My Jack-in-the-Pulpit's seed pods have turned completely red now. I love this plant in all of its forms—spring, summer and fall.
Small Zinnia, not quite fully unfurled, presents a pinwheel of colors to the world, attracting butterflies and hummingbirds.
Jetstar tomatoes, almost ready for the pickin'.
I started this Angelwing Begonia last year by rooting (propagating) a single leaf from my original plant.
My Brandywines, an heirloom variety, still have plenty of green tomatoes ensuring fresh fruit for the rest of the fall.
The first two nasturtiums have bloomed. These are planted in the twin cast-iron Victorian containers in front of the house.
I've affixed a curved tree limb over the Hummingbird Gate to the vegetable garden for the morning glories to climb on—they are, in blue and pink. I think next year I might make a more permanent arch from aged wood like the gate itself.
My pink Zinnias emerged from the storm relatively unscathed. I picked all the full blossoms before Irene and the new buds are just beginning to bloom.
This morning glory vine has reached the Audubon bird house, grown inside and emerged from a tiny crack at the top. There are no birds nesting in it right now, but a small Downy Woodpecker sleeps in it at night!
My purple tradescanthia has really grown quite a bit in the last few weeks. It should have small pink flowers soon. At the end of the season, I'll dig up the geraniums, spike plants and this purple plant and winter them over in the attic.
Heavenly Blue morning glories are finally beginning to bloom.
My sedums are finally flowering, keeping this garden gnome company!
June's squash plants have produced two squashes. Our pumpkin vines, zero. We'll have to read up this winter about how to ensure fruits on these vines. They've had literally dozens of flowers but just two fruit.
The sunflowers are drooping now, but I still marvel at their geometric seed patterns. The birds love to pick at them, so I leave them in this drooping stage, even though I want to clip them off!
Casey, these pictures reflect natures will of survival. Kind of reminds me of what Saab is going through now as far as its persistence. Keep up the wonderful.
ReplyDeleteopps that post was by me, Woody
ReplyDeleteOh I really hope Saab can survive this latest threat!!! It's one of my favorite companies.
ReplyDeleteI will be really angry and upset if the Swedish govt. turn their backs on this brand. The US is not even a socialist entity and we helped the big 3, I think they can do the same.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Grey Gardens looking great and undamaged from the storm. Your tomatoes look fantastic. I think of you every time I enjoy a tomato/basil/mozzarella sandwich - I'm not sure if that is how you dreamed of being remembered though... lol
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, Annie, there are worse things some people will remember me for, lol. I'm entirely fine with you thinking of me with a tomato/mozz/basil sandwich!
ReplyDeleteCasey do you plant from seeds in the spring or from small plants you buy? If seeds, do you save your own or buy them?
ReplyDeleteHi Ish,
ReplyDeleteIt's really a combination of all three. Many of my flowers are perennials, which means you plant them once, and they come up every year after that. Some perennials spread and make new plants, others just repeat that single plant year after year. The downside is that they have a specific flowering period, which is usually only about 2-3 weeks. So you tend a perennial throughout the year for that 2-3 week period of blooms. Annuals, on the other hand, must be planted every year, but they bloom continuously for that growing season if you deadhead them (taking off the dead flowers as soon as they die). So the best garden is one with a great perennial base, filled in with annuals. You get to enjoy the great, and in some cases, historic perennials, and you'll have daily flowers for the summer from the annuals.
The annuals I grow are a combination of commercial seeds (Morning glories), my own seeds saved from year to year (marigolds) and commercially grown small plants bought in the spring (Zinnias, dahlias, tomatoes, basil). It takes YEARS to really establish a perennial garden. My mother's yard was wall-to-wall perennials developed more than 50 years, but the house was old in the middle of winter and I wasn't able to take much from it unfortunately. I've been able to go back there and divide some plants from the various new owners—it has been sold 3 more times in 8 years, and each new owner takes less and less care with the yard. The first new owner actually bulldozed most of it and planted grass instead. Some of my perennials are even from my grandmother's house from 80 years ago, carefully moved whenever I move.
CASEY, NOT TO TOP ANNIES COMMENT BUT YOU'LL ALWAYS BE ONE OF MY SWEET TOMATOES.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS FOR TAKING YOUR TIME AND POSTING THESE FLOWERS.YOUR FLOWERS GIVE ME HOPE.
GRANNY
you're entirely welcome, Granny.
ReplyDeleteSedum? That's what those are? I have those at this house but had no clue what they were! I moved in here last fall and so it's been a bit of a garden lottery to see what would bloom and when.
ReplyDeleteI love morning glories - one of my favorite flowers. I moved my peonies to this house, but I think that the brutal heat that we had all summer may have been too much for them. I will be devastated if they are gone, as some of them came from my aunt's house, and she passed away in 2000. :(
Now I'm going to have to go look at more of your posts and see what else I can learn!
:)
Amy
Amy-I think your peonies will be fine in the spring. They may have been stressed from the heat, but the roots should be OK and they'll try again next year. I really love having plants from family and friends. They can mean so much more than the ones you buy yourself, although I love those too, lol.
ReplyDelete