Just Pictures

This is my first full week back to work since being a woman of leisure all Summer. I have been busy. I have a lot of work to do to prepare for Fall and Winter. I have not yet begun but I'm ready. Maybe this weekend. This is my birthday weekend. Since I will be at work on my birthday I will likely do something to celebrate this weekend. No huge plans for my 50th birthday. Could you believe it when you turned 50? It went so fast. It didn't seem fast when I was living life. Now it seems like the years go by so fast. I never thought I would be thinking of retirement in the future. I thought that's for other people. I used to be one of the youngest employees on my job but not anymore. When I do retire I believe I will be ready although I do enjoy working and keeping my mind busy and helping others. It feels good to know that in my life I have helped and made a difference in many lives. It's the small things that mean a lot to people like treating people with dignity and respect. 

I am actually thinking of moving or buying another home in Georgia close to my mother in the next few years. Is that what happens when you turn fifty? When I told my daughter she said, "but you hate Georgia, you hate the heat, you love snow." Things change, I am ready for solitude, peace, tall pine trees, a slower pace. I am blooming where I'm planted but I am seriously thinking of what I need to do to make this possible soon.

I had a before the birthday houseplant shopping spree and bought several houseplants. I bought a peace Lilly in full bloom, 2 split leaf philodendrons, and another plant. I'm not sure of its name but it's a real common plant. I hope they make it until Spring, early preparation for Fall and Winter, something to look at green while I am house bound from the cold and snow! Well I will post some old pictures starting with a view from my bathroom window last Fall. I look forward to seeing the leaves turn color soon.

Outside my bathroom window.

The yard, lots to rake up.

Common name Mexican sunflower. I grew this from seed. It grew real tall over 5 feet. The bees loved them.

Isn't the bee beautiful?

Aren't the colors beautiful? This was from the flower bed in my yard 3 years ago. This was my first attempt at gardening in the yard.

Coleus that I grew from seeds, caladium, impatiens, huchera, hyacinth bean vine, gerbera daisy, and sedum.

I made this planter. Sure saved me some money from ordering one. What one can do with some plywood and screws! The next time I make one I would like a better type of wood like cedar which is hard to find.

First attempt at growing veggies. I had 2 cucumbers that grew up the side of the house before I had vinyl siding applied. One day I will have to show you the before and after. I had 1 patio tomato. I wouldn't grow this again. I know I didn't have a big space but this was a really small plant with little yield. I had one strawberry that I never harvested strawberries from because the birds or squirrels got to them before I did. Finally I had 1 eggplant. It also grew smaller eggplants and was for container gardening. This was a lot for such a small space but not for square foot gardening.

The large brown container is out in front of the house now. The clay pot is a Lilly that my sister gave me. I showed it in pictures this Summer now much larger. I didn't put anything in the two planters near the wall this year. Too much to keep up with. Maybe next Spring.

This was the 2nd brown planter I now have outside in the front of the house.

I love cut flowers. If only I could grow my own.

Aren't they beautiful.

Sunflowers are spectacular. The center looks like an eye.

No arrangement complete without Christmas.

Spring bulbs on my porch from this past Spring. 

Some seedlings from last Spring. Of course pansies to go out.

Fall is In the Air

I didn't think I would be able to blog for a while since I returned to work on Tuesday after vacation all Summer. School is closed for the next 2 days for Rosh hashanah. Being off all Summer is one of the most important perks of working for a school district. I try not to bring home work to do although I will do some things while I'm off that will help make the start of my week easier on Monday. The weather is so beautiful here. Low humidity and cool temperatures especially at night. Tonight and for the next few nights the forecast is for temperatures is the 50's and down to the 40's in the suburbs.

 It amazes me every year that when the date hits September 1st it seems like the temperature immediately changes. The fall equinox is not for a couple of weeks but Fall is in the air. Monday was Labor Day and it was hot. Several days later its cool. Some of my annuals are starting to look different and appear to know that Fall is approaching and their time for blooming will soon be over. They did well. If temperatures get low for several nights, that will be the end of the sweet potato vines I have outside since they do not tolerate cold at all. I won't miss them. They do what they are supposed to do run and grow vigorously. I don't know if I will plant them in my containers next year. I have planted them for 2 years and I think I am ready for a different look, we'll see when Spring comes. They are hard for me to resist and they make such a show with little care. Last year I overwintered many. They did well until I read something about fertilizing them with a dilute fertilizer and it killed them. Never believe everything you read. Temperatures this cool at night are early. Last year they didn't start to die until October near the first frost.


I stopped at the garden center today. I went to get some mums and plants for my office. No office is complete for me without something green and something blooming. I didn't plan on buying anything except plants for the office but I couldn't turn down some of the offerings. The cool season plants seem too early to me or maybe I didn't pay attention to how early plants were in the nursery last year. Although I bought 2 mums for my office for some color, I didn't buy any to plant outside because they won't make it and would be past bloom time when October arrives. 

I couldn't believe that my favorite, pansies and violas had arrived. I didn't buy one. The varieties were beautiful. One of my favorites is the orange. The pansies were already leggy. I think that when I do buy mine to plant I will check several nurseries to see which ones look the best.There was also ornamental kale. Too early for me. I hope there are some available when I am ready. I usually plant in October and the arrangements are fresh until Thanksgiving. After this I add to them with Christmas greens. Pansies survive all Winter here. The leaves will sometimes get burned by frost and wind but survive under snow and on a sunny day peek their head up with beautiful flowers.

 My flowers in the front of the house are still thriving and I wanted to wait until they started to die down some to plant my Fall plantings. Last Fall I planted some perennials in Fall. They did well this Summer. I used this excuse to buy black eyed Susans, garden phlox, and a type of chrysanthemum not like the Fall garden mum. They were really healthy and not over grown and I guess started just for planting in the Fall for Summer blooms. If I plant them soon they will have a long time to establish roots before frost and the ground freezes. Until then I put them in my yard so they can take advantage of rain water since it looks like we may have some showers.

The plants were really cheap. I contained myself and didn't buy half of what I would have liked to. The cone flowers were beautiful and there were so many varieties. There were different types of heuchra, ornamental grasses, salvia, and numerous perennials. I did buy some bulbs, red tulips and paper whites. I really wanted the paper whites because they sell out fast. I also bought bulbs when I was in Georgia. I will show a picture of them and a plant and seeds that I bought back at another time.

I brought this home from my office and it sat on my porch all Summer. It actually did well. It looked worse when I brought it home. I usually don't have luck with spider plants. This will go back on my desk. I hope it survives this school year.

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Purchases

I believe this is a type of Chinese evergreen. I have one on my living room mantel and it's a plant that does well in low light with little attention. I thought it best to purchase something that I haven't yet killed. There were many other plants I would love to have but I have to be realistic and buy what will survive at school.

The bulbs looked healthy but I bought some in Georgia that looked even more plump and healthier. I bought these because they were firm and had good color and not dried out and the price is reasonable. I bought similar bulbs last Fall from the same place and they did real well.

It's time to pay attention to my house plants indoors. Some have been neglected. I need to replant some before winter. They will provide me joy and an environment with living things during the cold winter. I regret not buying a clivia from the flower show last March. I even thought of buying seeds to start. I would like to successfully plant a terrarium that lives. Maybe this Winter. I look forward to the blooms and scent of paper whites, amaryllis, and with the approach of Spring once again, primrose. 

In The Yard

Yesterday was my first day of work in the yard since July. I did go out to harvest tomatoes but not much else. The tomato bush was loaded with cherry tomatoes. I will grow them again next year.  I read a post on a forum from someone who wanted to know if broccoli plants from the Spring can be kept until Fall and if they will produce broccoli? It's not Fall yet but I actually did get a very small floret on one of my broccoli plants from Spring at the end of August. I was surprised to see it when I came back after my trip to Georgia. I broke off the floret to cook because I was concerned if I left it longer it would bolt. Once it flowers there's nothing to eat. After worms virtually ate most of the leaves during the Summer I didn't think I would get anything. I left it to see what would happen and now I know. Well it's small but who cares, it's edible and I grew it! The leaves actually filled back out. 

After my mother removed the worms in July I sprayed them with neem oil and I didn't have problems with worms after that but I noticed a new predator when I went out in the yard, a white fuzzy caterpillar on the broccoli plant. I also saw a large caterpillar on my peony bush. I came out to clean up the yard and make things look neater and now I have caterpillars. Some people may embrace them but not me. I don't know if they are coming from the Norway Maples hanging over my yard or from the white butterflies that wouldn't stay away from the broccoli. The broccoli problem will be eliminated today. In the Spring when I plant it I hope to have a cover and hoop for it so maybe I won't have trouble with worms. I hope that caterpillars won't be a potential problem for next year. I did see what looked like worm droppings out front on my steps under my sweet potato vine. This is the first time this has happened. This is probably what has been eating them all Summer.

Some split due to being left on the vine to long and being over ripe. I thought I was going to pull up the plant so I took of the green tomatoes but I've decided to leave it to allow small tomatoes still on the vine to grow. It's not frost yet.

Floret broken off center then pulled and trashed. I guess I could wait to see if I will get a full head since broccoli is a cool season vegetable and Fall is approaching but I would probably start with a new plant and besides I'm tired of the insects for this season.

Broccoli and cucumber pulled. Clematis vine pruned. I hope pruning it wasn't a mistake. I need to read more about clematis care. I will see what Spring brings. Yellow leaves on hosta trimmed.

I do have two peppers. I hope they fill out.

Invasion of the slugs. Ate every heuchera. They were so beautiful in Spring. I will use some diatomaceous earth next year. I tried to avoid this but I know I will not be emptying slugs out of beer traps or hoping egg shells will deter them.

Heuchera eaten. Sedum blooming.

More heuchera.

Do you see the caterpillar on the hosta? I cut down the peony foliage. It was all white with what I believe was powdery mildew. This was a problem in my yard for most of the plants I think due to so my much rain and humidity. My yard is also  shaded by my neighbors Norway maples. I will have to spray the plants next Spring. I read that the spores from powdery mildew stay in the soil and will cause trouble again in the Spring.

I cut a lot of yellow dried leaves off the hosta. They actually did well this year. Soon they will go dormant and turn all yellow in Fall. I usually plant pansies in both beds when everything dies down. I look forward to this.

Trailing coleus took all Summer to get to this point. I ordered this. I will try to keep a small cutting for next year. I wouldn't buy this again. It grows very slow and did not perform the way I thought it would.

Impatiens and vinca still going.

Begonia, sedum, lirope, and hosta doing well.

My seedlings did okay. I am used to 3-4 feet coleus by this time. Maybe because I usually plant them in a very large planter not this small one.

Dead! It lived all Summer. How could I forget a drainage hole? Well this was a hasty purchase and I didn't like it anyway. Lesson learned.

This cameilla came from my  mother 2 years ago. The container it was in was too small so I decided to repot it this Spring. It was doing well until then and started to die. Two branches died and I cut them off. It was also attached by powdery mildew.

New baby cameilla from the mother plant.

Some plants actually survived. but many died. I hope all the astible, columbine, and forget me not I planted comes back in the Spring. 

I didn't think I would get this coneflower this year. The white swam next to it had a disease and this also has something going on with the leaves. The bloom is still pretty. Maybe better next year with some preventive measures.

I didn't expect flowers due to the shade but the foliage is nice. I think those leaves also have some type of disease?

Nice privacy screen but causes too much shade, moisture and the potential for development of disease.

Coleus would have benefited from pinching.

Very little grass in my yard. Weeds and moss. I do like the moss. I would love bricks or pavers, maybe next year.

Crepe myrtle. I have had her for a couple of years, from my mom.

These are the fig tree cuttings from my mothers this Summer. If I kill them before she gets back, I'm in trouble.

I have to plant these.

It's been a great Summer blogging. I found it very therapeutic and a great way to document my garden from year to year. I was thrilled to receive my first comment. Back to work and less blogging. Of course I will make time to blog. My favorite season is almost here, Fall.