Things Are Busy in the Garden...........

.......So busy that I have neglected doing blog posts.  The weather has cooled a bit, the rain has slowed, the mosquitos are under control, so I have been working outside day after day raking, pulling weeds, trimming and other clean-up chores.  I have not been alone in the garden. Every day a lot of fluttering has been going on around me and  naturally, I grabbed the camera many times to capture some other busyness......

 

 

 

The swallowtails have been plentiful.

 

 

And, signs of more to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I apologize to my Facebook friends because they have seen some of these pictures.

 

 

During the season when the shadows seem darker and the shade deeper, there are things that seem even brighter and they light up the days.

 

 

 

 

I couldn't decide which picture I liked the most, this or the above one, so I am using both.

 

 

This Black one was so active he was near impossible to photograph but I still got a few usable shots.

 

The butterflies aren't the only things adding brightness.

 

 

I have a very poor crop of Jerusalem Artichokes this year but am thankful to have a few blooming plants.

 

 

I was able to get some good soil to add to the two raised beds and I am starting with all new plants this season. Several kinds of herbs and some greens.  The small new plants aren't very photogenic but it is exciting to have all these started.

 

 

As they mature I will have another "show and tell".  I found a local worm farm and purchased some special fertilizer so I am expecting good things to come!

 

 

 

I lost three rosemary plants this summer due to so much rain and then fungus.

 

The thyme which had grown in this little pair of boots for several years succumbed to fungus also.

 

I love the daintiness of thyme.

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Our fall and winter season is usually the best growing time for a lot of plants.  Unless this is the year we get a hard freeze (we haven't had one in four years) I will continue to do garden posts.

 

Autumn in the Kitchen #1

My fall things have been out for so long that I barely see them now but there is a lot that you haven't seen yet. This is the day to show part of the kitchen and there will be a part #2 in a few days.

 

Sometimes all that is required to have a room looking like a particular season is to change the candles to fit the time of year. These are sitting on my new September Girls acorn plate. Nothing warms up a room like a lit candle!

 

 

Today I am mostly showing the things in this corner.

 

 

The chicken is now nesting in the metal crown which is sitting in a fall wreath.

 

 

These were already here except the pumpkin. That's my mom and dad pictured on the family cookbook.

 

 

Two more small candles up on the shelf.

 

 

An unusual green apple brightens up the area. I hesitated on leaving the picture this large because the old crock looks dirty. It is glaze drips, baked in. And most of you probably just scrolled back up to see what you had not even seen.

 

 

I love acorns on display in the autumn time.

 

 

 

Now, on the silverware cabinet in the corner, using little green apples and a pear plate tells me it is autumn. Also, the wall pocket got a sprig of fall berries.

 

 

 

On around the corner on the short white cabinet are several fall - looking items.

 

 

 

I never know what to call this thing but, instead of using small pumpkins inside, this year I did an arrangement to hang on the outside.  The little pumpkins are in the big wooden dough bowl that you see in my banner at the top of every post.

 

 

The crochet thread pumpkin seems to land here each year now.

 

 

I love to feature my Lenox, pumpkin sugar and creamer set at this time of the year. I have had the tiny figurine for many years and like to see him come out in the fall, too.

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Thank you so much for visiting and come back to see the rest of the autumn kitchen things when they get posted. The blog has been opened over 115,000 times, so I feel like enough people are enjoying it to make it worth my time.

 

Fresh Cuts for Fall #2

I am "killing two birds with one stone" so to speak. Most all my rose bushes are blooming so I gathered some to make an arrangement to carry to the Rose Society meeting this afternoon at the beautiful Leu Gardens. That provided an opportunity to do this post with the Fresh Cuts theme.

 

I was quite happy with the way it turned out for both purposes.  It is a bit difficult to do a completely balanced look using this many different kinds, sizes, colors etc.  But, I liked what came together. I used a few sprigs of one of my favorite coleus plants and a few Wendy's Wish salvias.

 

 

To make a little fall vignette, I chose a wooden cut-out pumpkin, my new squirrel from the September Girls Celebration, the white pumpkin seen in the last Fresh Cuts post and the cedar slab.

 

 

 

 

Look at that cute little face!

 

 

 

 

 

A couple more of the large white roses would have evened out the look but, as always, I use what I have.

 

 

 

The white birch bark vase sure does lend itself to the woodsy Fall look. 

 

 

The Rose Society enjoyed the vase of roses on the refreshment table.  I didn't take the other things to use there. Wish now I had but maybe some of them will enjoy seeing them here.

 

 

The roses came back home with me but the coleus cuttings went home with two members who will start it growing in their gardens.

 

 

 

the end........

 

Autumn Garden.....

In spite of our extreme summer heat and excess rain, autumn arrived in the garden, alive with color.........

 

 

 

The Pagoda plants have continued to have blooms all summer and still do. While not especially fond of large-leaf plants, I really like having this one tucked in my back garden.

 

 

This parlor maple (not in my "parlor") sure has done it's job of giving interest with it's uniquely shaped lanterns.

 

 

 

The extreme humidity has brought out a bumper crop of these.

 

A ruffled one.

 

You can see they grow where the grass doesn't.

 

 

In a short time the pinecone ginger cones have gone from this to this.....

 

 

 

This is how the ginger plant looks.

  

 

Lots of beautyberries reached maturity.

 

 

Once more the aloysia (almond) tree is in full bloom and full of bees and other insects. It is such a great smelling thing, how could we blame them for hanging out here. This blossom must be full of desirable nectar.

 

 

Slowly turning nandina berries.

 

 

A few blossoms on the Texas Sage.

 

 

Roses always struggle here through the summer but, the old garden roses hang on and most are beginning to bloom more and have bigger flowers.

 

 

Louis Philipe

 

 

And last but not least, one of my favorite, recent photos and the one that got so much response on Facebook - a Zebra Longwing swallowtail, Florida's state butterfly. 

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