November ...not so much in the garden !

Weather wimp that I am this time of year . I hate damp/cold , so I've stayed in mostly this month. Which is probably not a bad thing for the garden. The leaves mostly get taken care of by the worms . The birds seem to like to scramble around in them too. 

Strange little houses appeared , so best not disturb !

I did have an explosive few days when the sun was out and it was still warm . Once started  things just kept coming out . First the bronze fennel went , then the grasses needed moving  , couldn't stop ....

I think it will better ?

Marmalade making and baking bread ,  just the thing for November. Maybe not at the same time !

October in the garden...

I thought I'd better get in a October post in before October is over.  I took a bunch of photos yesterday It's been a beautiful few days ,  a little cold and misty in the morning , but clear , dry and sunny late in the day . I've  been sitting in the South/West  sun trap corner that gets the late sun.                         Jumping up now and again to dig up and move things around while it's still nice out.

                                                   Hamamelis 'Diane' is a brilliant red  right now.

I don't know how I'm going to plant bulbs in all this .

Saccharum Ravenna 

The shady seating area has been abandoned till next year.

Eucalyptus camphora has grown back nicely after  a rough winter.

This is what had be jumping out of my  seat this week . I've dug out a some of the Bronze Fennel , swapped over some Carex for a Pennisetum . The flopped over  tall white Aster is now sitting behind  the white Anemone . A big clump of Helianthus joined them as well. 

And here is the  Anemone that's getting  all the new company , I thought I'd make  a yellow and white  area.

Something new in the garden...

My seedlings have a new home ! 

September Blooms....

I was going to run around and snap pictures of my blooms . Then I realized it would be mostly Asters  ! Sorry Asters  I do appreciate you.
So, instead I have two new blooms from my resent trip to Cistus nursery ! They are still in pots , which is highly unusual , I like to get things in the ground straight away  !
Monardella macrrantha 'Marion Sampson' , I'm not sure where Marion would be happy yet ! She likes VERY  good drainage
But likes a little drink in summer. Zone 7 , so no problem . 

Salvia pachyphylla also still in it's pot , I'm really slacking ....
Happy Gardeners Blooms day !
Thank you Carole  at May Dreams Gardens.

September in the garden...

September is always a much better gardening month in my dry garden. For one thing I can rest the sprinklers and  watering cans a bit. Though it's been awful windy and with only one day of rain in  (my neighbor  says sixty days ) seems like longer.  

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I was just about to dead head some of the Fennel  seed heads , then I noticed it was full of tiny birds .

The best plant in the world ! Helene Von Stein has had not a drop of water.

I'm not sure Rosie's that impressed with my efforts . I think she would  prefer a lawn .

 A  big green  lawn would be much nicer !

These are my happy Panicum grasses . On the South/West  side  Miserable dry Panicum will shortly be joining  them.

Rodgersia has had enough of this heat , wind , SMOKE , no rain summer ! I  yanked most of the crispy leaves out , I think the rest will  go tomorrow .  

The tan and white cat taking it's leave . No joy on the hunt today !

September also allows me to plant up this nice big bare patch .

Late summer seed sowing...

On one of the too hot to be outdoors that we have had recently. I stayed in and scanned all my favorite seed sites for late summer /Autumn seeds to sow.  I ordered quite a few .                                                                                            Antirrhinum majus'Tetra mixed' was simple , just sow on damp compost , but in a polytene bag  and set in 68 to 86f temps. It's been too hot out side some of the time so I kept them indoors .
I now have a pot of Snapdragons !
Erysimum cheir "blood red' was next ,  it likes even cooler temps , so indoors they stayed . These came up in only a few days !
Eryngium varlifolium 'Miss marble' needed the chill , so it's been in the fridge for 3 weeks .
Alstroemeria ligtu needed the chill as well, it's had it's fridge time, now it needs 70f , so too hot out doors this week ,  on to the windowsill for you. too.  Looks like it could take a month to germinate. I've heard they do not like to be disturbed Echinacea paradoxa 'Yellow coneflower' went directly on moist soil , but they may need to that chill if they refuse to come out soon ...or I could just wait till it get cold out .

August in the garden...

You can just make out the sprinkler in the photo . I had hoped I wouldn't need to water much this summer. We had plenty of rain this winter . I didn't plant many new things this spring . But, when the rain stopped and the temperature kept raising  and raising for god nows how long now . I find myself sprinkling , or carrying watering cans all day , everyday . 

I got fed up with this area under the plum tree . So, the other day I dug out all the E. 'Miss Wilmots' . I enjoy her in the sunny open areas of the garden. But here she takes over , and then turns silver, which is nice . It's when she too early goes autumnal. I'm not ready !
So, I'm looking for new plants....

'Miss Wilmot' can stay here. She fits in , it's all golden .

The shade garden did pretty well though the heat. I do turn the sprinkler on every day for a short time though. I 've been cutting things back and pulling spent bloomers out .  

My big dry sunny area I cleared of lawn two years ago , has filled in nicely . I've had to dig up and save a few suffering plants . 'Miss Wilmot' you are welcome here as well.

My corner with all the recovering ... I hope. Plants that I've saved from heat exhaustion.