It's been a long, hot summer and today, timed precisely with the beginning of autumn, the shadows that have been a normal part of my gardening experience for the last three months were on serious hiatus. Sunshine lay hidden behind an ashen cloud cover keeping the temperature in the comfy sixties. And with beloved rain predicted tomorrow, needless to say I got some serious gardening done!
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| Look at Aster 'Alma Potschke' |
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| Through the years I've divided this Aster many times and now there are several throughout my garden. I love the vibrant pink color. |
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| Nicotiana 'Tinkerbell' has reseeded in several areas. I love everything about this plant. |
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| Rosa 'Rhapsody in Blue' is blooming again. The fragrance is delicious. |
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| And speaking of fragrance, here is a blossom on my 'Frost Proof' Gardenia. The plant has been blooming non-stop since early August. |
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| This is 'Fireworks' Gomphrena. It's been blooming since I bought it. |
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| This photo of Rosa 'Adelaide Hoodless' is a little over-exposed but I love these luscious red puffs. |
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| Earlier this spring, I bought two Calibrachoa or "Million Bells." They're still going strong. |
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| Fry Road Nursery has several species Impatiens. I bought this one as a plug back in May. It's about three feet tall now and in constant bloom. |
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| I've discovered that if I give my Dianthus a drink now and then they'll thank me with blooms. |
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| Ditto for Clemmies. This is C. 'Confetti.' It's blooming again! |
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| My over-wintered Melianthus has been growing slowly all season. |
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| The red blooms here are Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'. It's been blooming non-stop since June. |
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| Fuchsia magellianica and Himalayan Honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa 'Golden Lantern') |
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| And just next to the aforementioned plant combo is this one. Rosa 'Cinco de Mayo' and Rhus typhina 'Tiger Eyes Sumac'. |
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| Here is a look at my garden looking north. |
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| And here it is looking south. The creeping thyme I planted between the bricks (where the lawn used to be) is filling in nicely. |
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| Maybe a little too well in some spots. |
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| I am so much happier without my lawns. The "north lawn" used to be here. |
One of my projects has been to relocate this sad looking clump of Darmera peltata. As a lover of wet feet, it was constantly pouting at being sentenced to the desert conditions under my Seven-Son's tree.
So I dug it out and replaced it with a very large and very tolerant Pacific Northwest native sword fern.
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| The fern will take a while to settle in but this area will be much easier to manage next summer, which I'm predicting will be much cooler! |
I know you havwe had a long hot summer but your garden looks really nice! I see some old friends in there I wish I still had. Loved that Impatience!
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see your gardens I fall in love with them all overfirst wordesp again. They are just wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week ~ FlowerLady
Beautiful...you really are a "pink" person. Love the asters and I want one of those frost proof gardenias. Going to the nursery to look for one. I copied the photo of the area with the bricks you semi-covered with stones to Robby. He has a large bare area under the massive oak on the side of his home and is trying to decide what to cover it with that will not inhibit water absorption. This sort of thing might work for him too. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely my go-to source for pink plant ideas. I love that Aster. Your thyme "lawn" looks great. My front lawn is still a wide expanse of nude dirt as we work on clearing out the grass roots the "lawn removers" left behind.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful as always! I could look at your pictures all day.
ReplyDeleteGrace! your garden still looks wonderful despite the heat we've (I've) endured. ;) Such a wonderful treat to hear the sound of rain. I heard my garden sigh with relieve.
ReplyDeleteHope all is well with you and yours.
Your garden is looking wonderful! I love that little red Coreopsis, so pretty.
ReplyDeleteI loved your lawn replacement creations from the start but they are now moving into the "spectacular" realm.
ReplyDeleteWell, I pinned like a maniac, as usual.
ReplyDeleteThat aster is somethin' and that nicotiana is awesome. I need some. I stopped buying it because of the budworms, but now that I know I can have Bt in my arsenol, next year may be the year of nicotiana again. :)
Everything is looking so great still in your yard. After being gone all weekend, I'll have to do the walk and see if there's anything new to yank or rearrange.
Grace: Your garden is one of the prettiest I've seen--really. You have such a "graceful" sense of design (no pun intended). I really like the Creeping Thyme in the bricks--and the other brickwork and the paths, too. Your Roses are so healthy, and everything else looks great. (I don't know how I missed this post--sometimes my feed is unreliable. I'm glad I found it!)
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