The Continued Saga in the Raised Beds...

She heard a cough and turned her head.
Perhaps she should have stopped, instead.
His voice was very soft and low,
His words? "You know I soon must go...



Fall is coming; Winter's cold I dread,
I thank you for the board and bread..."
Long and drawn-out, a silence ensued,
and then she completely became unglued!



"Please don't, I beg..." 'twas next he said,
as he humbly stood and bowed his head.
"Perhaps," she said, "it is my heart..."
then she proceeded to fall apart!

Now, of course... I should have ended here... but, no. I don't always know when to quit! ;-)

So, here's a little more...

"Perhaps, again... as I travel next year...
Do you think I might... be welcomed here?"
She looked at him, with downcast eye,
and said, "As surely as Winter snow doth fly!"


(So far, so good...)


He smiled at her quite tenderly
And he could quite, and plainly, see
That while it was she that couldn't go...
She would certainly need help to avoid Winter's snow!


(or)


He smiled at her quite tenderly
And he could quite, and plainly, see
That while she seemed to care so much,
She was going to need Shady Gardener's touch!


(or)


He smiled at her quite tenderly;
Tho' he could quite, and plainly, see
that perhaps her temperament he might pardon...
Was there really room for two in this garden?


(or...)


Do you have a suggestion?

:-)

Have fun!
Shady G.

Perhaps you missed out on the original post? Click here.

Green Thumb Sunday

Garden Bloomers' Bloom Day
(on the 15th of the month - follow this link!)
and
Green Thumb Sunday
click on this link or
check the right side-bar!

Join today!

Yes, there are some great things blooming here today!
These three photos are of the crazy-bright impatiens
(which I Really Love!)
and the items sharing their beds... :-)
How many times have I mentioned that they self-seeded again this year?

The following few photos are of plants in the south raised beds.
Here's the Obedient Plant, "Vivid."
It has no choice but to be obedient, due to the fact that it's confined in a raised bed.
(At least I hope that's the way it works!) ;-)This is Aster "Alert."
(These aren't tall plants... just another close-up!)

Here's another plant in bloom in the raised beds...
"Turtlehead" Chelone Obliqua
I'm sure you can tell why it's called "Turtlehead!" :-)

I like that hosta plants bloom at all different times. These have just begun!
This is an unnamed variety in northeast shady bed.This is "Sugar & Cream" on east side of house.
You can catch a glimpse of more hosta...
but what do you think of putting some impatiens
in the tree?
(I'll work on a better planter next year! ha.)Another unnamed variety in south woodland walk.

Earlier I'd posted photos of my tricyrtis.
This first photo shows 'Seiryu', which has just begun to bloom.This is 'Shining Light', also just beginning to bloom!
Notice the fuzzy buds of the upcoming blossoms. :-)

And 'Lightning Strikes' is closer to blooming!

I was certain that, when I planted these 5 Springs ago,
I had two different varieties of Lilyturf, Liriope Spicata...
but in doing a Google-search, I'm finding only one
type of the variety that I have.
Oh, well. Some of them have lavender blossoms.

And some of them have pink blossoms.
If you can help me with this, I'd appreciate it!
And here are a few more soft colors!
Anemones (they were here when we came)
of an unknown species...
most of which are turning a pale pink.
And next to the anemone is an Autumn Joy sedum.

Please be patient with this little video.
I took a steadier one later, but I couldn't help showing you
how the bumble bee met up with a crab spider! ;-)

It feels as though we're really on the last legs of Summer.
In fact, Fall is definitely beginning to show signs of moving in.
But, I couldn't help walking around with the camera today...
just to take a few more photographs.

Hope you've enjoyed the tour as much as I did! :-)

---Shady Gardener

Would you like to see my Aunt MEA's yard?

Here's a link to a post I just did on "Making Memories." :-)

Everything's Coming Up... Roses? Not!

We have had frequent visitors this summer!

Just as in any other circumstance,
visitors come in a host of shapes and sizes.


See?
A few more?
and Again?

This, too?


But, what about this phenomenon?

These popped up towards the end of August.

Another odd thing is that when it rains, unlike the earlier visitors,
these last two fellows disappear completely,
and when it's sunny, they pop up again!

What do you think? :-)

Did you notice the cute little hostas below those umbrellas?
They're enjoying a break from longer stretches of direct sunlight,
due to the removal of our large tree canopy August 1st.

P.S. Did you also notice the sparse grass in the last photo? Towards the end of July, I noticed squirrels industriously working in the lawn and carrying off mouthsful of grass! When I returned home mid-August, there were large bare spots in the lawn! This has been since corrected, as I've sown grass seed and it's growing nicely! :-)

Sick Tricyrtis

Say "Ah!"
Patient: Tricyrtis 'Matzukaze'
Yep, your throat is coated...

This is a closer view of the same ill fellow.

Below is his brother.
This is the plant that had suffered due to drought.
At least, that's what I blamed the struggling foliage on.
And this is his flower...

I'm headed outdoors to yank these plants out of the gardens and place them directly into the garbage. However, you might like to read this article by Chris Wilson of Hallson Gardens.

My next step is to contact the company from which I received these plants.

We Just Returned Home...

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late...
sounds like the White Rabbit.
In this case, I have no time to
post. I have no time to mae
banana bread, I have no time
to show photos of what we did
this weekend...

I must finish a quilt this
morning. All I have to do is to
handstitch the border around
the edge. Then I'll take a photo
and add it to the bottom of this
post! (She turns 3 on Thursday.
Today is Tuesday. I Must get
this in the mail today!!!)
:-) :-} :-> This is the look of a
determined "Grandma!"

I've finished! Now all I have
to do is wrap and mail it.

I thought you might like to
see some of the details, however.

The binding (around the edges)
was created by sewing a variety
of 2 1/2" by 6 1/2" rectangles together by mitering the corners. After making a long-enough binding strip, I folded it in half, laid the "raw edges" on top of the raw edges of the quilt and machine stitched them together. Then, folding the binding over to the back side, I proceeded to hand-stitch the folded edge of the binding to the back side of the quilt. Voila!! :-)

Thanks for your confidence, and your encouraging remarks!

What's Happening with the Toad Lilies these days?

This little sketch shows the locations of my
Tricyrtis Hirta plants (little green dots).

This really is Tricyrtis hirta, "Blue Wonder" in the front yard bed.
There are two plants here.

(An earlier photo showed more red... must have been the light.)

This is Tricyrtis hirta, "Matzukaze"
Three poor plants that got very dry during those first
2 1/2 weeks of August while I was gone.
I see some new growth, though.
Hopefully they pull through.
(There are flower buds, too. We'll see.)

This is Tricyrtis, "Lightening Strikes."
It really is much brighter than this photo shows...
Again, it's all about the light and the time of day.

This is Tricyrtis hirta, "Gilt Edge"
This Tricyrtis hirta is "Shining Light."
(two plants)

This Tricyrtis hirta is called "Seiryu."
It's in a pretty shady area, the north edge of the
under-the-trees, shady east side of the house.
(close-up)
There are three plants, here .
This is the shady back of the house (faces east, under the trees).
These, too, are Tricyrtis hirta, "Matsukaze"
Tricyrtis hirta, "Variegata" has been here 4 years.
Doesn't seem to get any larger, but it is
propagating!

I had purchased two Tricyrtis three or four years ago. Those were the "Variegata" and "Lightening Strikes" varieties. I was very tempted by all the new varieties this past Winter... hence, the new plantings. Aren't they great, though?

Just thought you'd like a peek at where the shade is around here. :-_)