Treasure Hunt

I celebrated the winter solstice with a big ole HURRAH...since it marks the end of shortening days.  As the days lengthen so does my mood lighten.  I am on school break so I promised myself to tackle a chore most days that I have been putting off.  The potting shed was a wreck so I spent an afternoon cleaning and organizing (sorry no pictures).  While I was down there I decided to look and see if I could find any "buried treasure." 

CAMELLIA- YULETIDE--appropriate isn't it?

This variegated ivy keeps my windowbox from being bare!

Bud on my pink lenten rose

This is my "woodland garden" that I started 2 years ago.  I took a pic at this angle to show you its proximity to my house.  A little story about the rock edging in front-  I recently removed this from my dad's house when we sold it.  I didn't know it but my brother told me that he and our dad hauled these from a location in Wayne County near the Buffalo River.  He further said they had been the foundation of an old springhouse.  I love things that have history so this made me especially happy to keep them near me and in my garden.  I have bulbs, gold dust acuba, hellebores, azaleas, bleeding hearts, etc in this area.  Right now it's the hardscape and the acuba keeping it real.

YUCCA- COLOR GUARD-  It has a faint pink blush if you look close.

Birdbath with violas

Pixie says "Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Garden!"

Gnome for the Holidays

I love to use nature's freebies to ramp-up my entry --just as much as I like decorating indoors for the holidays.   I like to experiment and create things that can carry me not only through Christmas but to the end of January (at least).  I bought the sled for $3 and the gnomes for $2 each at yard sales this summer.  It's hard to buy Christmas decorations in July (or sweaters, etc.)...but when December rolls around I'm always glad I did.  I re-painted the sled (it was badly weathered) and was quite tickled with the results.   I'll subtract the gnomes and keep this out until it starts to look dry and unhappy.   My school vacation is coming up and I plan to stop neglecting my blog.  I'm sure you'll also be keeping track of your favorite blogs as I will to sustain you through the winter months ahead.  Merry Christmas to everyone!

Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May

I gathered some of the last roses for the season to make a happy bouquet for all to enjoy.  It is amazing..they are sparse and on struggling bushes-- individually,  but when put together I must exclaim wow!

I am dreading the time change this weekend.  Already I'm racing home to continue to plant a few remaining plant orphans.  Too soon I'll be on the couch with my garden magazines for company and a head full of plans that I will never have the time/energy to execute.  Oh well, such is the life of a gardener!

Hedgeapple Happiness

  I was yard-sale-ing this past weekend and saw a bunch of these in the road...so I immediately stopped and gathered a Wal-Mart bag full of them.  I love the chartreuse green color!  I know my sister and sister-in-law thought I was crazy but I planned to do something decorative on my back entry (of course).

 


I tell you, a gardener never stops learning about things does he/she?  I have heard of "hedgeapples" all my life but never really knew what they were all about.  Heck until I did an internet search I thought they grew on vines (they grow on trees).  Their real name is Osage orange.  Apparently they were widely planted in rows as an impenetrable cattle fence before the advent of barbed wire.    They are also believed to have bug-repellent properties.  This blog has a very interesting post if you'd like to know more:  http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/osage-orange-uses/

I just think they are a wonderful (free) fall decoration!

Thankful For What I Have

I read in the Lowe's Garden Ideas booklet today...(I'm paraphrasing) that if you are unhappy with the way your garden looks right now just snap some pictures and then make a note to look at them in February...suddenly they will look gorgeous!  I thought that was funny (and true enough).  Since we have a long growing season it is easy to get weary and tired during this hot, dry month.  So like the article says I have decided to focus on the positives!

Let's all do the "wave!"

Bronze leaf canna, carex and heliopsis

Helenium



Banana- Love the splotchy leaves.  (This should be fun to overwinter!)

A little Vinca goes a long way.  I am noting things that have not flagged in this horrid heat...vinca and lantana top the list so far.  Most of my potted annuals have bit the dust already.

Variegated ivy, white begonia, sensitive fern and climbing euonymous.  Cooling shades of white and green.

The "working" area of the yard.  My tire o' herbs has done well. 

Cashmere bouquet is running rampant around my spring house, I forgive it though when it's blooming so well when not much else is.

Any "birdie" want to go camping?  I picked up this sweet camper birdhouse at Burke's Outlet.

Obedient Plant

Pink anemone...love this late season plant.

Well that's about it for this time.  I am off for a 4 day weekend, so with cooler temps and low humidity forecasted (due to hurricane Irene), I plan to be out and about. Glad to finally post again, I've missed y'all! 

July Flower Fireworks

Well July is "officially" here although June felt much like July!  My garden is in its usual state of disarray since I can't last out there for hours like I do in the spring and fall.  I have been gone 4 days on a Niagara Falls vacation..what a weather change!  It was zero humid, nice breeze with highs in the 70s-80 and 50s at night!  What a slam back to be submerged in high 90s again today.  I hear we got several inches of precious rain while I was gone..hallelujah! 

Looks a bit like fireworks doesn't it?  This is a passalong daylilly from my friend Glenda.  I like the markings!  This is my first bloom to see of this one.  Always exciting!

This sunflower "planted" itself!  It is taller than me (which is not saying much I know!) 

Big ole daylily bloom on a short plant...I like it!  It is a beautiful orange.

Of course I can't travel without "borrowing" a cutting of something!  This came from an old cemetery in Pennsylvania.  It is the cutest mini-rose, I hope I can successfully root it. 

Good old faithful tiger lilies!

Elephant ears are getting ginormous.  There's some yellow cannas blooming alongside.

Well it seems like I have a yellow/orange theme going in blooms.  I admire anything that can look so happy in this heat.  I leave you with a parting shot of me and Glen at Niagara Falls.  I can almost feel that wind and mist as I look at this picture.

Does Absence "Really" Make the Heart Grow Fonder?

Wow, I have really been absent from blogging but hopefully somebody missed me.  Nothing like 98 degree heat and humidity in early June to run one indoors to blog.  I could barely get a few pics of my daylilys this evening..camera lens kept fogging up!  I had to drag out the water hose yesterday and water the new transplants and annuals in pots.  No rain in sight..this is a weird weather year so far. 

First blooms for this delicate clematis:

This little white rose isn't even knee high but man can it kick!  It was LOADED.  No idea what the name is..found it on a street corner hanging over where I could snip a cutting..hee hee.

Gooseneck loosestrife.  Don't gasp..I know this one can be invasive but where it is I think it'll be fine.  It had proven to be a difficult spot for much else to grow.  I love the curved form and tough as nails habit.

Daylily I bought from Rabbit's Daylily Patch near Florence.  If it was a named one then I have forgotten!

Another "Rabbit's" find planted last year.

Ms. Annabelle Hydrangea is showing out too.  Been planted about 3 years going on 4.  Stunning no?

I'll have more to share when daylilys peak and I can get some long shots of the garden .  Pretty much a sea of green right now.  As long as it does not turn brown from all this heat I'll be happy.

Eye Candy

No foreplay this time...just jump on in!

Orange rose= Westerland

Paris and Nicole (the resident flamingoes) bid you farewell till next visit!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

If I could liquefy Monday through Friday and inject it into Saturday and Sunday then the weekend would seem SOOOO long!   However when I have a very fun Saturday it just zooms.  Barb and I went Saturday to Nashville to a perennial plant sale and back through Franklin for the Bloom-n-Garden Expo.  I was up at 4:30 am and back home by 5:30 pm, by that time I was flippin' tired delirious!  All I had strength to do is wander about the garden, hopefully to spy out a place to plant my treasures when I recover.

The Perennial Plant Society of Nashville really go all out.  Here is the mascot with some random guy she pulled into the picture.  I should have cropped him out (smile).   

They take this sale seriously.  It wasn't scheduled until 9 am but people were lining up at 8:00.  Apparently they knew something we didn't so after much coaxing Barb convinced me it was worth standing in line for an hour against my loud protesting.  I thought what the heck so I had someone take our pic.  The line behind us is LONG!

Once it was opening time it was "Katie bar the door!"  People were racing all directions toward their favorite plants.  It was all neat and orderly with things alphabetized by botanical name.  I am grateful to know that hemerocallis= daylily...I would have lost out if I had been standing at the D's!  I didn't get any pics inside (I would have been stampeded).  Imagine 10,000 13 year olds at a Justin Bieber concert and you'll be close to imagining the scene.  Barb scarfed up some peonies (she's a sucker for those) and I got some phlox, tiarella, rosemary and daylilys.  I knew my ninja skills would be handy someday.

This is the scene at the Bloom-n-Garden Expo.  A big old county fair looking place in a stock barn.  Much more laid back.  They had lots of this & that.  I mainly got cute ideas for garden decor.  Barb lugged out a Japanese maple--green edged with red.  I'll quit blabbing a minute and show you the pics I took.

Check the frog....

Love the espalier....

This gets my vote for cutest booth...a mini potting shed with all kinds of cool garden junque d' art!

Could someone give me a "piggyback ride home?"