Friday, September 08, 2006

Bright Spots


There are still a few bright spots in the gardens, despite lots of catch up work to be done.
I've been trimming edges, weeding and generally tidying up. Lots of plants need dead-heading and cutting back.
With all the rain we've had, the lawn just keeps on growing!
This summer we didn't even get the drier mid-season period where the lawn slows down for several weeks.
At least it's stayed nice and green.



I'm loving these snapdragons in their wonderful bright colors.



Marigolds and ageratum make a pretty color combination. I saw these paired in a friend's garden last year and made a note to plant them together this year. I'm really pleased with the result.







This tall, small flowered Rudbeckia grows like a weed and takes over this garden. I usually thin it a lot more, but the rain kept me from getting to it earlier when it needed to be done.



It's a late bloomer, so it provides some nice color when other plants are finished, or winding down. I like it with the phlox.



I transplanted some to this new little fence garden, in front of the Golden Glow.



The flowers have such happy little faces :)



The coneflowers and gloriosas last for ages! I find them to be pretty much trouble free. So if you want easy plants, these are for you!



And they offer bonuses too....the butterflies and bees love them.
(If I'd had that thought earlier, I would've posted a butterfly picture!)



And the goldfinches and other birds love to eat the seeds after the flowers are finally gone.




The Malva (Mallow) is still blooming away! Annie in Austin (The Transplantable Rose) tells me it's related to hollyhocks. See the seedheads? They're identical to the hollyhocks. I hadn't noticed that before. Thanks Annie!



I just love it with the Gloriosas.



And speaking of bright spots.....
Madelaine and Jasmine were helping me take the wash off the clotheline yesterday evening.
They were on opposite poles (this is Maddy).....



....when Jasmine suddenly raced over and up this one to join Maddy for a game of "catch me if you can".
They're not really much help, but they sure do provide plenty of entertainment :) Posted by Picasa

29 comments:

Anita said...[Reply]

Oh wonderful, your borders are still so colourful!
By the way, how did you manage to upload 15 photos in one post? So far, blogger never let me show more than 9 pics... ???

Susie said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri,
Your garden is still looking just wonderful! Every picture is nicer than the one before it!
I'm thinking maybe the rain has stopped since you were hanging laundry outdoors?
The kittens have grown quite a bit, haven't they!
They are absolutely adorable..
xoxo

Tanya said...[Reply]

Once again, am loving your pictures. Especially the fourth one down. And the kittens are as cute as ever :)

Philosophical Karen said...[Reply]

Love the bright spots of colour in your garden. And the kittens are always a great source of entertainment -- for us as well as you. ;-)

Alice said...[Reply]

Pretty photos, gorgeous garden, fantastic flowers, cute cats and very clever Kerri.

Annie in Austin said...[Reply]

Wonderful photos, as always! The marigold/ageratum combination is the one that speaks to me. I find myself gravitating more and more to blues, purples, yellows and oranges, so will leave the pinks for you, Kerri!

Seeing your 'Zebrina' mallows reminds me to check for seedlings soon; mine tend to act like biennials, making first growth in fall, living over the winter as small plants, then blooming in late spring or early summer in the following year.

Annie

Charley "Apple" Grabowski said...[Reply]

I love the black-eyed susans and coneflowers. They stay cheery on the grey days we've had. We're expecting more rain this weekend. Enough already! I'm spending as much time outside as I can today, it may be our last great day for a long while.

Motherkitty said...[Reply]

Your blog is so aptly named -- Colors of the Garden. Your garden is so beautiful and colorful. After looking at your pictures, I just want to stroll through your yard and then sit in a lawn chair to admire the Colors of the Garden and watch the kitties play their games. I just love that little Calico with the white paws. Love the picture of them on the closeline post.

Kerri, hope you have a wonderful Friday and weekend. Hope it also doesn't rain for a while so you can get some yard work done.

David (Snappy) said...[Reply]

The Ageratum/marigold combination i thought of this year.It looks wanderful though in your garden.I want those coneflowers and rudibeckia's.They look lovely.The kittys are so cute.Maddy is a cutey!

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...[Reply]

My flowers are scattered and a little sparse and yours look so good. You said the coneflowers were easy to grow, well I have been trying for 2 years to get some started, without any luck. They dwindle down to nothing. I'm thinking that they don't like the location I have them in. Next year I'm planting them somewhere else. Yours look great and you have so many of them.

The kittens are adorable and I love seeing them.

LindaD said...[Reply]

You paint a beautiful picture with your flowers. I especially love the ones up on your clothes posts!

Sigruns German Garden said...[Reply]

Good morning, Kerri, your colours are so wonderful, next year I must have Snapdragons too, this year I had not one.
I allways look for a colour, which is harmonizing with my flowers, some in pink ore white ore winered.

Sigrun

Alice said...[Reply]

I was going to ask how on earth do you tell one cat from another, but then I realised even the tiniest of difference is sufficient to identify them.

After all, our cows all had names, and more than half of them would look identical to the casual observer. I'm sure it was the same when Ross was milking cows. One of my brothers would help us with the milking on very rare occasions and he would ask, "Which one do you want now, this one with the black face?" The fact that about 60 of the 100 cows had black faces wasn't much help at all, but to those of us who were milking them every day, there were significant differences in body shape, white patches, even face shape. Even the all black cows were sufficiently different for us to pick one from another easily.

clairesgarden said...[Reply]

lovely picture, nice to have such colour around. hope it stops raining for you, its off and on here but the ground is still dry when you dig it. the kittens are a marvellous help sure.

Judy Birmingham (Seeing Anew Blog) said...[Reply]

Lots of colors still! The marigolds and azuretums are such a great color combo!

DellaB said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, we didn't get out to Port Stephens, but that is exactly where we rejoined the Pacific Highway, coming back down Buckets Way from Gloucester, it's a beautiful stretch of coast, with outstanding bays and beaches. You must miss it?

Perhaps maybe not, with your own beautiful surroundings, I needed your colour and flowers this morning, it is supposed to be spring but cold and wet and wintry here just now.

thankyou

Jellyhead said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, I just came by for a virtual stroll in your lovely garden.

Hope you're having a sunny and happy weekend! :)

Tanya said...[Reply]

Just wanted to say in response to all your comments on my blogs:

The sunset picture taken from the car - we had stopped at that point. And Glen, the driver, has been driving in those conditions for dozens of years and he knew the road. And I have blind faith in most drivers (maybe that's a bad thing...).

I agree with you about Germaine. I used to like her. Most Aussies are now saying that England can keep her.

And I'm still upset about Brocky. Maybe I really shouldn't have that blind faith in all car drivers.

The quilt colours are great, aren't they? I didn't choose them, though. My aunt did. All I had to do was make two blocks - she gets to do the hard stuff. And yes, they are similar colours to mum's bedroom (how ever did you learn that??).

Isn't that lorikeet cool? And the sunbirds. I thank a good camera and cropping for the lorikeet. The sunbird was just too obliging for words!

Have a great week :)

WendyAs said...[Reply]

Beautiful shots. Fall to come?

Diana LaMarre said...[Reply]

Boy, I am so jealous of those coneflowers. (I think I said the same thing to you last year)
Like Abandonen in PA, I can't get them to grow anything like those.
Just beautiful!

Anonymous said...[Reply]

I am going to have to take note of the Marigolds and ageratum combo as well. They look nice and I am not normally a marigold fan.

Nice pics, BTW.

Carole Burant said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri:-) How delightful to still see such glorious colour in your garden...when I was driving home today from being out of town, I noticed how fast our leaves are changing colours. Autumn is fast approaching here! I had to cover my flowers that are still in bloom, frost is forecasted for tonight. The kitties are sooooo sweet and I love the last pictures,. looks like she's helping the other one get up there to join her! lol Hugs xoxox

Sissy said...[Reply]

Two things for next year's list:
Ageretum and snapdragons!! Very pretty..

Val said...[Reply]

Don't tell me those kittens can walk a tightrope!

You've reminded me of ageratum - used to grow that years ago, must get some into our garden.

Jeanette said...[Reply]

HI Kerri
Aptly named colours of your garden.
just so lovely and a great mix of colours there all so nice but ill pick the snapdragons as my favorite . Take care

Pear tree cottage! said...[Reply]

Kerri,
I have enjoyed your summer garden so very much over the past months and I see it is still beautiful. I love very much the coneflowers beautiful colours.

I thank you for sharing you summer garden with us.
Lee-ann

Pamela said...[Reply]

Just warms your heart looking at all the beautiful flowers with the rustic little fence against the cute red barn. The kittens are adorble, good little helpers too, I see. You caught Maddie in such a cute pose there...thanks so much! :)

Anonymous said...[Reply]

The garden is
b e a u t i f u l
and those kitties so
a d o r a b l e.

Barbee' said...[Reply]

I started at the top of the blog and worked my way all the way down here. LOVELY! We enjoyed a visit to Cornell's Plantation Gardens a few years ago. Your lovely photos brought back memories.

You wondered about the tall bush with the dangling pink flowers. I recognized it as the old fashioned heirloom plant, Kiss Me Over The Garden Gate. I googled it so I could give you a link. You will find more information here.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/56396/ I've never grown it. If you haven't visited my website, I invite you to do so. Hope you get to drop by for a visit. It's 9 blogs I've woven together to try to make it work as a regular website. Some have comments enabled, some do not. All have a guest book and my e-mail link. http://gardenat.blogspot.com

I've visited yours before and have enjoyed it both times. You have put together a most enjoyable site. Sincerely, B..........