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

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Rainy garden.

I was finally able to get out and walk around the garden yesterday while the rain stopped falling for awhile, it's been pouring since then though.  Things are looking really good and I'm so glad that there is still so much happening since I didn't really enjoy the garden as much as usual this summer.  There is quite a bit of color and I'm really anxious to start doing some fall planting.

The hummingbird resting on the Dogwood tree had been enjoying the Monarda 'Jacob Cline'.  I've said it before, but really if you want hummingbirds to visit, plant 'Jacob Cline'.  Even as the flowers are drying up they still cause the hummingbirds to fight over them.  The Littlest Gardener, the neighbor cat and I stood within 5 feet of this one while she was sipping the nectar, not bothered in the slightest by us standing and talking.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is turning red now.  I plan to buy more of this (even though I know it's very easy to divide), and add it to a few spots that could use a little color now.

The front view of the house is one place I plan to add some, right behind the Lamb's Ear.

Verbena bonariensis is really popular with the hummingbirds too now.  They rest on the long stems and reach their beaks towards the flowers.  Each year I love this flower more, it's coming up everywhere.

The newest David Austin rose in our garden is 'Lady Emma Hamilton', she's finally blooming and is covered in beautiful buds.  It smells as good as it looks too!  Right after this picture was taken I cut the two open flowers to bring inside to enjoy.

One of Lady Emma's buds resting in some Cosmos foliage.  The Cosmos have suddenly decided to sprout, wonder if they'll make it to blooming?

I collected seeds from Veronica 'Lilac Fantasy' last fall and they are already blooming.  They are a bit darker than the original plant.  Tina are yours blooming?  I promised seeds to some other bloggers, but the first ones molded, I'm hoping to get more seeds soon so I can share them.

The pink Flower Carpet rose is making it's way across the walkway.  It's too pretty to cut right now and luckily it hardly has any thorns.  There's a lot blooming along this walkway.  The sick Japanese Maple leaves have all turned brown and are really hanging on for dear life.

I found a "new" old watering can this weekend at an antique store in an extremely cute town called Port Gamble.  I was having battery issues so didn't end up with many pictures.  Port Gamble is a historical old mill town on the Kitsap Pennisula founded in 1853.  Most of the old homes and buildings are surrounded by old white picket fences and beautiful gardens.  We rode the Kingston Ferry across the Puget Sound to get there.  Definitely a fun day trip.

As you can see by the last picture I'm beginning to accumulate plants for containers and the rest of the garden.  Today I plan to visit one of my favorite nurseries for their 2 for 1 perennial sale if it ever stops raining.  Then the next sunny day I'll have lots of fun getting  all my newest additions planted.
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36 comments:

  1. Catherine ~ I love all of your blooms at this time of year. It's amazing how much color you still have there. It was raining here earlier, but right now the sun is shining and it is very humid and hot out still.

    Your sedum blooms are a wonderful color.

    You really take some great hummer shots.

    Enjoy your gardens, new 'old' watering can, and the goodies you find today at the sale.

    FlowerLady

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  2. beautiful garden and photos!
    Kisses.

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  3. What a sweet hummer photo.
    You have some great plans for the sedum placement and the roses are great. I'd leave them across the walkway too. I like your "new" watering can. I want to find a nice galvanized watering can but I'm being picky. :-) Haven't found the right one yet. Hope you get to plant your news flowers soon.

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  4. I so wish I could capture a pic of a hummingbird! It's on my bucket list. They never seem to land in my yard. I must not have the right things planted. I do love the view at the front of your home. Nature greets visitors right from the street. You may have inspired me to head to the local nursery. If it stops raining here too!
    Brenda

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  5. I do hope it stops raining for you soon. I seem to have been doing more pruning than anything else. Though I did spend a few hours battling with a now ex pond. The liner had been punctured several times by something (cat, fox, crow?) and I decided it wasn't worth the effort of patching. We still have two :)

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  6. Beautiful pictures of the beautiful garden!

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  7. Catherine, Call me a snob but I ONLY use vintage watering cans. I figure if they were good enough for our forefathers and ancestors, why not me? I love the patina and history behind them. Yours is a great find with the ROSE still intact. Did you know they call the spout-end a rose? Often times they'll be rusted off. Yours is awesome. One word of warning, if I may. If you leave your watering can out in winter with water in it and it freezes, the bottom will expand like a balloon and make it all topsy turvey. Best to keep them under cover during the coldest days. I've learned this the hard way but fortunately silicone can make it water tight again and a hammer can remove the topsy turviness of the the mistake.

    Pretty soon you'll be looking for old vintage buckets I predict. :) A girl after me-own heart.

    Not as much rain down here although yesterday it poured. I got lawn fertilizer sprinkled on my back lawns. This is about it. Lots more computer time though so it all works out. :)

    Love your flowers!

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  8. Good morning Catherine. Isn't that Lady Emma rose such a gorgeous color? Love the apricot petals.Your sedums are so pretty. Nice of that hummer to pose for you. Great capture. New goodies for the containers sounds so good. Mine are so crappy looking now. Worse in years.I probably will get some pansies for mine when we go to the craft show this month.
    Have a great week.

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  9. I am envious of all the color you have this time of year girl! Everything looks so happy and healthy. I bet the hummers tell all their buddy’s of your friendly garden :-)

    That Rose is a beauty and I can see why you took it inside to enjoy…

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  10. Ha! That's funny we are starting the ESP thingy again Catherine. Nope, mine are not blooming yet but the valerian will be soon. I'm glad you showed the Lilac. I have a great spot for it in the Sunny perennial bed. The seedlings are doing great. I'm wondering has your great blue lobelia bloomed? I'd love to see that too. I planted them in front of the bottles on today's post though you can't see them as they are small yet. Doing well though.

    It's funny you are loving the verbena-I am pulling a good part of mine as it is self seeding in too many spots though I do like it. Your front bed is so pretty!

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  11. You are right! Behind the Lamb's Ear is the perfect location for the bee balm. Your garden is holding up nicely despite the rain and is so colourful! Makes me want to widen some beds again!

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  12. What are you getting ready to plant this time of year? Love the old watering can. The front walkway is very welcoming. I failed with verbena bonasarius this year but I still have a few seeds left. Will give it another try. Your roses are absolutely stunning. Send me some of that rain. Been weeks since we had any.

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  13. Catherine, your garden seems most happy for the rain, even if your little hummingbird might not be. Your 'Lady Emma Hamilton' rose is just gorgeous, I love the warm color of the blossoms. It almost looks like it could rain here today, with the skies all grey and dreary, but rain here in September would be strange indeed. There's no denying though that fall isn't far off...and there's so much still to do in the garden!

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  14. Dear Catherine, Your garden certainly has thrived with the rain even if that has meant you have to wait before geting out into it again.

    Your antique watering can is delightful and is both practical as well as beautiful to look at. It is useful, I find, in the summer months to position cans by containers so that extra watering can be readily and easily given as and when needed.

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  15. Catherine, Everything looks so pretty. The sedum will be beautiful behind the lamb's ear. Hope you have success at the 2 for 1 sale. That sounds fun!

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  16. Catherine - Great shots. You certainly have done a lot of work to have such a great looking garden.

    Jane

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  17. Catherine, even with all of your rain and cool weather, your Sedum Autumn Joy looks a lot farther along then mine. Mine got huge this year and totally flopped.

    That David Austin rose is beautiful.

    Eileen

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  18. Your garden is hummer paradise! You have so many lovely blooms. I love the color of the David Austin rose. What a treat your garden must be for neighbors and visitors who come to your house.

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  19. Love the color of Lady Emma rose. Your garden still looks wonderful. Happy planting.

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  20. Catherine, i love your first photo of the hummer... beautiful color in the wings reflecting the leaves. Your garden looks fabulous!! I am so jealous of your Verbena bonariensis the rabbits ate mine... yours look very happy! Inspiring garden. ;>)

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  21. That Lady Emma rose is divine! Wonderful photos, as always. One day, many years from now, may I have a garden as lush as yours! lol!

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  22. Beautiful! Your house and garden are lovely! Thank you for sharing your rainy day garden. Your images bring me joy that I "might" get to live there one day!

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  23. Your roses are fantastic!! Autumn Joy is looking great in her fall splendor, mine isn't nearly as colourful yet.

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  24. We could use some rain in our neck of the woods. It hasn't rained in weeks! That is so cool that you got such a great photo of that hummingbird resting.

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  25. Great buy on the watering can Catherine. I love it. I am obsessed with them tho ~ I think I have 10 now & am always looking for more! Kind of crazy but they aren't just for decoration, I use them as well. They're great for photo props too! :-)

    Your garden is always delightful to see. I am amazed how much is in bloom every month of the year. I am getting re-energized for fall moving, planting, etc., too. Have fun at the greenhouse. I could not indulge myself Labor Day weekend ~ I'm officially out of room until I expand something or do some cleaning out.

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  26. I am in love with that rose, what a lady.

    I have the funniest feeling that my Mom's antique watering can is exactly the same. She has had it for decades, I watered with it when I was little. Eons ago.

    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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  27. Beautiful pics. It's kind of sad watching the flowers fade away in the fall, but I guess it adds the anticipation of waiting for spring.

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  28. Your garden looks beautiful, I love all the colours. If you want more sedum, and I love them, there are lots of varieties that flower at just slightly different times to extend the season. One of my favourites is Sedum Matrona. 3 planted together make a good clump.

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  29. Catherine,
    that hummingbird photo was stunning as were the rose photos! Wow!!

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  30. Catherine the Autumn Joy will be great for fall color spots. I never thought of that. I wish mine wouldn't have gotten so leggy (they got stuck on a bottom shelf) because I have gobs of them potted up I'd give ya.
    Your gardens still look great with lots blooming. I love that Verbena too, can't wait for it to reseed so I'll have a bunch of it. At least now it's bending a bit so I can see it. It's sooooooo tall!
    And you know I LOVE your watering can. Anything old and primitive for me.
    Your so ambitious, I've never done the typical fall color spots but I think you're a bad influence on me as I did go buy pansies last year after seeing yours. Then the rain beat them down, I thought they died and I never saw them all winter. But come spring they came back and bloomed all summer.

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  31. Hello Catherine,

    I cannot believe how friendly the hummingbirds are that visit your gardening. I look forward to seeing your fall garden and what plants you came away with from the sale :-)

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  32. Love the flowers. The watering can is awesome. (Mine had to have it's bottom hammered flat again, as described by Grace above. oops.)
    But the 2-for-1 perennial sale...where is it, and how long does it go? I'm a perennial shopper who must know :).

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  33. Your hummingbird photo is awesome! We have had quite a bit of hummingbird activity here recently. A friend says they are fortifying themselves to get ready for their journey south. I've noticed on occasion that the wasps, who also like the hummingbird feeder, sometimes chase the birds away!

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  34. What a beautiful, colourful garden. Love the sedums particularly, and am wondering why I haven't got any. I must remedy that - any excuse for a visit to the plant nursery! ;-)

    What Flower Carpet rose do you have? I have just bought the Apple Blossom one where the buds open pink and fade to almost white, so it gives an appearance of many different hues of pink on the bush. At least, that's what the picture on the tag shows ha ha. We shall see...

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  35. Becca' dirt - I'm going to plant some perennials soon, some will go into containers and some into the ground. I'm also accumulating bulbs to plant in another month or so.

    Aerie-el - Molbak's is having the sale, I think it goes through the weekend. They had a lot of good stuff. I've started joining a lot of the nurseries email lists or clubs a lot of times they have days that are just for members to get good deals. All have been free.

    Lynne - This one is just called Pink Flower Carpet. I remember seeing the Apple Blossom, it was between that and the pink when I bought it. It blooms like crazy all summer.

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  36. The photos as always are so beautiful but the one that really got my attention was the hummingbird. That is a wonderful composition and just stunning photo.

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