…since I even visited my site. There is some dusting to do.
But, the gardens are doing well and are gradually getting buttoned up for the approaching cold weather. Fortunately I have pictures.
Heliotrope was on sale at a garden center, so I bought it and planted it. I didn’t pick a very good spot, and it took a while to get started. It, of course, has a lovely fragrance, so I’ll consider planting it again in a better spot.The State Fair zinnias are the annual champs of the gardens again. The one great thing about the end of summer is all the bargains available at garden centers. I picked up lots of annuals to fill in the sad blank spaces the day lilies occupied. This pink zinnia ended up in the Secret Garden.This vibrant red State Fair zinnia lives in the Lower Garden amongst yellow, pink, orange, white, and other reds in a banquet of abandon. And, of course, I had to go all arty with it as I fuel my macro learnings.This Praying Hands hosta leaf comes from the hosta bed under the rose of sharon.It’s companions are Naked Lady, Seducer, Obscene Gesture, Stiletto, Climax, etc. Praying Hands sits in the middle of all those naughty neighbors.The Sweet Autumn clematis is a little more than midway through its blooming cycle. It provides a lovely passage to the Secret Garden. And, it’s fragrant.This was taken toward the end of the day lily bloom time. The phlox in the back was just beginning to bloom. The coneflowers enjoyed the sun.I’m always a bit ambivalent about the hibiscus. They are dramatic, and the buds, like this deep pink beauty, are bold. Pink Anemones are still quite happy just inside the Secret Garden.I used Cleome in the containers this year. And though they are striking, they are tall and spiny, and they don’t do look all that attractive in a grouping of other plants. I won’t use them again.This lovely stokesia struggled in the Secret Garden. It didn’t get enough sun or space. Now it lives in the Lower Garden with the zinnias and appears quite happy amongst its new friends.The Shasta Daisies want to take over their universe, and they are lovely. But next year they will need to be thinned. Again.And here’s Lucy, occupying her throne.
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 