Greetings. It’s been a while and the last post here probably says the same if I could remember that far back, but it’s time to put an effort in and I guess we’ll start with baby steps. Step 1: It’s fall. Even back a week or two to when these photos were taken there was a tint of russet in the view.
Back in late August when things were looking decent but still a little tired from the heat. Fortunately we had enough rain to keep the Hydrangea paniculata looking awesome, and can you see that neat border of somewhat fresh mulch?
Step 2: This post has been sitting on my to-do list longer than I’d like to admit so I guess getting that guilty confession out is another step. No reason, I’ve just been enjoying other things and have sadly neglected both blog and blogging friends.
A late rebloom in the daylily farm. ‘Carved Gold’ which is quite nice in my opinion.
Step 3: Reassure anyone reading that even though it’s messy and may look neglected, things are still interesting to me and there are wonderful spots, and although I tend to the woe-is-me style of writing I don’t want to give the impression I’m fishing for any ego boosts here… although I’m always pleased to hear them!
You may notice the ‘Limelight’ planted in the potager has not yet moved and likely never will in spite of the fact I don’t always think this is a good spot. But it looks great here in August and if I get another post up in September you’ll see it doesn’t look too bad then either!
Step 4: Get through this and post. I’m not particularly busy so that’s not the reason, it’s just so nice out this morning I’d like to fill another cup of coffee and use that excuse to sit around longer 😉
The other side of the ‘Limelight’ (Hydrangea paniculata) border with the new annual plantings where the tulips grew this spring. There’s a boxwood hedge in there as well, but right now it’s all about the cannas and coleus!
Step 5: Tell you how excited I am about the pumpkin patch aka former waste area maybe still waste area in the back of the yard.
The pumpkin patch three weeks ago. Pumpkins were just starting to form and I can now safely say a few of the smaller ones should ripen in time.
Step 6: It was a really nice although hot summer. It flew by. I feel like it was my shortest summer ever, with many missed opportunities -and that’s nothing to be proud of, but there are always enough highlights which is great.
The shade garden area. Plenty of the red spires of Lobelia cardinalis in this August photo, and a good amount is still in bloom today.
Step 7: Just wrap it up. Keep the babbling at a minimum so as not to tie up your visit, and one last photo from the summer garden.
A nice random vine for those of you who like random vines, Codonopsis lanceolata is a late summer treat which has edible and medicinal uses but isn’t going to overwhelm your garden tour visitors. Sometimes I even miss the blooms, but they are cool little things.
Step 8: Thanks for visiting and hope you have a great week. In my head I’m thinking ‘sure I’ll get another post up in a couple of days, colchicums are awesome, annuals are nice, fall feels good’, but my track record speaks otherwise. We will see!
sorta like suburbia 
Everything is looking fresh and lovely! Carved Gold does remind me of a pumpkin, what a great color. The “other side of the border” photo is great, I can see why you want to grab a second cup of coffee and enjoy it all.
Thanks, I never thought of daylilies as part of a pumpkin theme, but they sure do fit the bill!
I did get another coffee in, plus plenty of sitting around and enjoying the breeze, view, birds… all those things which will be in short supply this January 😉
Gorgeous, as always!
Thanks Deborah 🙂
All is looking well with you and, as with you, the season has moved on.
Yes, for as much as I try to hold on to summer I think it is on the way out. Once we get a tropical storm blowing through it always pulls the weather down from the North, so that sped it along, plus there’s another on its way.
We have had our first morning when I put on a jacket going outside!
I wore long pants all day for one of the days last week, and a sweatshirt on another. Moving on from shorts for any reason other than work or religion is a big deal here.
Nice to see your post, Frank. Glad your summer went well, and I agree, much too fast. Hope work isn’t cutting into your garden time too badly. 😉 Enjoy the autumn burnishing of your garden!
Well, I sometimes notice that work just reorganizes my to-do list and if I just cut back on the hours of sitting around the actual work-done list stays the same. Being forced to focus on just one or two essential tasks is a good way to cut back on puttering as well… although I love a good afternoon of puttering around followed by a good sitting back to admire the two plants you staked and the other tiny bits of nonsense which were accomplished!
Hope your garden is enjoying the change of season as well 🙂
Summer went fast in part because fall arrived early, at least here, at least with the colchicums. I never did get one lycoris bloom. Now I’m wondering if we’re going to have our first frost tonight. That would be early, too. I did take in the houseplants. The low tonight is supposed to be 46 but it’s already 44 and it’s been dropping a degree every 15 minutes. It can’t continue at that pace but it’s clearly going to be colder than the weatherman thinks.
I can’t even think of frost yet. I just saw a picture of last year’s plant migration into the house and it was unnerving to think I have to deal with that soon! How do these things happen!?
Maybe next week I’ll start with the coleus cuttings. They hate these cooler nights and it will be a good way to ease into the process
Plenty of delights to be found in your garden as usual, Frank. Didn’t know Codonopsis, it’s very pretty. Is it perennial and frost hardy? Must check! Your shade border is my favourite, you’ve created a lovely tapestry there, bravo. Wishing you a great Indian summer!
Thanks Annette. The Codonopsis is indeed perennial and is remarkably easy from seed considering how fine the seed is. It will form a fleshy root which I think is the edible part and also the medicinal part.
I’m digging again and moving rocks, and I have to chuckle to myself when I catch myself calling my constructions my own little Pompeii 🙂
Yes, those Hydrangea are a real show Frank! And planting a pumpkin patch was a great idea for that spot. You always have such wonderful Coleus. One day I will have a go at growing some…. Summer went way too fast (as usual) here too, but I am so looking forward to autumn and some cooler weather. Glad you had a full summer – now make the most of your late summer garden and I shall look forward to seeing your next post…. maybe you will share some colchicums, or will it be about the first snowdrops?! 🤣
The coleus loved the extra rain and all the heat this summer, but a few are sulking after things cooled off last week. Hopefully I can still save plenty of cuttings for next year! You should really give them a try. Even better if a friend can share a few cuttings since those are the ones which always seem to do best.
I think I can share a few colchicums before I get back into the snowdrop nonsense! I’ve been forcing myself to not mention them 😉
You should never curb your garden babble at any point. I thrive on garden babble and I particularly look forward to your garden babble.
Those pumpkins look pretty in the out back. At least the foliage does from my vantage point. The farmers around here are harvesting pumpkins as fast as they can. The bus loads of pumpkins zip through town on their way to the packing and shipping areas.
I have a limelight hydrangea that has been overtaken by the elements. It still throws a few blooms. I wish I had moved it when I had a chance and realized the peril that was taking over. Sigh…
Always positive to see how your garden grows as it gives me a little boost of enthusiasm for my own garden of neglect.
Cheers…
I’m also a lover of garden babble 😉 If someone stops by with a real interest I’ll go on forever but if it’s just curiosity then I’m fairly quiet.
That sounds like a pretty good amount of squash leaving the county! It’s almost a shame to think the majority is just for decoration, but that’s all mine will go for. I do love a good butternut soup or baked acorn squash but have trouble growing them here, it seems some wilt gets them every time. The pumpkins are cool though, and even before the plumping of the pumpkins became a daily thing the flowers were quite popular with the bees etc. I have some kind of gourd mixed in there as well, and the white flowers on that are pretty cool as well.
You could probably still save the hydrangea, they’re tough plants even when down on their last leg. Just hack it out of the ground and move it lol… but on the other hand a garden of neglect has it’s own attractions so why mess with it? Enjoy a hopefully cooler and rainier September.