"One of the most delightful things about a garden is the anticipation it brings."

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

So, how's the weather?

I've realized that I talk about our weather fairly often in my blog.  I guess that's what people bring up when they are having a hard time trying to start up a conversation.  Aside from the rain today, there really isn't much happening garden related.  I tried to be creative and take pictures by standing on the porch and showing views from our front door, but realized that this is the day before garbage day and the background would be full of garbage cans and parked cars.  So that topic was out.  Then I thought I'd take some nice raindrop pictures, but the wind kept blowing as I tried to focus the camera.  The thought of taking the end of month view pictures came up, but after looking at the dying Japanese Maple I decided it was too depressing to show the tree even worse looking than last month (click here to see last month's end of month view).
One new thing I noticed was that the magnolia tree seems to have flower buds forming.  It never bloomed this spring... is it normal to bloom in the fall?  Other than that, not much is happening today.
So instead I just took pictures with no real topic behind this post other than I thought they looked pretty.

Fuchsia 'Pat's Dream'

Rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton' is finally trying to bloom.   Her last buds were all broken off by a basketball mishap.  I guess the rain will prevent anyone from playing sports in the driveway.

The unknown pink rose.

Pink Flower Carpet rose

Juicy looking pears!  I'm trying to figure out when to pick them, any suggestions?

Salvia on it's second bloom after being cut all the way back a month ago.

Black-eyed Susans

This Salvia is just now blooming for the first time this "summer".

How do you come up with topics, especially on days that there doesn't seem to be something going on but have some pictures to share?  Do you like the topic to be thought provoking or educational?  Do you talk about your weather?  I know some people may find weather topics uninteresting, but I honestly like hearing what it's doing in other parts of the world and how it affects the garden.  
So, how is your weather today?
Pin It

43 comments:

  1. I don't have any answers, as far as blog subjects. Sometimes I'll post a nice pic "wordless". I have many pics that I saved, but never posted, for the same reason as you. I'm still learning about pears, but I've read if you lift them up and sort of to the side, they'll come loose when they're ripe. So far, I've gotten mixed results, though.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Catherine, You sure have shared some lovely flower close-ups. The details are just lovely. I enjoy hearing about weather from bloggers everywhere. Many of us lately have shared the space where we blog from; many times the different memes around are a good way to use photos that otherwise I don't know what to say about. Such as Colors on Monday by Jen (click on my sidebar for details.) I had taken photos of peppers at the vegetable market and yesterday's color was green - so I shared the pretty green peppers. Also, it's fun to try and take shadow shots and reflection photos. Quite the challenge too. Hope these ideas help but you have one of THE BEST blogs ever, so you don't need help from me. Hope the girls are enjoying school.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Catherine, I think it is difficult for all of us this time of year to find something we need to talk about. I really hate to show my beaten up plants as I know it's not what people want to see.

    The pears are beginning to show a pinkish cast, they do look like they are ripening.

    Eileen

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's beautiful! I had a fuchsia plant once. It was given to me as a houseplant. I didn't realize it was an outside plant so it died. :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like all of those, thought provoking, educational, weather . . . and you seem to do what I like since I keep coming back and enjoy reading your blog. I love when you walk us through your gardens and tell what you've done and what you have planted. It helps me to think about placement of my plants. Loving this rain and NEEDING this rain!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes PRETTY !
    Amazing colors with your Fuchsia.
    Sometimes pictures say it all.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like to hear about other topics or hobbies that bloggers have , as much as about their gardens. I'm an Art Lover and a garden lover. Plus I write about Christian topics. I bet you have hobbies or causes or interests besides gardening..throw those in. Not that a woman who has 481 FOLLLOWERS needs any advice from moi !!!!!! take care, Gina

    ReplyDelete
  8. My weather today was hot, again.

    Sometimes, I have a plan to do a post; and other times, something just comes up!

    I like your rain kissed flower photos.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, Catherine - your pictures are gorgeous! I say pick the pears when they are ripe, he he!!

    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well would you believe it has been raining for most of the day and we just finished having a hail storm. Honestly, this weather is something isn't it? It was 5c out this morning (40F) ~ now that is just a bit too nippy for the end of August don't you think?

    I think the weather topic is always intersting ~ especially this year where everyone's weather seems to be a little mixed up. Hot Dry Saskatchewan we are not this year!

    Your garden still looks very beautiful Catherine!
    xo Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oooh, those pears looks scrumptious! I love the roses too. So pretty.

    ReplyDelete
  12. As for weather here in Northwest Florida it actually got in the 70's last night and is to be that way all week. I can't even begin to tell you how happy that makes me. As for posts, I love your blog so no input from me on that.

    ReplyDelete
  13. There's no harm in posting a random collection of pretty things now and then. I've done it myself! I usually enjoy inspirational garden blogs like Clay and Limestone, but can seldom think of things like that myself. She always sounds like a greeting card to me! I also very much enjoy the humour of May Dreams Gardens, and Joey's style of photo collages and recipes at The Village Voice. Mine is more of a journal of whatever is blooming at any given time, like giving a daily tour of my garden. Whatever works for our own style! It would be boring if we were all the same.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sometimes I think you don't really need a topic, other than "I want to share these pictures with my followers." I certainly wouldn't mind a bit if you did that, since your pictures are so beautiful (that unknown rose, OMG!). And one reason there is so much talk about weather on gardening blogs is because it has such a major effect on what we do, so it's always interesting.

    Loved all your other pictures today too. Those pears look very close to ripe. I suppose if you see a squirrel trying to make off with one, you'll know it's time to pick them. You could also probably pick them now and put them on the counter to ripen, and they would taste just as good.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very beautiful images. I love the unknown pink rose. So delicate in color and form. Plants always look best after a rain.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Most pear varieties need to be picked in order to ripen properly. Think Playtex...lift and separate. If they don't separate from the branch when lifted, wait a little longer.

    Some pears, namely Bartletts, ripen with very little trouble in a single layer, in a box in the basement (that's where mine go, anyway). The winter pears are a pain in the bosc. Depending on variety they require an alchemy of cooling and/or ethylene gas (which can be provided by an apple or banana). Myself, I've never perfected the winter pear process.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Weather is always nice to hear about. I sure wish it would rain here! As far as topics, gosh, I have so many but never enough time to spend on the computer so I've restrained myself from posting. It is the everyday occurrences for me that I talk about. I don't try to be inspirational, or motivating or anything else, I simply try to share a piece of my garden with others. You do a fabulous job doing the same with yours as I love all your posts since you share the little things too. People like this I think. I know I do:)

    ReplyDelete
  18. It was very cold and rainy up here today - quite a change from the weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Brrr, that's cold! Sounds like temperatures that we might have (but thank goodness, don't!) ~ I hope it warms up soon.
    For having no topic, you did amazing. I would pick those pears now! They look delicious.
    I talk about the weather all the time in the winter but maybe not so much in the summer?? It's fine with me to hear about it in different parts of the country tho. It's been such a roller coaster. We need some rain here but I'm not wishing for it too hard ~ the sunny, hot days are good for me. :-)
    btw, love the fuchsia photo and the unknown pink rose is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Dear Catherine, Notwithstanding the rain, you have managed to post a series of lovely images which, maybe on account of the wet, look particularly fresh and appealing. Here in Budapest the weather has turned, much chillier than a few days ago and rain at night. I read yesterday that the first snow of winter has fallen on the mountains of Austria.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Sun is shining !!!!....no rain today ...i hope.....lovely day darling...like your pictures.............love Ria...

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi Catherine: Your garden still got a lot to enjoy. The weather this year... I hope we won't have the same again. Extremely long and cold winter, almost no spring at all, heat long over what's normal (I liket that part) and then rain, rain and then even more rain. Now the temperature is low, this is a normal temp. in oktober but in august! No, I long for the normal weather to come back and now I hope we'll get the "Indian summer" we're used to have in september/oktober / gittan

    By the way, my shop has it's own blog now. If you want to take a look inside you'll find it here:

    http://hemtrevligtuteinne.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Catherine, looking at pretty flowers is always a good topic for a post! No excuses necessary! Our weather is still dangerously dry, but the nights and mornings are cooler, a blessed relief after a very hot summer. We seem to have the opposite problem here as you, with the same results, only too hot for buds to set on some plants. It will get better. :-)
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  24. Less humid but still hot here. Sometimes randomness in posts are quite entertaining without much thought before hand.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ok our magnolia is reblooming too! Crazy, eh? It's done that before...
    Your garden looks great after the rain - looks like I'm getting the same weather as you!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Up here inb Maine it has been in the 90's for the last 3 days, so unusual for us and it has set records, so your rain photos are refreshing!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Catherine, I think it's good to describe the weather as you say it helps to understand what's happening in the garden. Here in Lazio, Italy it is still hot during the day but cool morning and evening, my garden suffers from hot wind in the afternoon so seeing your lovely GREEN images is lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Catherine the garden looks lovely after the rain..I love the roses and the fuchsia.

    We are going to dip down into the 60's starting friday.."Oooo! I'm not liking that!

    Yeah, I have hit a blank spot now that my garden has come to a stand still..

    This is one of the reasons that I named my blog Vetsy's view so that I can shift to other topics and my personal views about life, once my garden is done for the summer...

    ReplyDelete
  29. Those Fuchsia are glorious. Everything looks so refreshed after the rain and your garden as always - gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  30. What beautiful photos! I love how you captured the raindrops all over each one. I find that sometimes, I'll look through my photos and all of a sudden a topic or a common thread has emerged (like your raindrops maybe?). As for the weather, its very hot (95F) here in NY and humid. Hurricane Earl is supposed to blow through here tomorrow (hopefully more out to sea than inland) and then cooler weather this weekend. :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. I enjoy reading about the weather in other climates, and I enjoy random pictures. When I'm randomly reading, my attention is usually grabbed (or not) by the title of a post. If I particularly want to read about at topic, I might do a search for it. But primarily I enjoy blog posts that reveal something about the author. Sharing yourself is the best theme!

    ReplyDelete
  32. Absolutly stunning!!! The Fushia makes me swoon!

    ReplyDelete
  33. Whenever gardeners get together the weather and how it affects our gardens is discussed. Why should it be any different in the blogging world. I love hearing about what's going on on the other side of the world. My magnolia is flowering at the moment - but then it's Spring here :-)

    ReplyDelete
  34. Oh I am so thrilled to find your blog! Im in the PNW also. Today the weather is going to be fantastic to sit in the garden and snap photos! On my way out now!

    ReplyDelete
  35. How's the weather? Recently? 104F last Tuesday, and then 68 as a high at the end of the week. I think the weather is absolutely crazy this year, and for a change, a real topic of conversation around here, not just a conversation starter! :P The poor garden is bewildered, and all we can do is look forward to next year. On the upside, your garden seems very happy with the weather. Your pink mystery rose almost looks like a camellia blossom, it's beautiful, and I so miss having fuchsias around!

    ReplyDelete
  36. All of these photos and flowers are beautiful...the fuscia especially!

    ReplyDelete
  37. Your flowers look so fresh and lively. We're being dragged down by 95-99 degree heat and no rain again. Hurricane Earl is approaching our Outer Banks and we hope he stays out to sea and doesn't make landfall. Our poor Hatteras Island is so narrow and exposed.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Your unknown rose looks like "Heritage", a David Austen rose.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Hi Catherine. Hot and dry is the ongoing theme here. Maybe tomorrow we will get some rain but I am not holding my breath.
    Your Fuchsia always looks so pretty and even more with those water drops on the blooms.
    The carpet rose is just so pretty. Sorry I cannot help with the pears.In the store I always see if they are getting a little soft around the outside. Of course I am one of these people who has to touch everything. Worse than a kid LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Here in Ontario, Canada it's been a very hot and humid summer. Your pictures are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Catherine, I talk about the weather a lot too. I've always considered it a part of the gardening craft and year ago when I read a book on the subject for research for my column I discovered that I wasn't alone. Gardening and weather are intimately entwined. I even went so far recently to add another, smaller weather gadget on my sidebar that includes Celsius for our non-American friends.

    I also like to read about the weather of the garden bloggers I'm visiting. I sets the mood. It tells the reader a lot about what's happening without going into much more detail. In other words if I read that the weather has been perfect for gardening, I get really jealous [kidding] and figure the writer has had lots of garden time. Or if they've just had a hurricane pass through, there's probably some clean up to do.

    That said, go ahead and write about the weather--this is my advice for what it's worth. It may seem redundant but it's part of who we are.

    Coming up with topics? I don't blog more than once or twice a week and usually an idea will just pop into my head or I'll be rummaging through photos or the garden and think of something.

    The mystery rose looks suspiciously like 'Eden.' It's fabulous!!

    ReplyDelete
  42. What is the name of that pink salvia? We're so used to see the blue/purple salvia, that color looks like it is a nice change.

    ReplyDelete
  43. mystery rose is likely Austin's Heritage as someone else said. Blows quickly, lovely scent, good bloomer, fairly thornless- does that fit?

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to visit and leave a comment. I try my very best to answer any questions you may have, but usually don't have time to respond to each comment. Please leave a link to your blog so I can visit you in return.