Garden Diary
September 11th, 2009

The days are simply scrumptious, - calm, cool and sunny with a lovely tang in the air.

This morning I started to removed some of the depleted annuals from around the peony bed, where I want to plant the Iris that Vince dug up for me, out of the shade. They have been in a little nursery pot for almost a weeek, and time that they planted their little corms over a hump of nice rich earth, with the roots dangling down on each side into the newly dug earth. They had not been doing well in the shade, - it is so important for the corms to protrude some of the ground in order to gather the sunlight to themselves and manufacture those lovely irises that bring such pleasure.



From early in the morning, all through the day, the goldfinches and other small birds are making themselves at home in the sunflowers and the cosmos. The leaves move in the sunshine as the birds flitter here and there, and at the least creak of the door they are all up and away, into the curly willow trees where all is safe and cool and green.




There are a few late delphiniums but many of the stalks were broken when a wild wind blew the barn flowers over on top of them.



Roses are meeting the challenge of fall, - the large purple aster plant is well on its way to domineering the garden (now that the barn flower has been cut back to a more civilized size).

There are pretty cosmos and nasturtium, - every where the plants are enjoying the cool fall weather.













Bedtime - more tomorrow.

September 3rd, 2009

Neglecting the blog, but not the garden...

Yesterday I dug some wild buttercups that have been crowding out the iris and the oriental peony. And while I was at it I transplanted some of the iris that is growing where it is too shaded. Away from where it didn't bloom this year, into the peony bed where it is replacing newly planted peonies that just didn't take.

The barn flower is getting skimpy as I cut out long stems with withered blooms on them. Soon I will be able to cut them all down, and allow new growth, so that during September and October it will be a more civilized size.

My mind is busy re-arranging the garden, - making room where treasured plants have become crowded - especially where those enormous violet plants have taken over.

Here is a picture of Sheree in the garden when she visited on Sunday.



Lots of fall work still to come, but all of it a pleasure. Well, - digging not so much so. Not the next day, anyway.

August 28th, 2009

Pictures from the garden, taken this evening. Just pictures!



















Lovely parts, but the whole of the garden is badly in need of a general tidying and a selective 'move or remove' program..... What better month than September.....

August 24th, 2009

Here is August. The heat lingers into the last week, but there is an underlying coolness that speaks of fall.

Early in the morning, while the air was still fresh, I gathered up another wheelbarrow full of errant weeds and non-blooming violets. (What are these large violets that grow so voraciously in every nook and cranny)?

Yesterday I pruned the east side of the barn flower as it was leaning heavily to that side and pressing the new growth of delphinium to the ground.

The Canna's increase in bloom each day, and are looking quite spectacular.

_ID_5373738

One of my fall garden tasks must be to hunt up some yellow marking tape and tie it on each of the plants that need to be moved next spring, to make more room for its neighbour and give the garden a more civilized look.

I dream of a four foot swath around the outside edge of the garden as home to all these sturdy plants. Charles sees it as a spot for a thriving vegetable garden! He is pleased with the cucumbers and tomatoes and peppers we are enjoying from the garden.

August 20th, 2009

The days are hot and sultry, - typically August. It is hard on the garden and the beautiful white phlox is looking tired and bedraggled, - even disheveled.

There is a faint and delicate flush of roses, (as opposed to a hearty one) and the Cannas grow more lovely every day.





The first of the asters is in bloom - the bush grows tall and elegant and soon it will be a marvelous purple bar for bees and butterflies. As the sunflowers are for the sweet gold finches that frequent the strip.

Monday, August 17th, 2009

Here are the Canna lilies, as promised. Still not in full bloom, but showing promise of being absolutely spectacular.



I walked with Dorothy to the car when she left this morning, but didn't make it back to the house for an hour and a half. There are three quite enormous piles waiting on the driveway for the wheelbarrow to trundle by. The garden is beginning to look less 'jungle-like' (except of course for the barn flowers) The rain was welcome, but very hard on the phlox, and it bent the barn flowers side-ways so that they are leaning precariously atop the delphinium that are putting on tremendous growth right now.

Around the perimeter of the garden where the delphinium have spread, eager for a little space and a view of the meadows, some of them have budded and in a week or so we will have a second flush of lovely pastel bloom.

The nasturtiums remind me of my grandmother's garden where they grew along the pathways. And the chickweed. It grew abundantly under the back 'stoop', cooling the crawl space and making it green and moist and inviting when the afternoons grew hot and sultry.



The delicate pink poppies keep opening their paper thin petals to the hot sun, and are matched by a pretty pink double cosmos, a volunteer from last year.

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

Some delicate fugitive poppies, fancied up a bit for dancing in the gentle breeze.







And a couple of painted ladies, tossing their heads!



The Cannas are just beginning to look like exotic birds, - a picture tomorrow, even if it's raining.