Monday, August 20, 2007

Summer in the Gardens

There's a nip in the air tonight and the day has been overcast and rainy. The temperatures didn't climb much above 70º (21ºC) all day. It seems much too soon to feel this much like Fall. Our outdoor wood furnace is running and keeping the chill out of the house. We have plenty of slab wood to burn because Ross and some helpers have been sawing out a log cabin that his brother is going to build for a client. Normally we'd let the furnace go out during the summer months, but not this year. Tonight I'm thankful for that.
Like many of you, I'm feeling rather blue with thoughts of summer's ending. It always makes me sad to know the flowers will soon be finished and the long winter will be upon us once more.

With that in mind, I've been working outside as much as possible because there's still plenty to do in the gardens...always! It's a never-ending job.....but I love every moment of it.

The phlox continue to bloom profusely.....

and the Gloriosa Daisies are still going strong, with some petunias tucked in here and there. Here's Jasmine and Pepper enjoying a game. The kitties love those fences!

The hostas are blooming in front of the porch and that ferny plant is tansy, which spreads like crazy and must be yanked out ruthlessly to keep it in check. It has a pleasant scent and a little yellow flower. That's a potentilla in the foreground.

This sunflower was sown by the birds. It's one of two that I left there. The vast number of other seedlings were pulled and composted. Sunny and bright, isn't it? Posted by Picasa

All the plants in this dish garden are various types of sedum, except the purple flower, which is related to Portulacas. It's called fameflower (Talinum Calycinum), and the tiny flowers are held high on delicate stems. I love this little garden in a dish!

That's one of the new lilies, Strutter's Ball, in the middle of this garden. The lilies have almost finished blooming now, sad to say. There are just 3 or 4 plants putting out a few final blooms.

The coneflowers in the nearest garden always put on a wonderful show and last for ages. They sow themselves with wild abandon. The other pink is phlox, which spreads like crazy, and the yellow is more Gloriosas, which also sow themselves all over the place.

Here are a couple of other phlox. The light pink has a dark eye. The Cerise Queen Yarrow (another pretty reddish pink) is a nice filler, and there's monarda (bee balm) in there too. Posted by Picasa

The coneflowers and phlox again

I just love the color of these beauties. The birds enjoy the seeds when the cold weather comes.

Here's the other side of that garden before the coneflowers were blooming. The blue is Larkspur and there were still a couple of blooms on the asiatics. This was taken in late July.

I've seen a few hummingbird moths around the gardens. They love the Monarda (Bee Balm) and so do the bees and butterflies. Posted by Picasa


Ross planted some of the gladiolus bulbs saved from last year in his vegetable garden. The colors are glorious!

They've been making some beautiful bouquets for church. Posted by Picasa


Aren't those pinks wonderful? Posted by Picasa

This is just a small section of the windowbox outside the bathroom window. There's a lovely ivy geranium in there blooming it's head off. I'll have to show you a picture of the whole windowbox next time. Posted by Picasa

And here's little Max who is a very accident-prone kitten. He's adorable, but he's used up 3 of his 9 lives already. Just the other day my brother-in-law ran over his leg...which was just healing from 2 previous accidents, the cause of which is a mystery to us. Both back legs looked like they'd been caught in something. We can only wonder at what the cause might've been. Miraculously, he escaped relatively unscathed from the car. Perhaps the tire just grazed him. I hope he's learned a lesson, poor little fellow. Posted by Picasa

Max has a twin brother named Riley (he's in the back), who so far, unlike Max, has remained out of harm's way. I think he needs to be his brother's keeper! Posted by Picasa

Jasmine has a house guest! Remember Bailey (click his name to see more pictures of him) who stayed with us about this time last year? Our young neighbors, Wes and Sandy, have gone away for a few days so we're cat-sitting for them. Jasmine stays at their house when we go away to see the kids, so these 2 are good friends. They really enjoy each other's company and play well together. I'll have more photos of them next post, and of Bailey enjoying the company of the outdoor kitties too. They think it's a real novelty when he comes to stay :)

My sweet friend Horizon has passed along the "Nice Matters Award" to me, for which I'm very grateful. Thank you dear friend. I hope you're feeling better today :)

Have a wonderful week everyone! Posted by Picasa

P.S. Mouse Update:
Score: Us - 1/Mouse - 0
Let's hope the game is over!
And no, Jasmine didn't score any more points. The mouse decided to feast on the corn cobs, left in a dish in the laundry, after the evening meal, to be dumped on the compost heap the next morning. We set the trap beside the dish. Apparently even mice love sweet corn, with peanut butter as an appetizer :)

38 comments:

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

The glad bouquet is beautiful. All your gardens are so very full and colorful. My sunflowers are just starting to bloom and I'll have more glads in a day or two.

It's nice that your furnace is running this morning! We've had to drag out our sweatshirts. They are saying summer will return by the end of the week.

I hope Riley starts looking after Max! They are adorable.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Oh, such beauty :-)

21C is summer here, LOL

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Your garden looks huge! And glorious. I love seeing the long shots; they give me a sense of what your garden is really like.

While northern gardeners are feeling blue about approaching autumn, we southern gardeners are feeling elation. If only I could send a few months of extra summer your way, and you could send those 70-degree temps southward. :-)

Tammy said...[Reply]

Baily is the same gray color as Mr. Clarence...who does not care for children we found out...will hiss his fool head off at them and run and hide....
I enjoyed looking at your garden!
:)

Cris said...[Reply]

What a treat for this afternoon to stop here and admire the flowers. I will leave this window open so I can sneak out, enlarge the photos and check the names and views. :-) Have a great evening Kerri! xoxox

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...[Reply]

beautiful all over again..the flowers , the bouquets, the garden, the pets....all of them :)

loved the pic of max with his twin brother ..they are adorable and hope Bailey enjoys the stay!!!! :)

Alice said...[Reply]

I wish I knew how you could snap freeze your garden just as it is so that you could enjoy it all winter, although I guess it's a bit like life itself - it's the troughs that make you appreciate the peaks, or in this case, it's the cold and darkness of winter that makes you appreciate the colour and warmth of summer.

As I've said before (and will go on doing so for many years ...lol) it's all that the eye can see that makes your garden such a delight.

The colour of all your beloved perennials and flowers, combined with the green grass and the beautiful trees, all in God's landscape.

I love gladioli - when they're standing up, not lolling all over the place, although the flowers are still beautiful even then.

Your cats are so pretty and playful that I'm even developing a sneaking affection for them, too...lol.

I hope you get lots more beautiful summer weather before it gets too cold. We love the cooler days at the end of summer, but then, we know that we will have several weeks of them before it gets cold, and it's never as cold as your place. I find it a miracle each year that gardens come back and bloom so magnificently after being buried in feet of snow, although I understand that the snow is 'warmer' than our frosts.

Have a great 'weeding Wednesday', Kerri.

Diana LaMarre said...[Reply]

All of your hard work has really paid off. Your gardens look fabulous. I especially like the coneflowers and phlox.

I was wondering about the mouse as I was reading...so glad to hear you caught it.

Stuart said...[Reply]

Ridiculously gorgeous flowers, Kerri. I feel your pain re: autumn (fall) coming around again. We, on the other hand, are embracing the thought that spring is just around the corner.

As I was scrolling through your post, my youngest daughter saw the pictures of your kittens and became very excited. As expected the "Can we get one, Dad?" popped out so I'll spend the next half hour consoling her.

Oh, the internet can be so cruel to young eyes - lol!

My apologies for taking so long to get back here Kerri. I've missed catching up with everything going on in the world you share. And as always, it's brilliant.

Susie said...[Reply]

I had forgotten that Max and Riley were twins (if I ever knew!) They are too cute. Your pink and white glads must have been most welcome at church.
Kerri, it's no wonder you want to work in your garden when the weather is good. It's just all so very lovely. Plus, you have the cutest helpers!!
love and ((hugs))

Val said...[Reply]

I adore those two little twin kittens, especially poor dear Max. Hope his accidents are behind him.

Weather here is very spring like - sat outside soaking up the gentle sun before. Interesting how we can bounce our seasons off each other, soon we'll be seeing your photos of snow-covered fields!

Rebecca said...[Reply]

What beautiful pictures...I love Echinacia (cone flower) and it is not seen in my area so often. I miss it's late summer blooms and so have enjoyed seeing them on your blog.

Elzie said...[Reply]

What a garden! I just feel like there are endless of lovely flowers. Was it cornflowers they were called in English, the ones with the phloxes? Just lovely!
And the kittens. I wish I could have a cat, but my hubby says no!! Have to realize he's not a cat person LOL.
Love Elzie

Sharon said...[Reply]

What a lovely garden you grow.Between the flowers and such good pictures you could have a job at a green house or a photo studio. Such good work my friend.

Anita said...[Reply]

Ohhhhh! Poor little Max, I hope he get well very very soon! Maybe he has some gardian angel called Riley! They both are sooo cute! And of course, I always admire Jasmine and Pepper, too!

Kerri, your coneflowers looks wonderful (mine are still quite little and do not have that many blossoms). Oh my, your whole garden looks so very nice and colourful! The name of your blog is really suitable!

By the way, I wonder how your German white marigolds are doing now...? Mine are in bloom but just a few of them got very big, all the rest still looks rather little and poor (and has no blossoms).

Best wishes from rainy Germany!

Anita

Jellyhead said...[Reply]

Your garden is just heaven on earth - no wonder you feel a little blue about the coming fall.

Those gladioli are incredible! My favourite photo, though, is the one with the two cats perched on the fence, surrounded by flowers .... so pretty!(cats AND garden!)

Mountain Mama said...[Reply]

Your flowers always look just beautiful, like what we see in garden magazines. You must take very good care of them. Mine are looking rather ratty now as fall is fast approaching. I have two different Phlox but can't kep the deer out of them so have very few blossoms. One is a salmon pink color and the other is lavender.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Just beautiful, Kerri! I admire your love of flower gardens. And with pictures like these, all the time you spend working is so rewarding.

We're having a cold and rainy spell here in PA, too. I think it's going to lift tomorrow and feel more like August than October.

Love the kitty pictures!

XO

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...[Reply]

Poor, poor Max...He has had a run of bad luck hasn't he?

Good to see Jasmine enjoying the company of the neighbors cat. I bet she loves it when he comes to play.

I'm still waiting for cooler temps and I see that you are having 70's weather. I do so envy you, not just for the temp, but for your beautiful flowers.

My condolences to the mouse.

Annie in Austin said...[Reply]

The flowers just keep coming - photo after photo of bountiful, stuffed-to-the-edges borders. It's just amazing, Kerri.

Sometimes names seem like destiny, and your Max does seem to be a Max, doesn't he! That name shows up in so many novels and mysteries and movies, with the hero escaping danger over and over -hope your Max keeps escaping, too.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Geraldo said...[Reply]

Kerri,

Here we're getting ready for Spring. Of course our Winter is not even close to what you experience there, but we're happy for the end of the cooler weather, anyway.
Your garden is beautiful! If you're feeling blue now, just think about the beautiful pictures you're going to show us next Spring! And you can always come to Brazil to enjoy our summer... :-)

Giddy said...[Reply]

We had a fire in the woodstove the other day, just to take the chill off the air. Hard to believe we are getting these chilly nights in August while the rest of the country sizzles in the heat. Our new kitty, Spike seemed to love the warmth of the stove, as well.

Anonymous said...[Reply]

Kerri,

As always the photos of your garden are beautiful. And your kitties--they're as adorable as can be!

Deborah Raney said...[Reply]

So happy to see your post this morning. I was beginning to think you'd gone on vacation never to return! The photos are just beautiful. I envy you the coneflowers. We barely had a dozen of the purple and pink, though plenty of the yellow, which I don't think are nearly as nice. I hope we'll have more next year. Thank you for a pleasant few minutes over coffee.

Oh, and we have an orange and white kitty like yours!

Sigrun said...[Reply]

Kerri, such a nice Collecation of Flowerbeds! In Germany we have a bit autumn, not summer like in your gardens.
And again so lovely kittys in your garden.

Sigrun

Val said...[Reply]

A lovely post - it lives up to the name of your blog.

Thanks for the reminder to enjoy what is left of the summer, every moment, every blossom.

LindaD said...[Reply]

Oh.. your flowers bring tears to my eyes.. your gardens make me think of you.. Beautiful.. in order, and they evoke a sense of peace. I'm thinking they're blessed to live with a family so full of love! They look so well tended - just like your friends. No wonder you have a bumper crop of each.

clairesgarden said...[Reply]

the kittens are so pretty. and Jasmine is very kind to allow a house guest.
lover the 'free' sunflower, and you coneflowers look fabulous, I must try them.

sonia a. mascaro said...[Reply]

Hi dear Kerri! Just dropping by to say hello and see your wonderful and stunning flowers! Have a nice weekend! Many hugs!

JunieRose2005 said...[Reply]

Oh1 What a nice visit to your place today. Your flowers are just beautiful!

And your cats are adorable!


Junie

sonia a. mascaro said...[Reply]

Thanks dear Kerri for your kind words about my place. I am sorry that your comment did not showed up! Blogger did it with others friends, too. I don't know why....

Have a lovely weekend!

Christy Woolum said...[Reply]

Max and Riley are the absolute cutest kittens. I am glad to see your mixture of flowers. It reminds me of ones I have had that have not come back or been forgotten. I need to get bee balm and coneflowers again. Where do they go to?

Merle said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri ~~ Your gardens and photos are just magnificent. Such variety and so many gardens to weed and care for. Thank you for showing them to us. Also thanks for your comments - I know how hard it is to get around to
all the blogs we would like to. Glad
you liked The Santa story and Parachute story, the Random facts and
jokes. Take care and enjoy the last of the summer weather. Love, Merle.

Jeanette said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, Your Garden is beautiful and filled with all Those lovely colourfull plants. I just love the colour of your Gladies, and poor little Max hope his accident prone days are over..

CountryGirl said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri - Your gardens still look amazing! I love all the color you have! This summer has been crazier than normal so I haven't been blogging much but I'm catching up now. I always enjoy visiting your gardens and seeing what you are up to. I'm pretty late but Happy Belated Birthday! I will have to show Liz you photos of Max and Riley. I hear her little "awwww" now. She loves your animal shots!

HORIZON said...[Reply]

Glad Max is ok Kerri- you have the most beautiful cats.
Wonderful garden pics too- l am in awe. After the Phlox has flowered, do you cut it back? l put some in my garden this year but am not so sure as to what to do now. :)
Need to run and get wee S to school.
bests xx

Unknown said...[Reply]

Max and Riley are adorable!!! I love the way the pink phlox mixes with those coneflowers. So much pink, but the different textures show each other off so well.

Barbara said...[Reply]

Hi Kerri, thank you for your passing by my blog and your nice comments. I have visited yours several times before and I think you have a wonderful, big and interesting garden too. Your gladiolus are indeed beautiful, these lovely colours. I like them, as I wrote in my posts, also very much as a bouquet. Your coneflowers and phlox are amazing, I am also fond of these flowers. I'm looking forward to reading your next post.
Barbara