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I enjoy planting different combinations of flowers/plants just to see what everything will look like as it progresses over the summer. Last summer, I planted some caladiums on the north side of the house and I like the look. We are zone 3-4 here, so the caladiums were dug, tops chopped off, the bulbs dried in an open box flat, then later bagged with some perlite for winter storage. In late Feb, the bulbs were planted in small pots, (because I broke up the large clump to spread out). They are slow starting, but about 2-3 weeks later, they emerged ( kept barely moist) and were quite tall when I put them out back, after our last frost date. These are with the light pink impatiens, that look like little roses.
These are some darker rose colored impatiens on the north side, beside the caladiums.
Every year hubby and I find us discussing "where did the summer go again" while sitting on the patio enjoying the warmth of summer. It's strange to enjoy the warmth, last night was 49 degrees again, after the heat of this past summer. It was so humid, we finally had the luxury of a portable air conditioner, and it was heaven sent. But with the heat came nice tomato's, flowers, and fruits. This was my 3rd load of tomato's for canning and fresh eating. The butterfly weed was new last year. It didn't do much last year, and I thought it might not return, but it was making for some better roots and this year it really shone out. The monarchs and bee's love it. There are some neat seed pods on it, that I might try to put somewhere else in the yard to provide movement and color for bee's.
If you look closely in the snow you will see the signs of rabbit tracks hip hopping across the snow. We are deep into the slummbering days and nights of old man winter. The temps have been hovering around 5-10 degrees some days and about 10-20 below most nights. There is still a couple of rabbits chewing on our apple trees, the snow drifts are so high. So I still have work to do there.
Hubby has a bit of surgery tomorrow, so please pray for him if you have a moment. He usually does the driving to the VA center. I am not looking forward to driving home in the congested rush hour traffic afterwards, so please say a prayer for my driving.
I sure enjoyed the pics of Bill's flowers, and he just might inspire me to try a couple of them this next winter. Looking forward to seeing the signs of spring in the south that come months before we even see the sprigs of brown grass appearing here.
Oh January came in like a lion again this year. Blowing snow, temps below zero, ice storms before the snow...Oh Spring, where art thou?
Every year, around New Years, my heart tells me, don't make resolutions you might not apply ~ Just be a better person. So I try. But now I find I started the year out poorly. There in my messages, that I have forgotten to look at are messages from Miztilou and Barbarasherbs. How did I miss looking when things are so close to hand? My apologies to you both.
Then there is the picture thing. I seem to be so poor at that. Yesterday, there was a pilated wood pecker (the large woody woodpecker kind) out in a tree outback. I was sitting on the couch in a sunny spot (trying to get over a sinus infection that I thought would go away by itself after a couple months?) There he/she was pounding away for frozen bugs high up in a cottonwood tree. I must have watched it about 20 minates, hoping it would return in days ahead to add color to the whitened landscape. I tried to take a picture, but it was just to far away, so I focused on using binoculars to just enjoy the quiet moments of birding. Bill is right, pictures add that little something to blogs, like herbs do to soup, that something extra. So I thank him for providing service to many this past year for all the pics he helped add to the blogs for our pleasure and enjoyment of gardening moments.
Then I am so thankful to all the bloggers for there cheerful blogs and pictures of a snapshot in time of so many colorful plants/ hardscape items/ and chores they trudge through to share their gardens. CC has such beautiful, colorful flowers and shares them with us. Ladynla, thanks for sharing so many interesting blogs and articles. Yardgranny, witt, and willowdancer all shared so much all year long. The comedy of Rick, sUNBURYCHICK,Betts, juls, dbjc364, jlwe and so many others...you are all appreciated.
I have no houseplants, plants do better outside for me, in the summer months. So today I share my only house plant, a yam that sprouted. It looks better than the snow on the sidewalk, greener than my lawn, and I can't decide if I should fix it for supper or just plant the thing in a pot.
Happy New Year to EACH and every one of you that stops at Garden Guides this coming year, for sharing a bit of yourself, your garden, your blogs, pictures, or comments...you are loved.
This is winter's wonderland from our front door. On the other side of the 7 foot pile is our mailbox. Oh, the snow, that is left over from the fall/autumn collection. Now we get to start on the winter accumulation. It just seems so strange to read of places talking drought, and how to manage winter watering of their plants. Ours are all dormant and the annuals have all died. Sleeping under swathes of snow are walking onions, iris, tulips, daffodils, crocus. May all our GG Grinches go away in the New Year.
May your holiday season be peacefull and bearing a tide of friendship that this country was built on.
This is our driveway flower bed. I like to keep a bit of color out by the road that passes between us and a church. It seemed like the bronze mum would never open, buds on it all summer. Then one night we had a light freeze and voila. The flowers opened with pizzaz. The yellow marigolds and burgandy sweet william have bloomed their hearts out all summer. The posts in the flower bed once held a Support Our Troops sign, when my sons were in Iraq. The sign withered in the sun, but the posts remain. The guys are now in Afghanistan, so the flower bed is a reminder of their service there too. From my corner of the world to yours. Have a great day in the garden of your lives.
Ah, the look and feel of autumn. Yesterday the sun was bright and warm, a balmly 72 degrees. So comfortable to work in the yard. I dug another 5 gallon bucket of potato's, washed them, set them out to dry before replacing them today. It was just pleasant, sweeping a few leaves off the sidewalk, listening to the birds chirping and singing. I like the look of the corn just past the yard. Pretty soon it too will be gone, but for now, it appears as part of the woods.
Today we are barely 60, the wind is out of the north about 15 mph and I needed a jacked just to be outside. It's supposed to frost tonight, never mind that it did last night, despite the weather forcast. We could see white frost this a.m. on different parts of the yard. So today, I gathered up the last of the tomato's to enjoy over the next few days. We will definately miss them when they are gone. Tonight, I will used quite a few of them in a batch of spaghetti, the taste of summer, shall soon simmer on the stove, using up the bounty of garden. A bit of onion and green pepper will go into the sauce pot too. The taste of the end of summer tonight, as the leaves keep falling outside the window, saying goodbye summer, hello autumn.
Today, I potted up 6 different begonia's to overwinter. They don't tolerate much frost, I tried that this spring, and they barely survived, up against the house. So before it frosts, be sure to bring in some plants to enjoy this winter. They will get a shot of bug spray, we don't need any critters moving in for the winter. From the edge of corn country, have a great day.
The view from our front door is rapidly changing. The lovely ash tree in all it's golden glory is loosing it's lovely leaves. When the leaves are down, it really looks a wintery landscape indeed with the branches bare. The only color being from the little colorful red finches that rest between eating seeds and conversing in bird song. The yard seems lonely with sleeping leafless trees, so this time of year is special in it's own way. I enjoy the changing colors, don't mind raking up the leaves, but I sure look forward to the green growth in the spring. The tree in all it's autumn glory, makes me feel, like I too, am in the autumn of my life. Enjoy your garden today.
Although it's fall here, we have about 65-70 the last few days and will be for a week or so. It's wonderful weather to work about the yard. I have been cutting off the iris leaves, cleaning up a couple of other flower beds, making a compost bin and feeding the doves of course. They like to eat in the open, of the sunflower seeds that I scatter on the driveway in the morning. These are the larger doves, there were 28 that I could count, but they didn't all make the picture. The smaller doves eat before and after them, mostly. They allowed me to take the picture through the window, but I can't open the door while they are feeding, they fly quickly. My only sadness comes as hubby is down in bed for a week during this wonderful fall weather. He would much rather be up and out in the garden enjoying the sunshine. Well, pray all is well in your garden, and lovely flowers are nodding at you, as you walk in the peacefulness of your garden.
Yes, the signs of autumn in all it's special color is starting to befall us here in the north. Summer is winding down. It's a time of the year with its own charm. The 'changing of the guards ' is one of the first signs. The beauty of the leaves changing, most of us look forward to. Not because winter is coming, it is just that the beauty of this season is special, like spring, in it's own rite of passage. The birds change their seasons, the northern birds come down, and some of our birds go further south. I saw a flock of 12 blue jays yesterday. The hummers seem to have moved on a couple of days ago before the cool nights appeared in the upper 30's. There are geese honking overhead, the black capped chickadees are coming back.
I find myself "planting in my mind" the flowers for some flower beds, as a I clean some up and put them to sleep for spring. In the dead of winter, envisioning the flower beds, keeps me focused on the spring and not about the cold that surrounds the beds in there frozen beds of snow. Sipping hot drinks, biting into crunchy apples, and eating hot soups, that is the stuff that fall is made of. The aroma of home baked bread, cookies or pies wafting around the air that is the season that is coming up. The focus becomes more of an indoor thing after the harvest, so for now, we continue the harvest for the colder days we know will come. The reds leaves are sign that that season isn't to far off. That's it, here in the garden. Have a great day in the garden of your life.
Well there are 3 geraniums in the salvia bed....what can I say, "I liked the look of them when I saw them. The poor salvia have had a rough summer. In August we had over 6 inches of rain, a record for here and 4 inches in Sept. so far. The slugs and I have been battling it out all summer...I finally got leaves on the salvia plants, enough that they could support flowers. The humming birds have loved them, visiting them several times a day, and checking out every flower on the stalks. I tried to get a picture, but they were just to quick and busy for me. Zipping between the 4 o'clock flowers and the salvia...laughing I am sure at the lady with the cammera following along behind. No matter, they are still welcome. The yellow ribbons have been up and replaced several times since 9-11-01. They serve as a constant reminder of our troops all serving, all over. Most days I need to keep that thought really close, they serve a purpose bigger than family at the moment and that is hard for some people to understand. They didn't ask where...the soldiers just went, they didn't ask how long...some are reupped several times...my job is to tend the garden and pray for them, their families, and other people. The peace we all want to feel, starts in each of us...you can't truely give something you don't have. The garden gives me a place to reflect, provides moments of serenity, where I renew my spirit, and hopefully share peace with all who tarry there. From my garden to yours...have a great day.
This time of year with days getting shorter, nights are longer and cooler (39 for a low so far). This is my "harvest" time. This year, I planted some squash seeds along the potting benches. They rambled across the benches, over the stones between the benches, and along the tops of the iris leaves. Periodically, I remembered to give them a bucket of rain water or a bit of the hose. For my rewards, I get a few squash this fall. My favorite and easy way to cook squash in to microwave it under glass (which steams it) in half or quarters after removing the seeds, for about 15 minates.
The tomato's are still thriving, and periodically there are enough to can. Otherwise we are still enjoying a side dish of tomato's with at least one meal a day. My green peppers have really slacked off and I miss there fresh green snappy crispness. There were not many to cut up and freeze this year...I shall have to do better next year. Maybe they need more TLC.
The day has been misty and cool again, about 64 degrees for two days now. Nights are getting pretty cool. With the rains lately, well, the frost hasn't come yet...but soon. We know the rain won't hold it off forever. The fall flowers are o.k. but I have 2 mums that are still in bud and not opening. I have one plant that is huge, so if it ever "blossoms", I will certainly take it's lovely picture. Hope all is well in your gardens.
Last evening, I went outside for quick look about. Mostly to see what else had been tossed about by the wind and needed picked up. Well, I was also hoping to see the 2-3 different hummingbirds we have seen lately. There by the 4 o'clocks, darting from flower to flower was a hummingbird moth of a color I had never seen. Black and yellow checkered. The ones I had always seen were pink and brown. This one was at least a half inch longer and much bigger all over. It also darted around much faster than the pink and brown ones. It did not seem intimidated by my presence, but with the wings constant moving and it's darting, getting a picture was quite difficult. The tongue on it was as long as the body, about 2 inches, maybe a bit more. They feed fast and furiously. Well, for now, I will have to keep watch, there are often large catapillars on the leaves in the fall, so that will be something for me to keep an eye out for. For if there are catapillars, next year, there may be more moths. The 4 o'clocks always bring in the hummingbird moths, from any place, I have lived. If I don't plant these flowers, I seldom see the moths. Well, have a great day in the garden of your life.
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