Monday, August 31, 2009

Last Day of August 2009


It's been a great gardening summer. Only one stretch of 100 degree heat that I can remember--and that was in June. Otherwise, we've had nice rain and mild temps. So bring on the fall! Mums are already blooming. And the pumpkins are coming!
Here you can see I let the poke grow all summer just for these berries. Now I have to get it cut right away so I won't have an overrun next year. Although it may be too late already!

A Nap Disturbed

I have to move? So you can vacuum? We just did that yesterday!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Saturday Bouquet

I am loving all these green and white zinnias. Added here a few hosta leaves and the passion flower vine.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

BoS Part III

Check out the BoS garden blog here. Lots more pictures with names of the plants used and other great gardening information. I can't wait to try a little slice of this in our front yard next year. Now how am I going to remember to do that?

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Monday, August 24, 2009

BoS

This is the flower bed at my bank. But I have to warn you, these pictures may trigger an urge to rip out 90% of your perennials and replace them with hundreds of glorious annual foliages!


Wednesday, August 19, 2009

by Kathryn Mahaffey

Here's the winning floral design from the On My Own Time exhibit. The designer is Kathrn Mahaffey. Very pretty.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Another OMOT Artist

Loved this one by Pamela Speer.


Thursday, August 13, 2009

Hosta Flowers

I took this vase to work yesterday, and my office smells so good! I love hosta blooms when they are just beginning. They don't stay pretty on the plant very long, so cutting them for a vase makes sense. Much more fun than cutting old ratty flower stalks off the plant later.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Canna Bengal Tiger

Canna blooms aren't my favorite--the foliage is the real star with cannas. The blooms don't last long, but I caught this one at just the perfect moment.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Happy Birthday Kathy

Well, I'm not sure that the corsage fully worked today, but I sure got lots of compliments on it and it seemed to make other people smile. Someone asked me if it was a special occasion, and I remembered that today is Kathy's birthday! So everytime someone mentioned the corsage, I thought of Kathy. Hope she had a really great birthday.

Wednesday Corsage

Did I tell you about the great day I had last week when I wore a corsage? I went downtown at lunch and found a parking place right outside the door, work was a breeze--it was just an all-round terrific day. Let's see if that can happen again!

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

More Favs

from the On My Own Time art exhibit. This one is Rough Day by Meredith Mahoney, Illinois State Museum.

This is a terrible shot, but I wanted to tell you about Gale Myers. I love her photos. Her family owned an art house here in Springfield for years. I just found her website, and she has a whole collection of fun tractor photos!

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Book Reports

I love to read out on the boat while Mark fishes. And I love to read in the car while he drives. It's harder to resist all the distractions when I'm home. The tv calls, the garden calls, the computer really calls. . . The boat and the car are great reading places because those distractions are far away.

I finished The Last Bookstore in America. Written by Amy Stewart who wrote Flower Confidential and Wicked Plants. It was such a cute, lighthearted story. Found out about it over on her blog Dirt. (I have to plant one of those caster bean plants next year--I remember Emma or maybe Addie planting those in Pine Knot. Okay, so they are poisonous. And huge. I've got just the spot for one!)

Anyway, Last Bookstore is a quick easy fun read. And it sounds like she had a fun time writing it too.

Also finished A New Earth. It had lots of thoughtful points in it that I would ordinarily underline in a paper version of a book, so I tried out the highlighting tool on my Kindle. We'll see if I can get back to them.

Tonight I have some reading I have to do before work tomorrow. And I can already hear this computer calling my name. . .

More on Container Management

This container is turning out really pretty. The hybiscus is from The Farm and it's perennial, so I'll have to find a home for it this fall. The japanese beetles think it's put there to be their snack food. I was knocking them off into soapy water for a while, but then I got tired and now I just knock them off. I know they'll come back, but at least I make them have to work a little harder.

The crack in the container started out as a hairline when I planted it. It's growing along with the rootball.

All summer I've been using flower food that Kathy sent to me a while back--Super Bloom by GreenLight, 12-55-6. I used the last of it a few weeks ago and then started using the common-type food that's everywhere. You probably know which one I mean. A big difference. Fewer blooms, and some drooping foliage. Not good.

So I went over to see Gayle at the Apple Barn for a consult. She says I'm not feeding enough and that the plants are starving. She recommends Ferli-lome's Blooming & Rooting Food. 9-59-8. Full strength, most days. So that's the new plan. As for the crack, I'm okay with it cracking wide open as long as the blooms keep going til frost!