Light 'Play' and Gentle Breezes

I'm feeling 'garden-y' ((?) probably couldn't find that in Wikipedia) and Zen this morning.  The heat & humidity broke today, so all the windows are open and there is an amazing breeze blowing through the house.  Paging through a new issue of Garden Gate, as I sat in my 3-Season room I noticed the 'light play' on the plants in the "Shade Garden" from the morning sun.

Garden Blogger, Cat - The Whimsical Gardener has a keen eye for the art of the garden, through her photography.  I look at my garden in a whole different way now - as a photo op and perhaps some personal artwork in my home.  My favorite plant progress shots are taken at sunset (as a self-described NON-morning person, 'sunrise' shots will be few and far between).  The other evening the Cottage Garden was bathed in sunset.  Here are a few shots I was able to capture:

Sunset on the Sweet Autumn Clematis
(by my 'Budding Photographer)

'Morning Light' Maiden Grass and Perennial Hollyhock
(at Sunset)

Yellow Daylily Bloom in Sunset shadows

Arabian Nights Dahlia bloom
(Must plant more Dahlias next year!)

I'm entranced by the beauty of this garden in sunset!  

So now that my 'anchor' gardens are in place and I have a sense of closure on what's done so far - I'm back in the garden plant books and pouring through garden magazines for the next phase of planning and planting.  Many of you provided a great recommendations for my 'wishlist' in 2012 and there are a few plants I fell in love with (like Lavender) as I perused my favorite garden 'haunts'.

Borrowed from the creative talent at Microsoft Clipart

I have also had a chance to surf the Blogosphere a bit and catch up with many of your blogs.  Summer has been 'spotty' for getting online, so I am incredibly behind.  In my 'virtual' travels, I try to leave you a comment - so you know I've been by.  It still blows me away how much talent is shared in this format.  Recently Tufa Girl and Toni -Signature Gardens were doing separate whorl-wind driving tours (the real kind) and introduced me (and their readers) to Karen at Quarry Garden Stained Glass.  Many of you may already know about this talent, but if you are new to the blog as I was - stop by!  "Wow" doesn't even cover it.

Time to wrap up.  It's a busy day in our house-hold as we pack up one of the "chitlins" (my kids) for another year at college.  (Geez, I must have fallen into that 'space-time contium' again?  Somehow school is starting up, which means Summer as quickly coming to an end...)

Since my post was all about gentle breezes and "light play", here is a little 'non-garden' shot to finish out this post:

Sunset at the Pier - Gulf Shores, FL

Sunshine wishes...

Is it the "Buffet" or "Bed & Breakfast"?

Gardening this year as certainly been 'interesting' in the Midwest.  It's been unseasonal - continuing to be cool, cloudy and rainy (with intermittent hot & humid days interspersed).   As a matter of fact, I am starting to feel like not only do I provide a "buffet" for the local bunny population - but also 'refuge'.  Case in point:

Bunny 'Foo'
Seeking refuge under the tumble composter during a downpour.

There has been area flooding, but certainly nothing like Tennessee and Louisiana.  Standing water like this typically happens in March & maybe April - not June:

Even the neighbors with dogs try to protect their lawns with orange snow fence.

In spite of it all, my gardens continue to do well.  Here is what is in bloom:

The Pink Double Knockout Rose is in bloom -
protected by bird netting & "budding" Red Twig Dogwood  branches

My classic:  Stella D Oro Daylily bloom
(they've been with me since the beginning - the first time!)

Royal Purple Smoke Bush - reaching for the sky

'Crimson Pixie' Asiatic Lily

New garden addition:   Sweet Autumn Clematis - a gift from friend Lydia's garden
(If it ever stops raining, I'll get the trellis in the ground and get this growing wild!)

Rounding out a garden 'walk about':

From top left: "Wine & Roses" Weigela, variegated  Jacob's Ladder,
Actaea Ramosa "Brunette" Bugbane, Royal Purple Smoke bush, Moonbeam Coreopsis,
Double Knockout Rose, variegated Ribbon Grass, Asiatic Lily bud

It's another cool, rainy Saturday - but there is great hope for tomorrow, sunny and 70.  Time to plant the Bugbane, Jacob's ladder and a couple of new Anemones, to be clustered with the first one.  With all the rain, it does continue to look "lush", like Spring.  Now that I've finished my post, it's time to start surfing my favorite garden blogs.... batten down the hatches my garden buddies!  Can't wait to see what you are up to!

Saving my favorite annuals ? Should I or shouldn't I...

November 7th - HOW did we get here?

Blue skies of November 2010
(and an unconventional 60 degree day)

As we cruise into the second week of November I find myself ambivalent to the change of the seasons.  The sun shines down on barren trees while a few really, really hardy plants continue to throw out a bloom or two.

The LAST Rudibeckia bloom

Pink Guara .. just keeps on keeping

"Nothing is over until we say it is!!"
Stella D Oro won't go quietly!

I'm one of those people that embraces seasonal changes.  I'm "ok" with a dormant time of the year... BUT for some reason, right now, I feel very restless?   (I'm even cranking the "Blues" playlist on my iPod.... nothing like George Thorogood or Stevie Ray Vaughn to motivate you!!)

Going dormant...

I decided to give 'saving my favorite annuals' another go.  Last year I had this amazing Coleus that I decided to bring in.  After about a month we had an infestation of gnats in the dirt of many of our indoor plants -- the bulk of them being in the Coleus.  After a week of trying to treat them with organic bug killer, I gave up and just put the plant out in the freezing cold.  (Believe me, I felt horrible !!  .... a heartless plant killer!!!)  The rest of the plants were fine after a few treatments...

So THIS year, after a recommendation from a friend, I tried something else:

"Bag it and tag it!"  (Sorry, just a "CSI:NY" reference!)

Now maybe my friend is yanking my chain, but she suggested that this would isolate any vermin in the pots.  I 'Googled' the idea and didn't find much - other than suggesting using mothballs while having the plant 'bagged'.  So it's been a week, and I just unbagged the two New Guinea Impatiens that thrived in the 'Front Garden' this summer.  They will be in 'holding' in the 3-Season room until they show 'clean' for vermin....  They DO look great so far!

FREED!

We'll see how it goes!  If you have any other suggestions on 'de-bugging' annuals, I'd LOVE to know your thoughts.  I am in uncharted territory here!  ....and Happy Gardening or garden planning!!

Surprise! A Bloom in the Garden on 10/30/10

It was an amazing weather day today!  Warm sunshine, gentle breezes - not typical for IL in late October, but we accept graciously...  Here are a few shots to capture the day.

The last few leaves hung precariously on the neighbor's Maple tree.  Most of them crunched underfoot as I walked around the yard.  It's hard to believe the growing season really is over.  One single little Stella D Oro bloom reached for the sunshine from my 'Sun Garden'.   In it's protected corner of the world, I almost think it has become a Zone 6 micro-climate.  Those plants are first to bud and last to hibernate.

A weeping Pink Guara draped itself across the Stella D Oro bloom

The south-facing family room is where all the inside plants hang out.  In good company, the Meyer Lemon chills with the Oxalis triangularis and Hibiscus.

I love watching the leaves of the Oxalis follow the sun around.  You can see them reaching for the light.  Then at night when they close up, they remind me of butterfly wings.

A bold face all the way in mid-October

Re-blooming in October just blew me away!  I always thought roses loved the heat, but apparently my Double Pink Knockout roses are very happy in Fall.  They were blooming profusely until a very recent cold snap.  I caught this bloom a mere two weeks ago!

Pink Guara - up close and personal

Pink Guara was "'Most Impressive' flower for 2010" in my gardens.  The plants were a gift this Spring, and who knew they were going to knock my socks off.  The blooms gracefully dip in the wind and are still blooming.  Delicate as fine china... hardy as the north wind.

The Winds of Change.....

This may feel a little premature, but as we round the corner on August I'm getting that vibe ... the 'winds of change' are just around the corner!  Now, first of all - I don't think I have some special extrasensory perception...

...and this isn't a political blog, quoting famous political speeches from 1960.  But I will bogart a good phrase when I can!

Last week I felt like I had gotten stuck in the movie "Groundhog Day".  Every morning I woke up, it was like the same friggin' day!  Hot, humid, 90's... get ready for work, drive with A/C blasting, get out of the truck and have your breath get caught because you felt like you were breathing through molasses.

But yesterday - the world tilted just a little bit, and I realized the Autumn is on its way!  Now, I'm not saying the weather has changed - yet, but it's imminent.  The extended forecast for next week has IL slipping into the lower 80's (possibly high 70's by the end of the week).  We packed up our 'oldest' for another year at college.  And then there's the garden....  which is starting to make 'noises' of 'end of summer'.

 My Stella D'Oro daylilies started re-blooming....

"Stella" - waiting to bloom again!

The Rudibeckia is still in bloom-heaven....  (they will be on my list for next spring - to add to the front garden for some late season interest).

Special thanks to my buddy Lizz for tripling the size of my Rudibeckia area!

The Berri-Magic Holly is preparing for fall - and feeding the local bird population, by 'berrying up'.

Berri-Magic Holly - as berries are starting to ripen

Some of my annuals look like they are on steroids!  They are flipping HUGE!  (By the way, I am a convert to "Miracle Grow - Moisture Control" potting soil.  I've never had potted plants go as crazy, growing so large - especially in the heat of the 'summer of 2010'.)

Persian Shield, Licorice and "Blackie" Sweet Potato Vine
Sitting in 2 pots if you can believe it?

Wizards Magic Coleus - 5x's it's original size

And, the single most interesting 'new development' as of today.... the $3 potted Mums I bought from Lowes last year, and plugged into the end of my front garden - are getting blooms?!?  I seriously hadn't even thought that they would come back this summer - it was an impulse buy last fall, to extend the 'blooming' season in my fledgling gardens.

"Bonus"!  -- Alexis Garden Mum - back for round 2

Other 'findings' in my garden walk-about today:

"Mixed" Cosmos
One of the surviving plants from a full flat

Sonic Sweet Purple New Guinea Impatiens

Paprika Yarrow
Late Season preparation

"Renegade" Pansies!
I have no idea where these guys came from !?!

PJM Rhododendron
Looking stout at the end of the summer - here's hoping for spring!!

And the Sugar Maple is recovering quickly from the "Cotton Maple Scale" it suffered from this year.  If you haven't heard of it, but have seen this suspicious looking 'foreign matter' on your Maple trees - beware, it can take down a healthy tree in a couple of years

"Cottony Maple Scale" - infested the entire tree this year
(The parasite feeds on the maple sap.  Ewwwww!!):

A healthier Sugar Maple - today, 8/21/10

So, it's 'all good' in this neighborhood. My mind is starting to come out from the summer fog and I am scheming on next year's changes and additions (currently from the comfort of the air conditioning!).  I hope all is good in your garden!  

First Days in the Garden

In the beginning, there was a humble house, and novice knowledge of gardening. The art and enjoyment hadn't even come up on my radar screen until one birthday - when a pair of my best pals gave me plants as gifts. (…did they not know that I could kill most house plants in mere weeks?...)

In 2004, I started with Shasta Daisies, Gaillardia, Paprika Yarrow and Sweet William. As we excavated the first corner of the yard, I naively assumed my plants would live forever! Certainly lots of compost & fertilizer would circumvent the unfriendly layer of clay just 5” under the top soil? I lost the Sweet Williams by the next spring, and the Shastas looked pretty anemic. What my gardening pals failed to mention (?), the addictive quality of the whole gardening experience! If one plant dies, then surely you must buy MORE!

I learned that Daylilies were my friends! They were hardy – friends liked to share them (for free!) and they grew bountiful! Tall orange Tiger Lilies were bullet proof!! (They still thrive, and they’ve been through our own personal ‘Armageddon’ ... a story for later.)

I have learned after almost 6 years that as much as I love Azaleas and Rhododendron, I have yet to find the magic ingredients (or micro-climate) to make even one plant survive. That cute little ‘Very Cherry Azalea’ (in the picture below) met its maker the winter after it was planted.

The Japanese Barberry looks like it’s in ‘jail’ with all the fencing around it, but the bunnies started mowing through it like it was a ‘Scooby snack’! I smile as I look at our early attempt at using paver stones as edging. I say ‘we’ – because my husband has been HUGE in helping me with this ever growing obsession.

He grumbles and mumbles as he patiently does the ‘big digs’ every year as I sketch up some new idea or add another garden. He threatens to sell the lawn mower as the gardens grow and the yard shrinks. I don’t have the heart to tell him we are moving in a much more ‘eco-friendly’ direction!

Other friend-propagated plants I inherited included the Mini-Irises in this picture… You may notice a ‘purple’ theme as well. (Though I’ve been told I am OCD, with an ed. background in design and art – I just can’t help myself!) I like continuity – and ‘yes’ I have plants of other colors!

I get early gratification from the Mini-Irises and the Pasque flower in the photo below. They both break ground early in Illinois’s growing season, along with the various daylilies I grow. (..Or I should say, that grow for me --- I still consider it a bit of a miracle that plants grow for me!).

The backyard had been my ‘blank canvas’. That’s where I spent my ‘sanctuary’ time, so that’s where I focused my efforts on gardening. My front yard had some original anchor evergreens, and I was never in the front yard – so it remained untouched. (Kind of heartless, huh?!)