Wednesday, work-from-home day. Grey, Misty. A midday check of the mailbox inspires me to capture a few images in front of the house.
Foxglove planted under the Red Bud tree. In July this plant was a lost cause at Menard's - and discounted.
Sheffield Chrysanthemum: it keeps on giving every Autumn. And, has been extraordinarily amendable to being divided over the years.
Sheffield is, I think, the last of the bloomers. Here it is mid-October and it's just beginning to hint at blooming.
This year I sowed zinnia seeds between the Blue Fortune and Monarda and the lightpole. Sharon thinks the flowers are too tall. I am inclined to agree. However, late Summer / early Autumn rains encouraged tremendous growth and blooms.
I moved the two peony shrub at the back fence of the Cottage Garden (see previous photo, above) and plan to sow zinnia seed next Spring. I am curious to see if the flowers grow as tall.
Notice the white clematis bloom (Henri) at the post. I missed it completely when I took the photo! And of course the morning glory too. Aren't these Summer blooms?
Still blooming . . .
The insects really astonished me . . .
After I mowed the front lawn I clipped the grass extra short where the new "Welcome" bed will go.
Sharon and I have been talking about this for a while. This will balance the Mixed Perennial Bed I dug out of the west side of lawn in 2012.
Speaking of oddities . . .
Suddenly this mysterious "weed" has cropped up between the cracks of the patio. It's so festive. But, I have no idea what it might actually be.
Lovely day. A bit warmer than Saturday - yesterday.
If you take time to stop and observe there is really a lot going on in the garden his time of year.
The New England Asters are blooming and the bees are swarming all around them . . .
Self-sown brown-eyed susan amidst feather reed grass and spiderwort in its Autumn bloom . . .
A view toward the front of the house, the new mixed bed . . .
Neglect . . . bindweed overruns a yew at the side of the house . . .
Sedum in bloom and in demand. Just look at the number of pollinators on the blooms! You can't believe how many different types of bees visit the garden throughout the growing season . . .
Oh, no! What's this? Yesterday's labor . . . the island in which a Butterfly Bush is planted is now connected to the east border. The larger shrubs are my neighbors lilacs. The space will be planted primarily in purples and blues with white and gold as accent colors.
Beautiful, bright Saturday morning. Heat has moderated considerably. What a bizarre stretch of weather we've had of late: hot and humid - Summer like. Not what you expect once school is underway. But this morning the weather was fine and I began my day surveying this and that with the camera.
I know it's my imagination, but it seems too early for Sweet Autumn Clematis to be in bloom . . .
Insects aren't unusual in the garden, but grasshoppers are a rare sight . . .
Caterpillars too . . .
And this . . .
I'd never seen anything like it before. So itty-bitty, so green . . .
After dinner Garden Walk. The weather may not have been especially good for tomatoes this Summer, but the abundance of rain was well liked by many of the flowers.
The variety of broccoli I bought this year is not especially tasty. When one of the plant flowered, we decided to let it go . . .
One of my favorite plants . . . hyssop . . . Blue Fortune. When you walk up the side yard, a drift of Blue Fortune leads you into the backyard. It's never looked as good as it did before the 2012 drought, but replacements are trying to catch up. Bees do not seems to mind whether the plants are original to the bed or new.
Rounding the corner into the upper backyard has always been a challenge. The tall yellow flowers (Golden Glow Rudbeckia and Cup Plant) nicely meet the base of the 60' Shagbark Hickory. Daisy dominates the Bee Balm (transplants didn't survive the Winter), Blazing Star, and Aster (still to bloom).
Cup Plant . . . moved last year in an attempt to thwart the deer . . .
The pumpkin patch is bordered by a narrow swath of purple. This year the north border looks especially lovely out the kitchen window. Here, I'm looking east toward the fruit trees . . .
Pumpkin and squash ramble. This is the second year for them in a dedicated spot, but I still can't contain them. We bought the white pumpkin last Fall on the way home from the Rotary Garden in Janesville. Sometime after Halloween, I moved it from the front porch to one of the front flower beds. Rain, higher priorities kept me from disposing of it immediately. When I got around to it, the bottom of the pumpkin had deteriorated and roots had begun to sprout. I carried it back to the pumpkin patch and mulched it heavily with leaves and grass clippings. Sure enough, this Spring it came to life. And now it's suspended on the deer fence surrounding the Jonafree apple tree.
Jalapeno and Sweet Banana peppers. The jalapeno peppers are not at all hot this year - probably due to the mild temperatures.
Arianna walked outside with the camera this afternoon . . .
Errant cone flower at the foot of the trumpet vine . . .
Morning Glory . . .
Cornflower . . .
Cornflower opening up . . .
Cornflower and Pot Marigold . . .
Gladiolus . . .
