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Hi ho Idylls !
An observation on my new Firefox browser: I get a spell check function in both the FB dialog box and the GW dialog box. Very useful if one is drinking wine and typing at the same time.

So, on the topic of spiders, I like them-in a way. I never willingly destroy them and they are all over the place in my garden. Potential visitors beware ! And my house is wide open all summer, no screen doors , just open to the outside, so I have the daddy long-legs dudes setting up camp in the corners of the ceilings.

Feeling badly for those that struggle with the humid issue- I think there are pros and cons- the humidity provides a lush environment for plants, especially the tropicals, and It is something I can never hope to duplicate. Our summers are dry, dry ,dry and sometimes you can water prodigiously to no effect . You pour it on , it evaporates. People here complain about mosquitoes, but really there is no comparison ..I understand now the screened porch thing, and why they are pretty much non-existent out here.

Julie, I like your plan re: the Wine Deck chairs , and Im sure Chelone will have some valuable advice on the issue. We will of course need a photo of the finished project.

LOL Walkers-Not-So-Low Deanne. I found a couple of Nepetas at Digging Dogs website that look promising , and Im also considering a visit there when I go to the coast in Oct. Their use permit discourages visitors , but it can be gotten around if you place an order and request to pick it up at the nursery.

Michelle, thank you so much for posting the butterfly garden pics, its wonderful ! You didnt identify the flower in the first photo ? Very pretty whatever it is !

All for tonight

Kathy in Napa

(((V))). Wishing Sunrise a peaceful journey to the Rainbow Bridge , and a fine departed pet IU with Katie, Zoe, Tasha, Boo-Boo Kitty ,Callie Cat and all others we have lost.

Kathy in Napa

V, so sorry - cyber hugs to you and your family.

Kathy, it's a Belamcanda chinensis, common name Blackberry Lily.

Night
Michelle

(((((((V))))))) I am so sorry to hear about Sunrise, and my thoughts will be with you in the coming weeks. It's so very hard to say goodbye to one who has given such unconditional love.

Michelle...I was going to ask about that first photo, also. I love the colors, but didn't recognize the bloom. I have that plant and like it, just never appreciated it at such close range.

kathy...It amazes me that you can go screen-less in the summer. If I did that, there wouldn't be any room in the house for us...the flying insects would take over! I've been using Firefox for a few years now and would never go back to IE. The spellchecker has saved me many a times.

Good morning all,

Such sad news from V. today my thoughts are with you and family. Weve said it often here, our furry family members just dont live long enough. (((((V))))))

Michelle, That first shot of your butterfly garden made me say, "Oh wow!!!!" Just gorgeous and I love it that youve photographed the Angelica against the white phlox. Its beautiful. Im assuming you started them from seed? How long is that border? And how deep? I just love your little baby Arabella! What a cutie and how terrific it came back from a cutting. Thats wonderful.

Kathy, I cant imagine being able to live outside in summers without screens! Amazing. ~~ Which Nepetas are you looking at?

Weve had three days in a row of mid 90s and I must say Im not enjoying this one little bit! I dont know how folks in TX and OK have dealt with the heat this summer. Yesterday afternoon a brisk wind came up around 3PM so not only was it 95 it was 95 with a wind and all the stuff Id diligently watered earlier dried in a snap. Grrr. I think today is supposed to be the last of the 90s and the rest of the week will be a bit cooler. Im hoping a ten degree drop in temps will inspire me to get out there and spruce up the perennial borders which are looking very tired at the moment. All the daylilies need to be stripped of old foliage and some of the Asiatic lily foliage is done for the season so Ive got to get out there with pruners. The containers are looking great though and they do such a good job of carrying the season when so many of the perennials are finished for the summer. OK Ive got to get some breakfast and get outside to water before the day heats up. Have a great day all!
Deanne

Good morning! Just having a slow stroll through the Idylls, catching up on everyone. As always, the pictures put a smile on my face. Beauty of all shapes, sizes and species :)

I wanted to pop in and say a thank you to all for the many kind emails I got about Chuck. There are many good things to look forward to, and many to reflect on. I got to see the ultrasound pictures of the impending grandbaby. Too early to know if it's a boy or girl, and Mom and Dad seem to go back and forth on whether or not they want to know. Granny doesn't have a preference :) DD was a little worried because she didn't think she was as excited as she should be. Now that she's seen the pictures, she is JAZZED. Hard to believe the little girl is going to be a Mom.

Michelle, I've wondered several times how you guys were doing for rain. We were getting to the critical point, but got a nice rain Monday morning. We still have chances for more today and tomorrow. The crops look good, they just really needed a drink, and DH was gearing up for a hissy fit ;) Wonderful pictures! It looks like you're staying on top of the weeds. Me, not so much, lol! That soaking rain will make the job much easier, though. We have cool temps and low humidity coming.

V, I've been thinking of you, your family, and Sunrise since I got up this morning. It's so tough. (((V)))

Mary, I read that David is doing well. So glad to hear it. Even when I'm MIA, you all pass through my thoughts often.

Kathy, I just switched to Firefox yesterday, and I'm amazed at the difference. Now, if I can just hang in there until the new version of Windows comes out. Still not liking Vista, so I think at this point....I don't like it, lol!

Saturday morning, my friend, Diane and I are taking off to go skydiving. I think she's about convinced to do it. Reverse psychology is an amazing thing. "Of COURSE, you don't have to jump. I totally understand. If you get there and want to, great. If not, also cool." I'd be evil if I wasn't so stinkin' harmless ;) Last weekend was Princess Weekend. There's nothing like a best friend and some cheap wine to fix what ails ya!

I'm off to wrangle laundry. I've been away from home so much lately, I have a guilty conscience. That doesn't look like it's spelled right, but spell check seems to like it.

Oh, here are some faces to go with names. DH has been an absolute rock for the past year, and can cook and work the dishwasher pretty well :)
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We dubbed this one "Prelude to a Princess Weekend". Diane was a pallbearer for Chuck. I could not have been more proud of my friend :) Please try and ignore how thirsty the plants look. They were, but so were we...
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Okay, time to get busy for real now! Take care, all, and thanks again for being the Idylls.
Brenda

Kathy, I have a fabulous upright catmint! It stands as straight and tall as can be....and it was one of the casualties of time around here known as THE SPILL :) It's coming back to life, but not too photogenic this year...let me see if I can dig up an old photo. (I think I have n. faasenii 'dropmore blue' but mine doesn't flop like the photos I'm seeing on google images. Mine is straight as an arrow and waist high! Photo is a must now...)

Hugs to you V, and family.

I'm going to go play around the deck...I'm up early, might as well make use of this cool time of day.

Saucy

V....sorry about Sunrise. Such a beautiful name by the way. I am always surprised when animals end up with some of the same health problems as we humans. It just doesn't seem right. They are so innocent and loving, they should get a pass. Wish it were better news.

Oh V. Such a sad time for you all. It is so hard to lose our devoted furry friends, and I agree that it doesn't seem fair that those babies of ours who never grow up should have to leave so soon. Hugs to you.

Yesterday I worked on a problem bed beside the front patio. That is where the crummy juniper is, and hopefully it will be gone or at least tamed a bit by the end of today. There also was a Remember Me Hosta, completely crowded out by a Monster Mantle ( Alchemilla)and two huge and ugly looking astilbes. Under it all was a completely covered Tiny Tears mini Hosta. It took me an hour and a half to dig, chop, and pry out the Achemilla. It was a mass of roots at least two feet in diameter, and the earth was like concrete. It now sits in a plastic bag in a box waiting for someone to take pity on it. The two astilbes were hard and dry, and after several unsuccessful attempts to split them, I relied on my Boy Scout training (which I don't have, but anyway) and took the axe to them, getting 6 divisions. Two went back into the existing bed, two went into the back garden, one went into the patio stone garden, and one is sitting with the achemilla. I hurt all over. But sometimes one just hasta suffer!!

Today I hope to finish off the Juniper and, a la Deanne, put a pot there until the end of the season. Maybe some fall Mums, as they are on sale here now.

I was thinking of Chelone yesterday as I took TCS out for dinner. We had a lovely chat about what to order, and then a long and quiet discussion about what to pack for today's trip to Toronto. TCS displayed his best manners, even asking the server if he could please have a few more minutes to finish reading the menu and to make a final decision. When he went to the front to read the dessert board, the diners at the next table atold me he was an extraordinary child and that it was clear that we share a wonderful relationship. I am still glowing over that one - we did have a great evening!

I have plans for this week, involving a lot of work in and outof the house, things that DH would not really encourge as it involves moving furniture and the like. I also have some volunteer work to do and lunch planeed with a friend. And I am going to actually sit down and read a bit. I'll keep you posted.

gee Brenda, even reverse Psychology wouldn't work on me. I barely made it to IU VI and I was INSIDE the planes!!

Cheers,

Julie

((V)) Losing loyal, fun, furry members of the family is one of life's unfairly continuing sadnesses.

Our little furry friend gave us a good chuckle yesterday. We had temporarily stashed the Green Man head beside the south gate. Yesterday Misty followed us out through the gate; when we went back through the gate, she saw the Green Man for the first time - and was obviously scared silly of it! Her tail went down, her eyes went big, she circled back and forth about 6' away from it but would not pass it no matter how much we coaxed her! She finally ran past it after Randy stepped in front of it to hide it. It looks like we'll have to site it carefully when we move it to the backyard - it looks like Misty will consider whever it is to be off-limits for her! I wonder if visiting dogs will react the same way....

Im so bummed to hear about Sunrise, V -- thinking of you and your family - major hugs too.
I have succumbed to those doldrums - no fighting it -- but love seeing the photos of Deanne's fab garden and fantasy land and Michelle's luscious gardens too. It's definitely doldrum therapy - and free.... if only I could look at photos all day, LOL, instead of putting in time on the chain gang.

Brenda -- good luck on your jump -- you've had a tough summer and you deserve to fill it with fun and laughs if you can. Great to hear you check in.

We're definitely in the midst of the sultry, nasties here with no end in sight.... I am very thankful for air conditioning! I will say that I've spent some time online recently at the NYBG site and have been amazed at the Seasonal walk pics -- the Oudoulf plantings are amazing at this time of year and I think a source of inspiration - I think I may need to try some more echinaceas, etc., to get some late season pops of color in.

Waving hi to all....

-cindy

I want to talk, but I'm too tired. [g] In the morning then...
One quick question, Kathy, did you ever try shearing that Spirea with the hedge shears? I am contemplating whether I want to keep my Golden Princess Spirea and go to the trouble of moving it or not. They do recommend deadheading to keep it blooming, so I wondered if you found an easier way to do it or not.

Ok..manana... :-)

Howdy Idylls. I continue to fight the good fight against doldrums using the when in doubt, prune it out method . As I WALATed this evening I noted how many open spaces I have created in the last couple of weeks. I still have two large shrubs to move, but I await cooler temps for that, and have a very mature and woody lavender to SP , but Im going to let it throw up some more blooms before I give it the heave-ho. More difficult will be choosing which Lav will be its replacement-so many nice cultivars to choose from !

Anyone have any feedback on Weigela My Monet ?

Deanne, some of the Nepetas Im looking at are Kit Kat , Little Trudy ( both more ground covery types I understand) N. nervosa, and N. Souvenir A. Chaudron are claimed to have strong stems. Digging Dog has a pretty extensive collection., few of which are found at the local garden center. It seems like Walkers Low and Six Hills Giant are pretty ubiquitous, and have the Nepeta market cornered. It will be a fun experiment to try some new ones, they do so well in our climate .

Brenda ! Great to see you over here dont be such a stranger ! One mustnt deprive our non-FB friends of their dose of Brenda. Never underestimate a DH who can cook-maybe you need to get he and Les in a recipe exchange.!

Await the Nepeta photo Saucy , and we are all in suspense pending the reveal of the most giant leaf casting,.. do we get a clue ? Was it one of Harolds leaves ? Im really excited about my leaf-casting class on the 29th- I have to choose a leaf . Any advice ? Warnings?

Woody, that is too funny about poor Misty and her aversion to the Green Man .

PM, I did a modified shearing on my Goldmound Spireas , and a more Draconian cut back on my other which may or may not be Anthony Waterer. Both are re-blooming moderately. With Anthony I did use the hedge shears and then went back and cut out the sticking out stems. Worked pretty good, its far more under control this year.

Ok, that about all I have for today , waving to all !

Kathy in Napa

Since it was a rainy evening, Jaden and I spent some time in the garden shed making more leaves. I wish I had Saucy as a teacher.

Kathy, I have a 'My Monet' and its fabulous. It would be great in your garden as it is a small shrub. The coloring on the leaves is so pretty. I have a close up of it on a thread called "Mid-July Garden" I think its only supposed to get about 18" tall and wide.

Deanne, the Butterfly garden is 62' long and 22' deep at the deepest spot. I believe there are more than 20 shrubs in there, so it is bigger than it might appear in pictures. Yes I did grow the angelica gigas from seed. It is quite a fun plant to watch bud up and then bloom.

Julie, what a nice compliment about TCS. He sounds like quite the little man.

Brenda, you and Diane look fabulous. I hope you have a wonderful time jumping. We did get 1" of rain today, so my farmer is smiling tonight.

Later
Michelle

A couple of container pictures. The first is the container with the iochroma. The second is in the potager. The deer have been eating the sweet potato 'Purple Heart' which is on the back side. None of the other plants just that one. I spied them last night, its a mother and two fawns.

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LOL, Michelle, while you were posting this, I was fooling around with my IU pics and uploaded this ..Deannes Iochroma pot !
Thanks for the testimonial on 'My Monet' - I asked the garden center to order me 3.

Fabu containers ! {{gwi:173147}}From Idyllunion 6 July 2009

Kathy in Napa

Morning all,

Well its supposed to be cooler today and only get into the high 80s. I have to say Im ready to be done with this hot weather. So many things are just frying in the temps regardless of how much water I throw at them. The astilbes seriously hate this and are all crispy. Oh well they are all done blooming now except for the A. pumilla.

Brenda, great pic of your DH. He looks pretty serious. Love your porch! Cant wait to hear about your skydiving adventure.

Woody, LOL over Mistys reaction to your green man! Thats too funny.

Cindy, Id love to get back to NYBG again. What a fabulous garden.

Michelle, I just LOVE your iochroma pot! What a beauty! Yours really has branched out nicely. Is that a streptocarpella in that pot with it? Great combination. I really like the Sedona with that Salvia in the pottager pot too. I really need to try those variegated nasturtiums next year. Lovely!

Kathy, I recognize that container! Ive not been able to get a decent pic of that this year. Your photo is terrific. Thanks for posting that.

OK Ive got to get outside and start watering. Have a great day all,

Deanne

Love your containers, Michelle -- you've made such lovely containers.

Re the nepeta, I have, in addition to the larger ones that totally flop and annoy me by mid-summer, several of the smaller ones including Little Titch and Joanna something (Reed? maybe) -- Little Titch is definitely quite smaller but I dont find that it blooms as long as the larger ones sadly.

Did we ever decide what spireas we were seeing most of at IU this year? For the first time, I have to say I was impressed by them; they've never been a favorite of mine and I think get ratty looking here in the heat and humidity of my region altho lots of folks have them... but I was really impressed by some of the varieties we saw looking so lush and healthy - particularly the red and purple bloomed ones, whichever they were.

I am definitely going to have to SP some things later if and when the heat and nasties break here - Im hoping to get some respite over the weekend. Also some R&R - my energy level seems to be at a low for some reason.

Wandering towards Friday.....

Cindy

I've been enjoying everyone's photos. Thanks for the shot of 'Golden Spirit' Deanne and Marie. It's very attractive. And I like it with the lilies too, Deanne.

Michelle, that's a Candy Lily in your first photo? I've never seen one that color. It has iris like foliage right? I love that second photo. The edge on your bed and the dark trees behind, all the different color foliage. Just beautiful! It is a very good size.

Kathy, what version of Firefox do you have? I've had mine for years, but I have read about problems with some of the later versions. Yours is working well? ...... I bought Nepeta 'Kool Kat' last year and it has been in bloom for months. It's still small, but I like it. Different looking then WL though. ....Thanks for Spirea update.

Hi Brenda, glad you stopped in. Nice that grandbaby photos are stirring DD's excitement. It is kinda hard to wrap your brain around carrying a child, the photos make it more real, I'm sure. When is the baby due? ..... We hate Visa here too. Great photo of your DH. You two look like you go together. And I love your porch!

Julie, I have only one Alchemilla but I was thinking of moving it, but after reading how extensive the roots are, I may just get rid of it instead. [g] I have to divide one of our astilbes soon too. It has Sensitive fern growing up through the middle that I thought I got rid of. ...Great compliment for TCS, you will have to remind yourself of that one, the next time he irks you. [g]

Thanks for the chuckle over 'Misty vs Green Man', Woody...lol. It reminded me of similar responses from some of our dogs over the years. They are so loveable!

Cindy, we have had so much humidity here lately and I imagine you have a lot of it where you are for a lot longer. I don't know how you tolerate it. .... I will have to check out the NYBG site, I love Oudolf.

Very little to report from here. I'm hoping for rain this weekend to get a break from watering. Friday's less than a day away. Looking forward to the weekend. Have a visit with DS finally on the calendar. DD will be moving in 10 days.

pm2

More gorgeous container porn! Michelle, those nasturtiums look so fresh in August. Just a spring or fall bloomer here, never during summer, but I've got seed for a variegated climbing type to try this fall.

Catmint here is a sacrificial offering to the cats, but I have been thinking of using it on the moss basket/tripods next year, a tough plant for a billowy effect. I was thinking to try Cindy's Little Titch variety.

Funny 'bug waving to lurkers...wonder if she was also contacted recently by a Jacqui perhaps? The cherubic foot of Ivy encircled by the toy bracelet -- contrast the colors of the bracelet with that rain-drenched gentian photo above. Synthetic colors don't even come close, do they?

Woody, nice score on the sculpture. Misty and the Green Man reminded me of Ein as a puppy and his first encounters with new shapes. He'd treat a large bottle of laundry soap on the kitchen floor like it was a rattle snake, warily moving around it and sniffing.

What a great photo of all of you, Brenda. Have a great jump!

Marlene, I noted on FB the sad turn of events for your family. A big hug to Sunshine for me, and one for you too ;)

The weather here is still lovely -- can't understand how we've managed such a cool August, but I'll take it. Dune and I had a massive cleanup, shifting nine months' worth of building materials and tools from the bath house/east side back to the garage side. I had been getting quite a few comments about plants encroaching on the walkways, and it was undeniably true, so a massive purge began. Out with the tomato, the sunflowers in pots on walkways, the potting table mess. Creeping garden syndrome. I broke an enormous pot at some point, so had to shift all the contents out and find new homes, root prune the cordyline, etc, but we worked until sunset. Moved in a couple of cheap display tables with galvanized tops from the Smith&H sale, hung some grape lights in the fringe tree, and instant shangrila. Vast improvement, walkways are clear, it's positively zen now. By nightfall, the table was full of people and the lights glowing in the tree. What a busy summer it's been, and I'm still not even back to work yet. Dad gets out of the hosp Friday.

Julie, sounds like a nice night out with your little man. Mitch was describing a recent flight with two families, one the children amazingly well behaved, the other a desperate situation with meltdowns and shrieking, a ruinous flight for all involved. I do a lot of smiling at young families but so far haven't drummed up the nerve to comment.

Gotta run but so nice to stop for some idyll chat ;)

Two days in a row ?? *gasp*!
Kathy, I may be best taken in small doses, lol! I'm getting a bit exuberant. Driving DH crazy is my guess. I'm at the hopping up and down and clapping my hands stage, and it's still two days away. I need to look up the ground-covery Nepetas. I love the plant, and have a few spots where a lower one would be just the thing.

Michelle, I'm glad to hear you got some rain. Our crops looked great, but were really starting to hurt for water. We had another inch this morning. Should be some happy soybeans!
Love the containers! That second picture makes me wonder why I stopped planting those nasturtiums. Great color combination there.

Deanne- Yeah, he does..but he hardly ever is ;) The technology of Diane's disposable camera had him befuddled, lol! I'd like to get him to play with my camera more. He's more of a natural photographer than I am.

PM2-The baby is due in February. I can't wait until the first time she feels it move :) She texted me on her lunch break that she's gotten so fat, her belt un-did itself. She's gonna be adorable when she's big. She's a little bitty thing, and her belly is popping straight out in front..ALREADY, as she says.

I've had a mini-burst of guilt at what sad shape the house is in. Housekeeping has been neglected more than usual for the last few weeks. Going grocery shopping, changing the bed and running a few loads of laundry seem to have cured me of it. If nothing else, I know Jim won't be naked and starving while I'm away ;)
The garden is close to being a lost cause. Crabgrass :/ I was looking around today, and must have had a disgusted look on my face, lol. Jim said, "There's always next year!" It wouldn't take so terribly long to whip it back into shape, it's just a matter of deciding where to start. Dahlias are getting ready to bloom, asters and mums have started, sedums are coloring up, and Sweet Autumn Clematis is blooming. How did it get so late in the summer already??
Hubby has once again taken the reins on cooking dinner. Before long, I'll have to polish up my rusty cooking skills and start batch-cooking for harvest. As it is, I get to go sit on the porch with a glass of wine, so I'm going to get while the getting's good :)
Brenda

Hi, everyone. No doldrums here, just haven't had much to say. I've been plugging along but nothing new happening.

I love when you all have time to post pictures. So many lovely and inspiring sights. The containers have been fabu.
I really fell down on containers this year. The ones I have were just tossed together without much thought.

We had some storms last night and quite a bit of rain, which was a good thing. Everything, including the trees, was getting crispy.

Brenda, good to have you checking in. I guess I missed hearing of your brother passing. My condolences to you.
Exciting that you are going to skydive again.

V, thinking about you and your familys loss of Sunrise.

Looks like Sue and Wendy had great vacations.

Guess Bug may be missing DD and Ivy by now. I was wondering did they fly? What made me wonder was that Indy came too. Phoebe will miss Indy too, I bet.

Anyway hi to all. Boring me, Norma.

We just had ~1 1/2" of rain in about 20 minutes! There were at least 4 tornados reported to have touched down in south-central Ontario in the past few hours - nothing close by here fortunately; some closer to gb's area. One person reported killed and lots of property damage. Summer doldrums indeed!

And after the storm - a rainbow... It was quite spectacular - an almost perfect circle; only a small part of the bottom was cut off by the horizon. The light was strange though - but not as strange as it came out in this picture!
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And while I was standing on the front porch watching Randy taking pictures, I noticed that the brug had some white flowers. They were hanging from the same branches as the pink ones! Is that normal Deanne or do I have a mutant Brug? :-)
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Howdy! All is well here though we did have storms.

Phoebe is indeed lonesome for Indy who flew back to Alberta yesterday evening. We are unsure if she is mostly lonesome for her friend or if she is somewhat sick from her groundhog dinner of a few days ago...

I have a good friend visiting for a few days. We have visited the local Trans Canada Trail in Waterloo to check if Reed's name has been inscribed there yet...and no, it has not. We enjoyed visiting a small "Victorian Garden" nearby and met a soon-to-be 90 year old whose father was head gardener there starting in 1912. He was charming, alert, fit and happy. He's also a minister and a mechanic!

I have been given some of Reed's ashes to spread..and that has made me moody and contemplative. My friend Margaret is a great person for this kind of situation though.

I wonder if tomorrow we'll be able to garden some. She helped me with my hellebore garden 12 years ago and is a great person all around. DD was thrilled that she was able to visit and meet Ivy. There will of course be photos at a later date.

That's all she wrote for tonight...but wanted to add how fun it is to hear from Norma and Brenda!

Woody, is the 25th still OK?
Ciao,
'bug

I can see Friday peeking over the horizon.

I have duly booked myself 3 nights on the Mendocino coast for early October. This coincides with Digging Dogs Open House and plant sale on the 9th. ! There will be photos- and I splurged on the ocean view cottage too. Fall is typically much warmer and clearer on our north coast . This will be a nice treat wedged in between our various physical inventories . Even with this and IU I probably have another 20 or so vacation days in the kitty for this year. In Sept I am pondering a trade show in Spokane with a stop in Portland on the way home to visit BILS. A business-vaca combo of sorts.

Wonder what Chelones been up to the last few days I have become used to the ritual of reading her posts with my 1st coffee of the day. I hope she has not become entangled in a pea vine in Vegetable World.

PM , I think my version of Firefox is 3.5. It really was remarkable the improvement when I booted IE version 8. Ive had no problems and its way faster. Of course the disclaimer is that I only installed it a few days ago, so I suppose there could be issues that Ive yet to encounter. I am reading with interest the struggles that some of you have with Alchemilla-mine dont travel much at all, and the dryness of the surrounding soil I imagine is a contributing factor. Ive moved mine many times quite easily. So does Kool Kat " stay ground coverish for you ?

Denise, its funny, Ted and Doobie have taken to laying next to the shorn Nepeta in almost a protective way since I cut it back. I imagine the real reason is the aromas released by the cut stems. Im thinking August is a great time for slash and trash in our respective climate zones, since we often have such nice stuff going on in fall. Ive cut a whole bunch of stuff back to the nubs here lately .

Brenda , sitting on your fabu porch drinking wine while the attractive DH cooks dinner seems like the ultimate ! He is dead on with the comment about next year in the garden. This year is a done deal for me and Im feverishly planning for fall planting season.

Hi Norma! Bet the pond is looking great now I sure have plenty of years when the containers didnt please me. Seeing Deannes garden in person was quite an inspiration. As for boring, consider how different all our lives are , especially if we live in distant locations. It always interests me to hear of the dealings all of us have in our distinct environments.

Woody, what a haunting photo ! The sky is often a fabulous thing.

Hi bug ! I have very nice memories of the ash distribution for my DH, we did not do this for a couple of years after he passed and when we were ready went to a place he had loved , our redwood forests a few hours drive north of here..We cant know where they have gone , but we know where they have been .

All for me tonight , I have some baseball to view and should WALAT a bit too..
Hi to all ,and where is Mary ? Eileen ?

Kathy in Napa.

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Kathy....here's a not so great photo of the 'Kool Kat'. It's only about a foot tall here in it's first season it has slowly increased in diameter to about a foot wide. The blooms are almost blue and very long lasting. ....Your trip in October sounds very exciting! Have you been to Digging Dog before? I know I've seen a segment on a gardening show about them. Maybe Plants, Places and People when it was on. I thought they looked very interesting.

Marie....glad you have company when you are working through your feelings about Reed. Less than three weeks before the anniversary, are you planning anything? .... Hope Phoebe feels better soon. Imagine Indy flying! I'm amazed that dogs can tolerate that. Did you have a good visit with your daughter?

Woody...Wonderful photo of your brug, you can really see the texture and I just want to reach out and touch it. [g] .... I had never thought about rainbows at night.

Hi Norma....You are singing my song... I rarely am happy with my containers. This year I have two that I am almost happy with and one that I am happy with but already planning how to do it different next year. Never satisfied. [g] I have another five that I don't like very much. I'm that way about lots of things that have to do with the 'visual', like paint colors and clothing, furniture etc. Hard to please. .... I also don't usually have very interesting things to report. You don't feel bored, do you?

Brenda...another 6 months to wait, but I'm sure it will be a fun and exciting 6 months. Have fun this weekend. :-)

Denise...glad to hear your Dad is coming home today. Hope he will feel better being home and I'm sure your Mom will. ....Wow, what a productive day you had in the garden. Have you got your shades in the bath up yet? Looking forward to photos.

I've been contemplating how to redo my Long Border once the weather cools down. I feel stuck. I have the rock edge done and I like the way it came out, but I guess that was the easy part. [g] I think what makes it harder for me, is that I hate the backdrop of my neighbor's yard on that side. To me it's ugly and no matter what I do there, that is always going to bother me. Plus, it's really not a large area and part of the border is the sunniest spot in the garden and I keep trying to squeeze every plant that requires full sun into that space. Now I'm starting to think that for the sake of less work, I should try to switch to mostly shrubs, but I'm really dragging my feet about letting go of my largest area for perennials. I may just rearrange what is there and just throw in a few new things and be done with it, since I'm feeling conflicted about it this year. But it's just as much work to rearrange as to do an entire new plan. I'm glad I don't do this for a living. I'd drive my clients crazy. [g]

If you can see the Cornus tree in the background, above the Cornus 'Ivory Halo', it still has blooms on it and has had them since early May. Is that usual? Please ignore the weeds in the lawn and the pot that I didn't get the level out for. [g]

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Have a won-der-ful Friday! :-)

Happy Friday all,

The weather people have been predicting rain since Wednesday and we still havent seen a drop. Im hoping for some soon. The back yard has gotten to the point where I can have the sprinklers on it all day long and the next day its dry again. The mature trees back there suck every drop out of the soil when we havent had rain in a while and I think its been more than two weeks since weve had any rainfall. Im now certain that the leaf drop on the Mountain Ash tree has everything to do with lack of rainfall. Normally it loses all its leaves starting in July and this year it has looked good until this week. It is again dropping all its leaves well before the other trees. The birds love the berries though so Ill probably hang onto it. It also makes a great place to hang some fuchsias! LOL

PM I love that Kool Kat! What a nice Nepeta. Im going to have to look for that. ~ RE the bad view of the neighbors. Ive got the same dilemma with my driveway garden and Im starting to plant more tall things on the edge of that garden. Im going to put my Sky Pencil and also a clumping bamboo there. I can live without the hosta, iris and lilies that they will be replacing. ~~ Nice pic of the hydrangea and dogwood!

Kathy, Im sooooo jealous that you are going to Mendocino in October. Fabulous!!!! I just love it there.

Bug, glad you have a friend visiting with you right now. ~~ Phoebe ate the groundhog???? Yikes!

Beautiful pics Woody. That brugmansia is lovely. Ive never seen one throw white and pink on the same plant. Ill have to ask my friend the brug expert about that. ~~ I envy you that rain.

Norma, you are never boring! How about some photos of your lovely pond?

Brenda, I cannot imagine being thrilled about the prospect of being thrown out of an airplane! Youre a hoot!

Denise, doesnt it feel great when youve finished a purge? I LOL at Creeping Garden Syndrome. Hmmm CGS a new Idyll term. I have that same problem. The containers on the driveway and front walk become more numerous every summer.

Cindy, that spirea we kept seeing in ME was Anthony Waterer.

Pic for the day, the back side of the Mailbox Garden. The dahlias are finally putting on quite a show.
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Have a great day everyone
Deanne

gb - yes, we're still on for the 25th. I was going to e-mail you this weekend to sort out details. I know you've been busy with company... Today we're off to the wedding of the friends we bought the Green Man for. Gotta run... (the wedding is at noon at city hall in their town - second marriage for both of them; they're in their 50s - so just a small wedding with family and close friends in attendance.)

Happy Friday - this week was just too darned long for some reason - possibly the horrible commutes, weather, or lack of vacation days...

I forgot to mention (again) how much I loved that Greenman pot you got for a wedding gift, Woody - it was the one that I zoomed in on when you had the earlier picture and Im truly envious - I think it is a splendid wedding present for a couple that likely has everything else already... Have fun at the wedding.

Deanne -- Im having a hard time imagining you letting go of lilies along the driveway garden - they're all so stunning. But I understand the wish for the screening and verticality and sounds like you've got great ideas for that. Those dahlias are smashing altho I can see you're suffering the leaf wilt from the extreme temps -- it's been horrible here and I've lost a few containers that I didnt get around to watering every evening.

PM - I think that's an eternal struggle most of us gardeners go thru and in my case continue to angst about -- giving over the shrubs and woodies and letting go of perennials... I say every year Im going to do it, but still keep buying new perennials but my space has not gotten any larger.

How nice to hear from you Brenda and Norma - glad you havent succumbed to the doldrums, Norma! Brenda, that' a great DH to assume the cooking for at least a season or so - enjoy it while you can -- and we'll all be thinking of you this weekend and looking at the sky!

Yep, I like the Creeping Garden syndrome phrase and definitely suffer from it... the patio is entirely covered w/ crapola. I have not gone to check out the local SH store for fear of finding too many goodies altho I would love to get some more pots of theirs... I swore I'd clean house this weekend... but maybe just a wee trip to SH just to "see"???? I definitely am suffering from garden shopoholic issues...

-Cindy

Cindy - the Green Man is not a pot but a sort of curved statue - you can put it in front of a pot so it looks like it's a pot, or you can stand it somewhere like a statue. The people we're giving it to have a couple of tall cut off tree trunks. I thought it might look good 'wrapped' around the base of one of those.

Deanne - it turns out that the white brug is just the pink bud when it opens! All the brug flowers are pink this morning so I assume that we just happened to catch those right after they opened and before they 'matured' to pink! The buds are actually quite yellow before they open.

Time to get motoring here now....

Fought off doldrums actively today by weeding the old compost area, digging out roots, raking the whole thing over. Then I drove the mower over it a few times and then raked it smooth. Next I bought flagstones for the path in front of the new composters there, moved two hollyhocks and bought grass seed to plant there. So all is ready for me to eventually sink the flagstones and plant seed. The hard part is over. Phew! Then I rewarded myself with a few new plants for 30% off. (You're right Cindy, I'm all talk about planting shrubs...)

Tomorrow we visit a friend up north and attend a "water festival" (conservation stuff) and enjoy a lovely setting. Phoebe will join us.

Yes PM, the visit with Sarah's family was just great. She will always be my baby though..;)! She left a leash, a hairbrush and some other stuff. Every horizontal surface was covered with junk, no progress made in emptying things from our barn, lots of guests invited here for me to feed, etc etc etc and yet of course we loved it all. Already I have nagged her for more photos as they are going camping this weekend once again. I have no real plans for Reed's anniversary, but I'm sure I know where our thoughts will be in early September.

I am roasting tomatoes in the oven and need to go test them. ;)

Later friends!
'bug

In the immortal words of Sue

TGIF !!

Hot weather is back this afternoon, but forecast (for what its worth) indicate back to low 80s tomorrow. I have left myself an open roster for this weekend. The list of to-dos has grown- and it may be time to address some of the mundane household chores that always seem to be on the back burner.

PM , thanks for the nice photo of Kool Kat- it looks like an excellent selection to try. I havent been to Digging Dog in years, and I dont think they had a display garden then as I recall. They are in an extremely remote location . I wish you could have seen Sue and Les and Moniques gardens- they have both really perfected the art of the shrub border, and Sue has a lot of shade to contend with . They have both used foliage very artfully and their gardens are very colorful , with or without the perennials.

Deanne, I hope your yukky heat and rainless streak passes you by, and sympathize with the un planned deadheading by your high winds today.Your Dahlias look fabu ! I have some major deadheading this weekend on mine. I have gone to floral snips for that task by the way, as I can cut closer to flush with the stem and it leaves less of the ugly stump that seems to plague Dahlias. Do you have any secrets to add ?

Cindy, I support your garden shopoholia . Garden shopoholics are way better than handbag, shoe or cosmetics shopoholics .

All for me tonight, more tomorrow

Kathy in Napa

Evening all,

Major damage in the gardens today and not by the severe thunderstorm or tornado watch posted but by the hideous gusty winds that came before the storm. It blew down many huge containers that I never thought would or could get blown over. I was in tears when I was picking up all the broken fuchsia branches from the four large plants that got taken out. As much as a pain in the butt as cement is because it's so heavy to move and deal with I'm going to plan to put more of these things in cement planters so this doesn't happen. The good news is that my 'Christina', huge 'Beacon' and the 'Beacon Rosa' standard fuchsias are all fine - they are all in cement planters....

Sorry for venting but you are all gardeners so I knew you'd understand my distress.

Deanne

(((Deanne))) .. totally understand. Were these in the back container area along the fence ? I'm sure you can re-arrange stuff to look fabu as ever. You have alot to work with ! I hope a good nights sleep (and a Martini) will ease the mind..

Kathy in Napa

Deanne, that sure was a gusty wind that blew through here! My cheap-o plastic pot was the one to go! The banana blew over, but with sails like that, you expect it to, lol!

I planted a Gunnera yesterday (now I know 2 people growing it in my area!) and all the leaves shriveled up, and crisped up...I don't know what I did wrong!

Someone mentioned Harold's leaf: it didn't survive the trip in a pliable condition. It was dry and crumbled by the time I was prepared. I was bummed. After reading about cow parsnip online, I decided not to try to plant the seeds. I think a leaf hunting expedition would be better :)

Not much going on here. I'm having trouble working in the heat without my feet swelling up and feeling like I'm just going to die. It's a bummer because I felt like things were rolling along for me, and bam! I feel like someone threw a wall up in front of me. I know it will pass, but it's irritating...

SunnyD's husband has a Bobcat and they're tearing up the front yard today, to be a new garden. She's very excited, and he couldn't be more excited to do this for her :) He's got a water feature planned and I can't wait to see it come to life.

Well, that's all from me this morning.

Chelone: (tap tap tap) are you in there?

Saucy

Good morning all,

Well the storms rolled through here last night and we finally got some much needed rain. Im over the moon that I dont have to water today. I love that freshly washed look of the gardens. I went out early and started picking up the pieces of things Id quickly relocated yesterday when the gusty winds kept getting worse and worse. I have several fuchsias that are half the size they used to be and the standard is listing to one side. But it could have been worse and in a couple weeks I wont notice the damage because the fuchsias grow and bloom at light speed this time of the year.

Kathy, the Beacon fuchsia on the patio next to the urn with the abutilon was one of the ones that went down. Also, the Beacon Rosa thats on the corner of the terrace garden under the clematis. What was strange is that there were plants from all over the yard that took a nose dive, the variegated brug in the tropical container border, the big pot between the garage doors, a large fuchsia and caladium on the hot tub deck, stuff on the patio and one of the ceramic pots on the front walk, but nothing in the west container garden went over and it isnt uncommon for those shrubs in plastic pots to go over in the wind. Strange. ~~ I never notice any stumps on the pruned dahlias, maybe because I plant my dahlias so close together it isnt noticeable?

Cindy, no worries, Im keeping most of the daylilies in the driveway garden. Im just going to relocate the yellow ones at the back of the border next to the bird bath. Moving those and the Golden Tiara hosta will give me space for the clumping bamboo. So, no worries, the Pastel Classic, Jolyene Nicole and Preppy Pink are all staying where they are.

Woody, how interesting that the opening blossom on your pink brug is so dramatically different from the mature one. Do you have a photo of your Green Man in his new home? Id love to see where you put it.

Bug, those roasted tomatoes sound delish. You got a lot done yesterday.

Saucy, bummer about the banana going over. I hope it didnt damage anything. ~~ Sorry about not feeling up to snuff, Im not either and this weather is completely to blame. I feel great when I get up in the AM and after a couple hours outside in the heat I feel yukky for the rest of the day.

So Kathy is totally right that I have LOTS of stuff to work with so any damaged containers really arent noticeable with all the other things going on. Still looking good here for August.
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Here is Fuchsia Christina in her cement pot.
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Have a great day all!
Deanne

Deanne - it looks like your pots have cleaned up well. What a lot of work you do to create and maintain that beauty! Re the Green Man - we ended up not going back to their house after the wedding so I'm not sure where the Green Man has ended up. Here is the bride and groom with the Green Man:
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Getting to the wedding did not go as planned. We were supposed to be at their place by 11:30 before going with them to City Hall for the wedding. BUT we forget that it was Friday and heading north (towards cottage country) on a Friday meant we needed to allow a LOT more time! By 11:30 we were nowhere near their place! So we pulled over and called to ask for directions to City Hall so we could go straight there. But we couldnt find it. We had to stop at a gas station and ask where it was we had passed it twice but didnt see it! We arrived at 12:15 and the wedding was supposed to be at 12:00, so we thought we might have missed it! Fortunately they were running late.

Thursday I came down with a sore throat and was feeling lousy. The sore throat had abated a bit by yesterday so I wasn't feeling too bad but today it has all returned with a vengeance, particularly in my nose! YUCK!! I hope it passes quickly so it doesn't affect our plans for next week's vacationing in gb's neighbourhood! I intend to do as little as possible this weekened other than drink lots of hot lemonade and eat chicken soup.

Woody, I had no idea that Green Man was so large from your original photo ! What a splendid garden accent that will be !

Out deadhading, sweeping and drinking coffee this morning..

later all !

Kathy in Napa

Kathy - it's heavy too - probably 20-25lbs. I was curious so I Googled the manufacturer's name - see link below... There's some very interesting stuff (including a Doug the Troll for Deanne :-)

A pleasant evening here, an am hoisting my IU6 memorial wine glass after an hour of deadheading and a brief bit of planting. I acquired two David Phlox today , anong with a dwarf Agastache Sonoran Sunset these were not planted yet, they joined the collection of plants that will be installed in one of my new areas in back once the temps cool down enough to facilitate moving mature plants into new positions. I have also started the massive pruning effort involving Lady Banks. I think Im going to remove half of her this fall, and will try to redirect her so that she is not casting shade where I dont want it.

Have you noticed how the light is changing ? I feel a bit of regret, but on the other hand Im excited about the planting /plant relocation Ill be doing when fall comes. It can very hot here in Sept so most of the major moves will be done in Oct.

Hooray for Sunny D and DH ! I sure have never regretted for one minute removing my front lawn, and I am actively planning the removal of some concrete (no loss there lol) that will allow me to plant a bit of a shrub-border to hide the neighbors truck and utility area.

Funny about your west container border Deanne, your winds must have come in from an abnormal direction. No stumps on the Dahlias ? Damn ! Im going to take a pic tomorrow of a Dahlia stump. Maybe you just deadhead farther down on the plant too. That Christina is just fabulous !

I wonder if Chelone is having computer problems again ?

Woody, what beautiful stuff that mfg has. Im going to make a wholesale inquiry when I get to the office on Monday, although I bet the shipping is astronomical from BC.

Ok, time to sign off

Kathy in Napa

No computer woes. Just busy, behind, and I lost a pretty good post today. Irritating.

Hi everyone! :)

Thanks for checking in !

Mariposa and some other stuff..
{{gwi:173161}}From Garden 2009
{{gwi:173164}}From Garden 2009

Kathy in Napa

The plan for today was a new front door and storm door. Along with new gutters this will help complete the new front door garden. Picking the doors was challenging as on our farmhouse, the "front door" actually leads into the kitchen. The "back door" goes in to the mudroom. No formality here. We only ended up getting the door in and not the storm door, a few complications arose. I basically got nothing done in the garden today.

Deanne, how fun that my iochroma pot is so similar to yours. Yes that is a streptocarpella. As for the nasturtiums I always put them in the potager. Sorry to hear about all your wind damage. I feel your pain. We had some wind a few weeks back and my largest coleus standard tipped and the whole top broke off, but then I do still have 4.

Kathy, I love that Mariposa coleus, it looks like velvet.

Saucy, I saw you mentioned using fiberglass tape on a large leaf. Have you tried the fiberglass flakes? Ive used them for years in the stepping stones I make, its so easy to use. I made a couple of large rhubarb leaves recently. You mentioned you did your largest leaf ever, what was it?

I too am still a sucker for new or interesting perennials. I did a count this a.m. while walating and came up with somewhere around 150 shrubs that Ive added to my garden over the years. I am curious about how the Anthony Waterer spireas were used that you all noticed at the IU. I have a couple. They were moved from the front door area last fall when we revamped that area. I would like a fabulous combo to go with them.

We are leaving in a week on vacation. We decided to travel around Michigan. Im quite pumped that Dotti and Tom have graciously agreed to let us tour their garden and have gone much beyond that by inviting us to spend a couple of days with them. Unfortunately Eden will be out of town and I am really bummed about missing her and visiting her garden.

Michelle

A few more containers. The fuchsias are really getting started. I've had the gartenmeister for several years and it it really tall.
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Good morning!

Nice to see our wayward Chelone check in! Glad to hear you're still on the grid and just busy :)

Michelle, I did use the fibers at one time, but I didn't care for how they stick out of the finished piece. I know you can torch them, but that is just another step :) I used the tape because I have been working to make the leaves as thin as possible. Think paper mache. The verdict is really out until I live with the leaf for a while :)

A bit of excitement for me on the gardening front - my Tibouchina grandiflora bloomed! {{gwi:173176}}tibouchina
Have a good day all!

Saucy

I'm going to try this again, having lost it yesterday. :(

1.) Michelle has beautiful gardens full of carefully considered combinations that please me greatly. Your front entry project looks sensational and I can't wait to see the door and the storm door you select. I'm sure it will be terrific. I'll bet you really miss the Little Miss when you wander through the Secret Garden.

2.) I see the Grim Reaper has paid to calls to people I like so much and I'm sure the spectre of departure hangs heavy in those homes.

Brenda, I am so sorry to learn of your loss. I don't know how you feel, but I know how much I love my brother and how special memories shared between only we two are. And so it must be with you. I think hurling yourself out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft will be a perfect way to blow off some energy. You know, I STILL laugh when I think of your description of middle aged flesh flapping in the wind as you plummet toward Earth. Lol.

V., the world would be a better place if all people who undertake the responsibility of one of those base creatures carried it through to the bitter end. It's comforting to know our ranks are not as thin as so many news stories imply. I'm sorry Sunrise's condition was not attributable to too many berries. I'll beat Wrecks, "just because".

3.) The Green Man makes a sensational Best Man, Woody! Wow, I really like him... really plucks at the appreciation for all things formal that lies just below my "devil may care" surface. What a thoughtful gift. I went to a wedding on Friday, too. Don't get sick at this time of year, it's too early and too nice outdoors.

4.) Weather calamities have layed waste to Deanne's beloved containers but the recovery was swift and diligent... great save! I had to chuckle at the mental image of you buzzing around fretting and grooming the victims. Good to know all is well once more. :)

I suspect also that there is some serious baby withdrawal happenin' on the Farm (though I have no idea why! ;) ). I smiled at the chubby leg and foot nicely adorned with the bracelet. First thought to cross my mind was, "did we all enter this world with such perfect skin?". What lies ahead for your family is the conclusion of the awful "first year", 'bug. Good friends know how to help, sometimes just listening and reassuring is all that's required. Praise be good friends, huh? (and dogs to beat). I know I will spent some time in reflection on Sep't. 8th., as will every other Idyller... solidarity, baby! Actually, I think I'll put some wine in my IUVI glass and toast Reed's perfect life and all the love that was lavished on him in too short a time.

Woody and Julie will like this one. We have dear friend who has two dogs, aka The Wrecking Crew. She is now a very regular visitor to the Compound and whenever she comes we do some obedience work. And yesterday we worked them pretty hard. We did "down/stays" and then we worked on "polite greetings" in lieu of the full frontal assault that usually occurs. It took a solid 30-40 minutes to get both of her dogs introduced in a quiet, controlled manner, lol. Poor Rex was beside himself; whining/yipping, and fussing. But he was much more controlled than her dogs were. When they'd done what we required we turned them loose to run, rassle, and go into the "pool". Later, while we were preparing dinner and eating we worked on "down/stays", patiently correcting the Commando Creep by putting the Crew back in their original d/s sites. Wrecks has that one nailed... he lies down and chills out while we're eating and working in the kitchen. We have volunteered to take the Wrecking Crew for the entirety of Labor Day weekend and let me assure you there will be some very serious obedience work (and beatings) over those 4 days! Hehehe... bbbwwwaaa!

Charming story of TCS, Julie. Time and beatings is all it takes. :)

I have to quit blabbing and get to my latest JulieJob, hoeing out the screen room under the deck, and some screen washing.

Hi all,

The temps have gone down but the humidity is beastly out there. The rain was amazing yesterday. A couple times the sky opened up and when it finished up I had two inches of water in a bucket Id left out. A couple places west of here had some road washouts but I think they wound up with five inches of rain in two or three hours.

Woody, hope you feel better soon. ~~ Love that site and the Doug Troll is a hoot!

Kathy, yes indeed Ive really noticed the shortening day length. It seems to change dramatically this time of the year. Its hard to believe that another season is starting to wind down to autumn. ~~ Just love the irisene with the Mariposa Gorgeous combo. What is the fuchsia with it? It looks a little too pink for Gartenmeister

Michelle, What a bummer about your coleus standard! How sad! ~~ I just love your container pics. They are all so lovely!

Saucy, I jut love that tibouchina. Im so glad you posted a pic with your hand to give a sense of the size of that flower. Its huge! What a beauty. ~~ Hope you are feeling better but if youre like me Im still feeling pretty sluggish with this nasty humid weather.

Brenda, how was your jump?

Waving hello to all, have a great day,
Deanne

A couple pics for the day

The shade garden Im so pleased the hydrangea came back as well as it has. It was smashed to bits in the ice storm last winter. What a hardy plant.
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The peach brugmansia has really gotten enormous this summer. Its covered with buds and should be putting on quite a show in another week or so if this weather cools off.
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One of my favorite containers this year. Mostly foliage textures. The only flowers in this one are the fuchsia blossoms.
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The mailbox garden has really filled in and Im loving that Mariposa in this garden. Its such a great coleus!

The Eupatorium Little Joe is in full bloom right now. What a great perennial!
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Just returned from Midland Ontario and will expand later...but wanted to check in. Good readings here!
'bug