Between the Downpours

The weekend weather was superb. I got so much done. Plants that needed to be moved, got moved and newbies that needed an in-ground home got one. I still have more to do, of course. Don't we all? 

Today I took some photos between downpours but had to hurry because the sunny reprieve was short and I didn't want raindrops to ruin my camera. Now, at my laptop, it's sunny outside again and this after hail about ten minutes ago. It's fall. 

Somebody found this pillowy zinnia a little too comfortable and forgot to fly home. 

My pink Bacopa is in a hanging container. It has been blooming nonstop since April.
The bees love it. And so do I. 

A final Echinacea blooms amid the upright pink Indigofera blossoms. 

Oenothera pallida is still blooming. It's very fragrant too. 

Dahlia 'Rip City' is trying. It's a newbie. I think the plant will look better next year. 

Dahlia 'Mystic Wonder' has a few blossoms left too. 

Dahlia 'Ivanhoe' is such a cool plant.

Dahlia 'Dutch Explosion' is the definition of prolific bloomer.

Here is another blossom. I love it. 

Look at my 'Frost Proof' Gardenia. I thought it was finished blooming but it surprised me. 

Brachyscomb 'Radiant Magenta' is another long bloomer. 

This is progeny of Nicotiana 'Tinkerbell'. I grew its parent three or four years ago, let it go to seed
and now each year I get baby plants that grow up and bloom and scatter seed for the following year.
Most of them are a medium pink color but this one is a dark red. 

Several weeks ago, walking past my Elaeagnus x ebbingei 'Gilt Edge'
I caught a whiff of its tiny but extremely fragrant flowers. It is still going strong.
And the bees love them.  

Fuchsias are still dazzling, despite being hammered by rain and hail.
How do they do that? 

This fuchsia and the one above it are NOID. Darn it.

This is 'Olympics Sunset'--a newbie from Fry Road this year. 

Believe it not, this too is a Fuchsia. It's called 'Whiteknights Cheeky.'
The tag says it's hardy here in my Zone 8 garden. It's still in a pot but the chances of winter survival
increase dramatically if it's in the ground. I need to get it planted soon.  

Here is another one that still needs an in-ground home.
It's called Fuchsia 'Blue Troll.' The flowers are really tiny. 

A bunch of plants in this photo are cut back already exposing too much dirt (for my taste).
Next year, next year....
In the front is, Farfugium japonicum 'Crispatum'. Behind it, Euphorbia stygiana and behind
that is Zingiber mioga 'Nafuku'. If the temps get seriously cold this winter,
I'll be throwing a thermal blanket over the whole lot.
 

In the same bed are a few more leafy loves. Since the return of wet weather,
the Acanthus mollis has really perked up, making Hosta 'Paradigm' look good, despite all the slug holes.  

The berries on my Aronia arbutifolia 'Brilliantisima' are Christmas-red now, even though the
foliage is still apple green. In short order, the foliage will be as red as the berries. 

And soon thereafter, the robins will devour the berries. 

One of the little independent nurseries I love to visit every year had this little plant for sale.
Mimosa pudica or "Sensitive Plant." Here it is in Stage 1. 

Here it is after being gently touched. 

And here it a few seconds later. Such a fun plant. It grew wild in Hawaii. I remember as a kid, playing with it while
tromping around the countryside of the Big Island. 

The coleus I tucked in to the scented Geranium (Pelargonium) pot has finally grown tall enough to be seen. 

Speaking of "tall enough," this Canna was a gift from gal Pal Carol.
It's gotten huge. I love it. 

Random gardens shots... the south end. 

The north end... The Heptacodium foliage is making a real mess of things. 

In the middle, looking south. 

In the middle looking north. 

Looking out from the patio to the world beyond. 

In the past few months, I've posted a few photos of Zip but lest you think

 we are a simple, clear headed, one-cat family,

I'll dispel that myth with photos of the other three. 

Yes, we're a four-cat family.

This is Nala. Notice her sitting on our expensive, high-end furniture. (Not.) 

This is Nala's brother Taz. He looks like a kitten here but he's actually bigger than Nala. 

And this is Mira.