Friday, September 06, 2013

Gardening in September

Crisp air, bright blue skies and the grass finally turned green again!  Hello September :)  I do love September and the approaching fall weather, but I'm going to miss summer this year. 

I've enjoyed gardening this year more than most because I was able to share it all through my blog.  I do most of my gardening in the backyard, and the gardens in the front yard tend to suffer.  I hope to remedy that next year and plan on redoing the front garden so it's not all caving in on itself by mid-summer.

My zinnias are doing great in the little walled garden around the patio.  Planted from seeds in various locations around the yard, this is the only spot they really took, and I love the colours and the variations of the blooms as they mature.


The love-lies-bleeding is an annual favourite of mine too ... such an old-fashioned looking flower.   I was unable to find new seeds this year, but this is one of three that did come up from last year's seed packet.  The tails just keep getting bigger and bigger.  I wonder if I can dry them and harvest the seeds.  Should google that and see what I can find out.

 
I've transplanted a few black-eyed Susans around the yard from my original two little pots from the nursery years ago.  They do so well in my garden, and I love the bright sunny smiles in the late summer.  I did have some Shasta daisies planted alongside them in one garden, but the daisies don't last long enough for my liking and I think I may just pull them out.  The balloon flowers are just about finished too, and the bees have pretty much ripped apart the last of the blooms.


My son's pond garden looked good this year with the ornamental grasses we chose.  The grasses really give it a natural look, and it hides the pond garden from the patio, making it a secret garden in this quiet little spot.  Love it!

I planted a row of morning glories along the fence, and they're in full bloom now.   An amazing shade of blue ("heavenly blue"), reminds me of September skies.  My brother sort of ruined my happiness for these vines when he told me this is a weed out in BC, and it just grows over everything.  "Who would want that in their garden?!" he asked me.  Well, um, me!!  My mother and grandmother both loved this blue flower too.


I hope they seed themselves down and come up again in the same spot next year too :)





I have a nice little stand of turtlehead flowers that come out late in summer and are at their peak now.  The bees love these flowers when not much else is blooming.

 


Next spring I'm going to transplant some of this group to a new location ... somewhere more visible, maybe the walled patio garden.

 
I'm going to miss lounging out on the patio come winter ... I'm already hesitating about sitting out there now as the temperatures have really dropped this week.




More morning glories that I planted under the bird feeder.  I want to put seeds in the birdfeeder, but I'm afraid the squirrels will tear apart the morning glory.

 
And that's about all that's happening in the garden this week.
 
Thanks for stopping by!
 
Wendy
 
Linking up with:
 
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34 comments:

  1. I can see why you want to stick back there Wendy. It's beautiful! The weather is changing a bit too quickly for me. :)

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    1. Thanks Jo, I do like lazing around ;) Can you believe we had the a/c on last week ... tonight I wouldn't mind a bit of a fire in the fireplace to take the chill off ... changing too quickly for me too!

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  2. Hey you!!! I'm laughing because someone said the same thing to me about morning glories. I still love them too!!!! Your zinnias are gorgeous!!! I absolutely love their color and form! And I need to plant more black eyed Susan's next year!!! Your garden is outstanding!!!!! thank you for sharing it with us!!!!

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    1. I guess if you want a plant in your garden, it's no longer a weed. I wouldn't want them growing all over everything though, and next year I have to put something like lattice up on that fence so they'll keep off my black currant bush & lilac & clematis etc etc (hmmm, maybe it is a bit of a nuisance!). I love black-eyed Susans and will spread them around further next year too.

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  3. Thank you for the lovely tour of your gardens, etc. Oh how beautiful it all is. Relaxing looking too. But there's nothing relaxing, about keeping after gardens. You do a wonderful job.

    Mmmm, don't think I've ever seen the love-lies-bleeding before. What an interesting one, it is.

    Tessa~

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed the little tour Tessa. You're right, gardening is a lot of work, but the hard part for me is always springtime (I'm lazy about it when fall arrives). Love-lies-bleeding is very special ... the colour is more a deep wine (all the photos here are a bit faded to what they are in reality), and the "tails" are very soft.

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  4. Hi Wendy, what a lovely garden and that patio... to die for!:D Tell your brother, by the way, he's a guy and a brother so what does he know?!LOL! Anyway, morning glories are coveted here in New Hampshire and grown everywhere, NOT a weed! You don't see them anywhere they haven't been planted. So everything is relative... if you like it then that is enough said!:D
    Hugs and enjoy the weekend my sweet blogging sister

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    1. It's a very private little patio now what with grasses & zinnias. My brother actually has a much nicer garden than I do, but he has the benefit of practically year-round gardening out in Victoria. He's been out there for so long that I guess he forgets how much our mom loved the morning glories, and apparently they don't die back in his very short winter. Have a great weekend!

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  5. I love the photo of your patio and the arbor!! What a beautiful yard!! I saw the turtlehead flowers for the first time ever last weekend and I loved them. I'd like to add it to my garden next year. I've heard the same about morning glories but my mom grows them and they are pretty and have they ever dressed up your fence!! It doesn't feel like fall here at all and hopefully we will have an extended summer this year. We have the best summers ever here and I'll miss the season once it gets cold.

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    1. Thanks for all these nice comments Stacy. I bought the turtlehead for my mom one year, and then picked some up for me too. Full sun! They're great because they stand up straight & tall and look nice even before the flowers appear in late summer. We're getting our first chill of fall this week :( It turned so suddenly, and I feel a bit conspicuous wearing capris & sandals!

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  6. Your garden is so pretty and the plants look like they're still doing great. Your patio looks so nice, a really peaceful place to sit.

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    1. Thanks Jennifer, I really do love my backyard gardens, and still have lots of plans in my head for next year!

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  7. I love morning glories too :) Your garden is looking fabulous, Wendy, all so beutiful and well attended. Thanks for the tour, I love the photos!
    Have a happy weekend :)

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    1. Ahhh, a fellow morning glory fan ;) Thanks Hilde, I think it looks better attended in the photos than if you were to walk around in person, but I've enjoyed caring for it all this summer. You have a happy weekend too!

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  8. Hi Wendy, I toured through your lovely garden, admiring all the pretty flowers and plants. I specially like the Zinnias, they always bring back fond memories of my childhood home.
    Have a lovely weekend...
    -Gaia

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    1. Hi Gaia, my mom always had zinnias growing in her gardens too ... I'm glad they brought back some good memories for you too :)

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  9. So beautiful! I could sit out on your patio and crochet the day away. The weather here is so humid and blah right now. My plants have not done well over the summer and some, of course, always die because of the heat. No amount of watering can help at times. Everything is so dusty, too. I think it is funny that a morning glory is considered a noxious weed. It is so very pretty and when you live in the desert, if anything blooms on its own, it is certainly most welcome. Folks are always trying to tame the wild. I say EMBRACE IT! :) Have a wonderful weekend. Tammy

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    1. It must be a great challenge to garden in such a harsh climate. You always show such huge beautiful blooms on your blog! I wouldn't mind the heat & humidity (it's usually very humid here in summer as we're right beside a big lake), but the dust would drive me crazy. I still consider the morning glory a "cultivated" flower, and am happy with the results this year ;)

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  10. Your garden looks wonderful. I suppose I could have guessed that you love the fresh start that September brings just by the name of your blog! Thanks for leaving me a comment.

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    1. Hi Gina, and since I was born in September, I've always thought it was the BEST month ;)

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  11. Still lots of lovely blooms in your garden. Loved all the different views of the garden. I'm visiting from Cottage Garden party.

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to stop by Linda ... I'm glad you enjoyed my garden. After a busy weekend, I've now got some time to tour the rest of the Cottage Garden party!

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  12. Hello Wendy
    Haven't we had crazy weather? Hubby put the fireplace in the family room on last night.
    I love the wall of morning glories and that shade of blue is the best. One of my turtle head plantings will have to be moved because of something else crowding them out. I have 2 shades of pink and white.
    Enjoy your weekend, raining here again this morning.
    Judith

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    1. Yes, a little too quick in the change of weather! I'm happy with the wall of blue too ;) My turtle head flowers are also being crowded out by a large elderberry bush (that I sort of wish I hadn't planted in the same garden). I have to rework that garden completely next spring when the plants are a bit more manageable in size.

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  13. WOW!!! Spectacular Morning glories and the TurtleHead is Stunning!Great Blooms:)

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    1. Thanks for visiting Deidre, and I'm glad you enjoyed the flowers :)

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  14. Beautiful garden, those morning glories are wonderful! :) x

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  15. Such a pretty garden Wendy! Everything looks so vibrant and healthy. I love the Morning Glory up the bird feeder - so pretty! Hope you have a wonderful week ahead enjoying lots of relaxing moments in that lovely garden of yours. Mel x

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    1. Thank you Mel ... most things are dying down now, but we're still able to enjoy some bright sunny weather out in the garden for a bit longer.

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  16. Your garden is beautiful! I really love the pink turtleheads!

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    1. Thank you! I'm glad you stopped by for a visit :)

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  17. The colour is disappearing rapidly from our gardens - thanks for a vibrant injection of zingyness to brighten the day!
    Ali x

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  18. Your garden is beautiful and the patio looks like a beautiful spot to sit and enjoy it.

    Thank you for your recent visit and I apologize for being slow in coming to see you here.

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Thanks so much for leaving a comment, it's nice to know when you've stopped by! :)

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