Uh oh, garden needs attention!

The recent paint color post hi-lighted what I already knew: gardens are somehow entwined with so much of my life, even when much of them are dormant, even when it doesn't directly relate. Here's another example.

I've waited 3 years for this. The fact that it finally came on a frigid winter day & it was 30 degrees in my house, well, that was a small price to pay after all the waiting.

Before (I'm all for the retro 70s look, but...):

During (I could hardly take this one, since my hands were BLUE by this point, but somehow I managed, chattering teeth & all):
After (Now I need to get that bannister to match the door):
First thought after it was complete: Now people will come to my front door. Hmmm. I really have to get working on the landscaping out there!

Wintry garden

All through December I put this post off until I had some good photos to go with it. I never got any photos -- even not-so-good ones.
In December, my Mediterranean white heath was in full bloom. I have some white heather too -- similar, & closely related. It's blooming now, but nearly finished. These are evergreen plants, & the only things in my garden that bloom this time of year. They're subtle, blooming in masses of tiny white bells...but being surrounded by dead brown stuff makes them standouts nonetheless.
I had 2 other kinds, whether heaths or heathers I don't recall, that were supposed to bloom other times of year. One had a golden foliage & rose flowers, the other was green with bronzey blooms. I planted these in July. Then I went out of town. Genius, huh? One I'm sure is entirely dead, but the other might have a breath left in it. We'll see in spring.
Because the ones I planted in spring (& actually cared for) have done well for 2 years (& spread), & because they stay beautifully green & bloom even if it's freezing, I think it's worth investing in more colors/varieties of these winter gems....

Energizer flowers. They just keep going & going &....

The garden doesn't know it's mid-November. Apparently, it hasn't realized either that we've had a few light frosts, & one morning below freezing.

Six kinds of mums are still blooming, but this isn't a huge surprise.

Neither is it much of a to-do that the blue woods aster is still blooming. Every spring & summer, when it's doing nothing but growing into a bigger & bigger bundle of not-so-interesting little green leaves, I ask myself why I bother to leave it in that prominent spot in the pot between the two garage doors. Every October when it's one of the last things to burst into full bloom, I remember why. Every November, when the leaves turn anywhere from a warm golden yellow to a creamy soft red, & it's still covered with masses of those tiny blue daisy-like flowers, I'm certain it's in the perfect spot.

Even later to bloom are the grand, towering monkshoods. They are grand because they can stand over 5' tall, & are sturdy enough to not need staked. They are grand because when most everything else is nearly done for the year, they have luscious, full buds. They are grand because they start blooming when many of the perennials at their feet have leaves already crispy & brown. They are grand because once they start blooming, there can be 2 months of flowers from the same plant, starting at the top, then gradually opening up clusters all the way down the stem. They are grand because the deer tend to leave them alone. They are grand because the flowers are somewhat translucent, & the sun shines right through them, showing you the dark veins that run through each one. They are grand because they do all of this in the SHADE under our white pines in the back, & under the huge maple on the side of our house.

No, as amazing as they are, the monkshoods aren't what's unusual right now.

Nobody told the 'White Swan' coneflowers it's mid-November. They're still going. Nobody told the Alyssum, or the 'Blue Hill' Salvia either. The Agastache doesn't seem to realize. The trumpet honeysuckle & the Heuchera are still forming new buds! The toad lily is still blooming. So are the 'Prairie Sun' Rudbeckia, & the catmint.

You don't hear me complaining.

Autumn blossoms (& berries)

Things are still blooming. I hate that it'll end soon, but... there's still time. I actually have a few stalwart perennials that be going in November, but the last month of having blossoms all over the yard of every shape & color is generally October.

Some of the October garden:

FAIR RESULTS

Yes, the results were fair! No, my plant photo that got the vote here did not get the vote at the fair. (What won? A photo of a weed! Um, uhhhh...wildflower, I mean.) Altogether, the kids & I had 15 entries. Drumroll, please:

Aislinn:

Art: drawing -- crayon 2nd place

Pumpkin extravaganza -- painted/decorated, not carved 1st place!Keegan:

Specimen plants -- cultivated berried branch 2nd place

Lynette:

Specimen plants -- favorite flower honorable mention (4th)

Specimen plants -- Chrysanthemum: single/daisy, sm/med honorable mention (4th)

Specimen plants -- fresh bloom collection, 5+ species 3rd place

Photography -- black & white: reflection, refraction, shadow 2nd placeSpecimen plants -- Rudbeckia 1st place

Specimen plants -- fresh bloom collection, 5+ species, perennials only 1st place

And of course we all left with plenty of ideas for what we'll do next year...!

Unionville Community Fair

Every year the kids & I enter the Unionville Community Fair (http://ucfairinc.org/). This year, one of the categories I thought it would be fun to try is:

SECTION 003
Adult Photography
Color
1981 Flowers(s) Plant(s)

I'm not much of a photographer -- to me it's about the plants, not the pictures of them! -- but since I already have all of these plant photos anyway....

I've chosen a few from this year's blog posts, & reposted them below. To the right of this (top of the column), you'll see a poll asking you which photo you think I should enter. (I should've done this sooner, I know -- have to turn it in two days from now! Like I say every year at fair time: NEXT YEAR!) I need help to choose the photo that best fits what they're basing the judging on, as described here:

RULES AND REGULATIONS

9. Each exhibit will be judged on the following:
a. Technical aspects such as composition,
lighting, cropping, etc.
b. Meeting the stated class description/theme.
c. Impact on the viewer – does it catch and
hold your interest?

I started with 10 photos, but I realized that when I look at them I can't help but think of the live plant. I tried to narrow it down based on the impact of the photo itself. Here are the four I'm considering:

The neglected garden

It's a rainy day. Finally.

I ought to be sorting through the 2 weeks of mail & school papers on my desk. Instead -- or at least first -- I thought I'd put up some of the (very few) garden photos I've taken lately.

August is the height of the Garden Doldrums. May/June is a blooming festival. Lots of things that languished in the July/August heat & humidity (& add to that this year's lack of rainfall) are starting to perk back up. A few are just hitting their peak now. Yet others (the hardy mums, the 'Autumn Bride' heuchera, the blue woods aster, the monkshood) are still in progress -- buds at this point, with the promise of becoming the season's last hurrah in October & November.

These are the recent & current bloomers -- few, & much appreciated:

Sizzling in the garden

These can take the heat!

Through the Roof!

We live about 3 minutes from the incredible Longwood Gardens (http://www.longwoodgardens.org/).
Their century plant - Agave americana, has decided to bloom. If you're not familiar with this plant, this is quite an event! Weird, wild, & wonderful.... Check it out here: http://longwoodgardens.org/CenturyPlant2007.html Keep scrolling down for the full story.

Fabulously Florifrous