My Mid-Summer Garden Tour 2019 – How the Garden Looked While I Was on Vacation (From My Previous Home, Zone 6B)

Mid-summer 2019 garden tour from my previous Zone 6B home with blooms, growth, and how the garden handled my vacation absence.

Hi! I’m Stacy Ling, a trained Master Gardener gardening in Zone 6B here in NJ. Before moving to my 1850 farmhouse in December 2021, I gardened in my previous home for many years. And this mid-summer 2019 tour shows what the garden looked like while I was away on vacation. I love keeping these older tours as part of my gardening journey so you can see how my gardens have evolved over time – it’s so cool to look back.

There are times when I wish I had an irrigation system because it is tough caring for the gardens while on vacation.

Am I right?

And heading out for a vacation in the heat of summer is one of those times because setting them on a timer would insure my plants get watered while I’m away.

Since I do not have an irrigation system or sprinklers on a timer, I rely on friends and family to water for me while I’m gone if the weather doesn’t take care of the gardens itself.

Most gardens around the property are self-sufficient and don’t need much to thrive while I’m away.

However, the annuals, vegetable, and container gardens need to be watered daily in order to survive the summer heat and humidity.

But there are things we can do to prepare before traveling.

Here’s what you need to know!

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This Week’s Garden Tour (July 2019)

During the gardening season of 2019, I photographed the gardens each week to document how they grew and changed.

It’s amazing to look back and see how things grew and change throughout the seasons.

Here’s what my gardens look like this week in July 2019.

Front Yard Cottage Garden Tour

The front garden is looking incredible!

The Echinacea and Bee Balm are in full bloom while the yellow Daylillies and Hostas just started flowering.

Sedum Autumn Joy is starting to produce it’s flowers and I love the chartreuse green they add to the borders.

The Yellow Daylillies just started blooming.

I love the bright color they add to the summer border.

This is that portion of the front garden that I replaced two weeks ago.

Still going strong!

I asked my caretaker to water it while I was away if it did not rain.

The Well Garden Tour

The Well Garden looks really good right now too!

The orange Daylillies are still flowering, but starting to slow down.

Tall Phlox started blooming and I love the way it enhances Smoketree’s foliage.

One of my favorite flowering shrubs, Callicarpa, also known as Beautyberry.

It doesn’t look like much now, but those tiny flowers will eventually become bright purple berries in late fall/early winter after the foliage turns a brilliant autumnal color.

The Mailbox Garden

The Mailbox Garden is in full bloom right now.

The red Daylillies that flank both sides of the mailbox started blooming while I was away.

The Clematis, Marigolds, Petunias and Euphorbia are all still blooming beautifully.

I love how colorful this garden is!

This is the Sedum Autumn Joy I dug up and divided a few months ago.

It is just across the driveway from the mailbox garden.

I love the simplicity of the garden with only Sedums.

The Sideyard Gardens Tour

I don’t normally show the side gardens.

They are typically the last gardens to get weeded.

Since these gardens were just weeded last week, here they are!

Never before seen view of my side yard.

This small garden sits just behind the fire pit area.

It houses Hostas, Peonies and a Forsythia that I keep tamed.

This woodland garden is on the other side of the house. I love the view to the backyard border.

Since returning from vacation, I noticed some powdery mildew on the Tall Phlox.

They will get pulled this week. I’m over them.

The Backyard Gardens

The backyard gardens look incredible right now too!

This week I’m really into the fire pit and vegetable garden areas.

Sedum Autumn Joy is starting to flower, the Hostas are blooming and the Double Impatiens really brighten the border.

I am loving this garden right now!

Shown are Double Impatiens, Sedum Autumn Joy, Ornamental Grass, Joe Pye Weed, Knockout Rose, Holly, and a Variegated Dogwood.

The Mugo Pine is not looking so good – he’s on the next to go list too.

The dogs had me up early to watch the sunrise while we were walking the borders this morning after getting in late las

Final Thoughts

How do you prepare your gardens before you leave for vacation?

I hope you enjoyed this week’s garden tour and appreciate you joining me.

If you missed a few tours or want to see how the garden has progressed, you can see them here:

• 1st Week – Bulbs and Early Spring Perennials
• 2nd Week – Cool Season Vegetables and Spring Flowers
• 3rd Week – Growth, Change and Everblooming Design
• 4th Week – Growth and Transition in the Spring Garden
• 5th Week – Container Gardens and Outdoor Living Spaces
• 6th Week – Adding Color with Annuals
• 7th Week – The Importance of a Tidy Border
• 8th Week – How to Create a Hummingbird Garden
• 9th Week – Spring to Summer Transition
• 10th Week – Summer Perennials, Pest and Disease Control
• 11th Week – Summer Gardening and Patriotic Decor

Do you love to garden too?

I would love to hear about it and see some photos of your gardens, no matter how big or small.

Please leave your ideas, comments & more below or contact me here.

Thank you for following along and touring the gardens with me.

Happy planting – enjoy your day! xo