’ve written before about how some rose experts advised me to give them much more water and fertilize often with a high-nitrogen fertilizer. Well, I neglected to give them the extra care this spring, and so the tiny flower buds mostly fell off in June. Just like in the past. So, about three-and-a-half weeks ago, I trimmed the hedge down a few feet with a power trimmer (thanks neighbor!), and then all this new growth came up and produced flowerbuds. I’ll have to remember that timing of about 3 1/2 weeks if my daughters ever have a wedding reception in our backyard! Hopefully, we could trim them like that again and expect a full bloom 3-4 weeks later!

Here are some other shots from this evening, including my cute son, McKay, some Granny Smith apples that are developing well, and assorted flowers:

Hey, I should mention that middle photo in the last row is an annual called Angelonia (whenever I say the name, I start singing in my mind a blues song called “Angelina” by Keb’ Mo’ — I know, the name is slightly different, but it still happens!). I haven’t grown Angelonia before, but I got the seeds from Park’s last winter and tried it out. I like it so far. I think they’ll get quite a bit bigger by the end of the season.