December Remembered

Just laying here realizing December is almost over and I'm feeling the need to read something to get back in touch with the gardens. I was south of the border this weekend and in the newspaper was an article about dirt by someone named Nardi. I decided it was something I wanted to read more about so this will be one book I'm going to get Life in the Soil. The other I came across by accident but it's about native plants and I really do want to plant more shrubs and maybe a couple trees, my goals in finding the right ones are winter interest and attractiveness. So this will be my second book - Bringing Nature Home. These should take care of some winter blahs for a while.

Just so December doesn't slip by without being remembered I will post some pictures of the beautiful snowfalls we've had.

Ohhh, that's what it is....

http://www.missouriplants.com/Bluealt/Solanum_dulcamara_page.html

Okay, so maybe on second thought it's not such a good idea. I'll stick to clematis for now....

What is this??

Geez, I've been away for so long!!! It seems that due to unforseen circumstances it has become a Christmas time ritual to have our house under construction of some kind. Last year it was the kitchen (finished the night before Christmas Eve so we could have our Christmas Eve gathering) and this year it is the 'Late October, Heavy Rainfall, Poweroutage Flood'. The basement flooded so the kids rooms, reckroom and everything else had to be redone. Drywall, baseboards, doors and frames....anyway that's my excuse.

So on to why I'm posting.....what is this vine? I'll be getting a snipping of it in the spring but I have no idea what it is. My sister in law has in at her cottage and she transplants snippings very easily. Apparently she got it from northern Minnesota??

Awwww.....Fall!

Finally, after a busy, labourous summer, it is Fall. I've never looked forward to fall since it signifies the coming winter and I'm not much of a winter person. However, my last icefishing escapades were fun - as long as the weather is mild and there's a nice scenic, challenging snowmobile trail to get us there (not too picky). That's half the fun!!

This year I'm happy to see fall - I'm ready. We've been busy - I'm happy with the gardens, the way they're blooming and filling in. The deck at the back of the house has been keeping us busy. We're in the staining process now but the railings are tedious. Would like to get that done soon. It's hot pepper and pickle time now. Peppers I grew myself in pots, but the cukes came from a farm down the road. Next year I want to have a pumpkin patch, just like my gardenerd buddy!! I think some wine coloured mumms will look good at the front door this year.

So thinking about next year, we have a portion of the lower part of the deck that needs to be extended and then I have an idea for a nice lattice type wall for some privacy since the 10 foot cedar and the huge tree need to come down just beyond the deck. The tree is reaching over the house and is a potential hazard. The cedar is in the way of the deck extension, but it's too big anyway, even if we were't extending. So that is where I plan to rest my Mordon Sunrise And Tahitian Moon roses. The Tahitian can climb the lattice. Still needed and on the new list are:

* Summersweet (for the humming birds, to accompany the roses by the deck)
* Browella(annaul to plant in pots around the front of the house)
* Cosmos (for back shade garden - gets more sun than I thought, for the birds)
* Viburnum (for the birds!!, not sure where yet)
* daisies (for back shade garden, good for birds)
* zinnias (everywhere, good for birds)
* Milky Bellflower 'Loddon Anna' (Campanula lactiflora)
* Sweet Woodruff (more!!)
* Alyssum (white)
* weigela
* tall phlox

Some 'Growings' On in the Garden...

Daylillies
'Raspberry Swirl'













'Mini Stella'













'Thumbalina'













'Little Lassie'













'George Bingham'













'Glowing Canteloupe'














Various lillies






































































And Some Others....
'Coneflower'













'Iris'

















'Bee Balm'













'Sneezeweed'













'Black Eyed Susan'













'Coneflower'

Wildflowers

Wandering around the yard
here are more wild flowers
growing along the tree lines
and near the bottoms of the
trees.....

anemone canadensis











lupine








campanula

Gardening Shed Bed (Part Shade - South East)

Finally after what began in May of buying plants (a little impulsively too soon) rotatilling, weeding, rotatilling, weeding, laying 8 layers of newspaper and shoveling 9 loads of soil the planting is complete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was tall grass, weeds and raspberry bushes - so I had my work cut out for me and hopefully there's enough newspaper down to smother those roots!!! Fingers crossed and saying prayers!!





At the very end (to the left is a double flowering almond and in the middle is a dwarf burning bush.

I'm really hoping the two elders do well and grow nice and big. They're at the back close to the shed. That shed by the way is going to have old barn board on it eventually! I've got three of my daylillies from the old house and the bright pink lilly and the melon lilly, both from the move, in here as well. Hopefully they tolerate the late transplanting!!

Babies

This little guy was hiding by the garden shed. He could have fit in the palm of my hand!

And this little babe seemed to be away from his nest so I lifted him to a higher branch ..... hopefully mom found him. "What To Do When You Find A Baby Bird"

More New Blooms....

Daisy

Balloon Flower
Creeping Phlox

New Blooms.....

Chives

Peonies
Peonie ready to bloom
Pretty in Pink Peonie
Pansies in Bacopa

New Guests....

In the rhubarb......

After the rain...
Charlotte's Web.... :-/

:-(

We've been enjoying some great hot weather lately and I can't wait for the weekend. Deck work should be starting and I'll be digging into the back shade garden and weeding it. Pictures of the front will be coming soon - just need to stain the boardwalks. My poor lophospermum fell off the wall last night and smashed on the ground, spilling the dirt and breaking off many trailings with tons of buds. I guess when it's being watered, it's too heavy. We'll have to fasten the hanger better............

Got My Roses!!!

As part of my 'going away' party, from my coworkers at my old job, I got some gift certificates for the greenhouse so now there was no reason for me to "wait" to get the two roses I wanted. 'Morden Sunrise'
'Tahitian Moon' (so tall already)
'Tahitian Moon'