Autumn is turning here in West Michigan, but on this rainy cold Bloom Day, the gardens are still kicking. And here’s a shout out for Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
The datura just keep blooming. And because it is a wet and gloomy day, last night’s blooms have remained open.Sweet Autumn clematis is in full bloom, both at the entrance to the Secret Garden and in the lower garden. Notice that I have experimented with a few bricks.
My big news, though, is that in a couple of weeks my crushed limestone paths in the Secret Garden will become bricked pathways. I initially thought I would hire a landscaper to do the job. But my garden guru Dale has a neighbor who needed to get rid of more than a thousand bricks that were once a retaining wall. And, my friend Maja in Maine volunteered to lay the bricks. So, rather than the sterile perfection of a professionally laid path, I’m going to get something far more interesting and meaningful.
These lovely little stars send out a subtle fragrance and from a distance create a halo of white on the arbor and on the fence in the lower garden.Sweet Autumn clematis taking over the fence and spilling onto one of the arborvitae.
And, of course, I’ve been playing with bricks. At first I thought I would need to get rid of the crushed limestone, but now I think it will create a good foundation for the bricks. This means the pathway will be a little higher than it is “supposed” to be, but I suspect that won’t be a big issue, especially when fresh bark is spread on the garden next spring.
The Walker’s Low catmint in the entrance garden are lush and on sunny days a lure for bees. There are several pots of rudbeckia and some yellow blackberry lilies ready to plant.Helianthus and HIdcote lavender in the Secret GardenRain-dappled yellow canna at the side of the house.Pink anemone and few echinacea in the Secret GardenNameless white climber in the corner garden.This red Knock Out rose has been blooming like this all summer. And the Carpet Rose next to it has been doing almost as well.White Phlox in the Secret Garden.The Honorine Joubert anemone are blooming in the Secret Garden.Aproximately 1400 bricks waiting to become a pathway in the Secret Garden.
I haven’t always been a gardener, but I have always loved gardens. It has taken 16 years to get my gardens into the shape they are today. And, I’ve had help. I’m 74 years old, have rheumatoid arthritis, and had a late stage cancer six years ago. I am, though, intrepid. I’m the kind of person who plods along, tailoring my goals as I go. Last November I had a long overdue knee replacement surgery and I’m hoping this spring, summer, and fall will be able to maintain and find even more joy working in all of my garden beds. Full disclosure, though. I have a garden guy who comes once a week to work in my gardens.
Garden 337 