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October 15

Its one of those mid October days where summer lingers.  It’s warm out, foggy and  damp, and the sun is trying to break through.  We have only had a light frost so there is much that is still blooming in the garden.  Not for long though.

From a distance, the garden looks like this  – getting a bit tired

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But up close we have this  – mums and asters and dahlias

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A close up of the mums  – these are from my mom – I’ve had them for decades

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Smoke bush, sedum and iris foliage

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Marigolds, celosia, and wild flowers

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Allium – I think this one is “Ozawa”

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Toad lilies, salvia, and a black eyed susan

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Gorgeous blue monkshood

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Some campanula and other offerings from the rock garden

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And a rose to round out the tour

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September

Wow .. the month got away from me.  I got a bit of “remodeling” done i.e.  moving stuff around early in the month.   Then we had a warm spell so I quit transplanting for awhile.  Cooler days are ahead so I imagine I will be back outside soon moving stuff around.

This area was quite overgrown so I moved a lot of stuff out and transplanted in some Heucheras from other areas. I like the new look.

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The dahlias have bloomed all month.  I put them in a different part of the garden this year.  They did well and I can see them better from inside.

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There’s quite a bit of color still (see how the peach dahlias just pop?)

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Fall blooming crocuses add a lot of color

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This threesome showed up early one morning .. grrrrr

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These gross looking caterpillars defoliated the gas plant.. turns out they are giant swallowtail butterfly larvae

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The succulents are flowering now too.  I love the funky shapes of these grey Orostachys

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The maple leaves are starting to turn.  I hope we don’t get frost yet though.  I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet.

 

 

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Brugmansia

The Brugmansia finally decided to put on a big show.  It had over 50 buds and they have been opening now for a couple of weeks.  The perfume at night is intoxicating.  I purchased this plant as a wee bulb 7 years ago from Logee’s Greenhouses in Connecticut. The cultivar is ‘Jean Pasco’.

I usually cut back the top foot or so of the plant and bring it into the basement for the winter where it goes dormant.  Then out is comes in the spring to be watered and fertilized and voila!  Some of these photos were taken at night and some during the day. The color changes are quit dramatic.  Enjoy… and if you’re in the neighborhood come by and take a peek.

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There are more buds forming… this may go on until frost.

 

 

 

 

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Mid – August

Its August already.  I am seeing some tinges of color in the maples, fall plants are coming into bloom, the veggies are ripening, its getting dark early, and the garden continues to show off.

Digiplexis complements the lime green leaves on the phlox

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Agapanthus and daylilies

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Daylilies and sedum

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Agapanthus in a pot helps a dull spot in the garden

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I love the blue!

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A longer view of the garden

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This guy spent all day flitting about

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Golden variegated comfrey in the midst of snapdragons and zinnias

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Lots more coming soon….

 

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End of July

Well here it is July 31st.  The bountiful rains this spring and summer have certainly produced some lovely blooms and the daylilies are no exception.  Here are a few in all their glory….

Greywoods Papa Joe

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Little Women

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Apricot Ruffles

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Condilla

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Radiation Biohazard

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Lydia Bechtold (yellow) and Royal Ebony

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Peggy Jeffcoat

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Grandma’s Smile

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Mary Todd

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An unknown funky orange

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We also have a family of wrens

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Bees on the Cimicifuga

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And a new crop of bunnies…

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Finally, there are lots of buds on the Brugmansia  – August should be amazing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wild and crazy stuff

I like to see how many different kinds of plants I can grow.  The abundant rain this year has brought out some spectacular blooms.

The Brugmansia ‘Jean Pasco’ (now 7 years old) emerged from dormancy and put on an early show with 12 blossoms.  There are more buds forming, so August could be amazing.

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My sister gave me an orchid cactus years ago.  It didn’t bloom last year, and I was about to give it away.  I put it out on the porch just because it looks tropical and lo and behold..it is blooming.. wowza

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The Japanese Iris didn’t bloom last year either  – too dry.  But they got a lot of water this spring and early summer and they are blooming away now

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July brings the daylilies.  Not unusual.. just gorgeous.  This one is ‘Royal Ebony’

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Here we have ‘Glistening Bouquet’, ‘Radiation Biohazard, ‘Apricot Ruffles’ and ‘Blueberry Breakfast’

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And a bunny update..

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Still munching….

 

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Bunnies

You all know by now that wascally wabbits are the bane of my existence.  They eat and nibble my plants and nothing I do seems to dissuade them.  While weeding the other day I came across what at first glance looked like an old birds nest.  I looked closer and saw fur around the edges.  I gently peeled back the top layer and there they were… baby bunnies… five of them.

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What to do?  Couldn’t relocate them while momma was still around, so I just watched them grow.  You can see how small they are  – those are violet leaves nearby.

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Then one day they were out of the nest and hiding

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You can see the chicken wire cages I have made to keep the nibbling to a minimum.  They aren’t pretty, but they mostly work.

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Another little guy hiding

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Here are some close relatives on the front lawn

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The little ones seem to have hopped off… or they are just hiding out .  They sure are cute but they will grow up and do all the things bunnies do.  Sigh….

Meanwhile this family showed up

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And a spotted fawn ran across the meadow yesterday afternoon, no photo unfortunately.

Wild kingdom around here these days.