Wednesday, August 06, 2008


Heigh-ho, everyone. T'was raining lightly this morning when the camera and I wandered out into the garden. Nice to have a break from the watering duties...and it was a light-enough rainfall that it didn't stop me from having a nice prowl along the fence.
First off, let me just point out that the later morning glories are finally joining the show, which means I'm starting to see more than one color blossom blooming side-by-side, which is fun. A purple cleome has also snuck itself into the above shot.
To the right is one of the phlox plants I mentioned in the meme the other day; that is, its one of my floral pals who's been with me since the garden in the Adirondacks ten or twelve years ago. In fact, I think this was one of my first mail-order purchases.
I also managed to get a much sweeter shot of the agastache plant, which is looking quite handsome as its blossoms grow larger (taller).
There's also daisies, allyssum, and two different kinds of yellow marigolds in there. Behind the agastache, you can see the curly grass holding forth.

As you may have guessed, there's some stuff going on in my life right now I'm not entirely prepared to talk about...which is a lot easier to say than actually keeping the feeling of my turmoil from appearing on the page anyway.
Fortunately, the garden is still a place of calm and peace for me, because that's turned out to be something that's more important to me this summer than some others I have known.

Hopefully, you'll forgive me not saying more just now. I can say, when the dust has settled, I'll be better off. But as is often the case, the steps required to make a better life are not the easiest ones.

But enough of that, let's look at this wild and crazy fence post, which is just crowded with things to see. On the far right, you'll see the white of Queen Anne's lace, while the post itself is concealed in morning glories run happily amok. In the foreground, the pale lavendar is the (who knew?) highly controversial wild thistle flowers, through which the morning glories are also twining.
There's an orange sulphur cosmos around mid-image. The yellow in the lower left is some of that thread-leaf coreopsis and the white opposite that is more allyssum. Finally, down in the center by the rocks, are a few dianthus flowers matching the color of the morning glories above.
And high above, beaming brightly as it can against the rain clouds, is yet another sunflower.



I love how these pansies just keep coming and coming this year. I'm not sure I've ever seen them so eager and productive this late in the season. No complaints, of course--their cheery faces are certainly welcome!

As the work schedule played out today, I ended up with some office down time, so I was able to enjoy the pleasure of seeing to it that the proper colors of everything are reflected as they should be. With the monitor at home, I've been sort of working carefully and mostly just hoping they turned out well.
Tonight I'm feeling a little more confident, since I can actually see how they appear...which is nice. I'll have to visit Staples and see just how much a new monitor might set me back. I don't know how much longer I can go on with the "color-blind" thing. I certainly have a greater appreciation - after a few days of tech difficulties - of those who can't see all the colors the world has to offer.

It's not as apparent in this image, but it was raining pretty hard as I left for work this afternoon. I may not need to worry about watering tomorrow, either!
I hope you all are having a good Wednesday evening!!






13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love how the agastache reminds me of my purple liatris - my gay flower planted in honor of a favorite Adirondack gardener. Also love the golden cosmos - mine all seem to be shades of red and purple this year. A new planting zone coming soon, oh gardener son of mine! In so many ways......

www.mysisterdalesgarden.com said...

stunning color in that pansy. you have a wonderful site---i enjoyed it. please visit mine----lots of garden photos mysisterdalesgarden.
and my blog
mysisterdalesgardenblog.

Gill said...

Oh your garden is a wonder. I love it. You are very green thumbed. I am envious.
My echinacea is finally out, is that late? I'm glad though, I had almost given up hope.
Please get through your rough time in one piece...I'm keeping you in my thoughts.
xoxo

Greg said...

Hiya, Mom...next year, we'll celebrate your new zone with both kinds of cosmos, perhaps!

Miriam, I look forward to spending some time in your photo album's: Dale's garden looks like a beautiful tribute to her!

Gilly! I think this is about when echinacea has bloomed for me in past years. Congrats on its appearance (and I think, welcome back to you!). Thanks for your good thoughts; every bit helps!

Joe Jubinville said...

Pansies in August! Only in the Midnight Garden. I'm sending sunflower thoughts and morning glory wishes your way.

Greg said...

Amazing, ain't they?

Thanks, Joe--you're the greatest!

Unknown said...

Phlox of any sort are really favorites of mine. The colors they come in, how delicate they look yet hardy they are...

So excellent!

dykewife said...

i'm sorry you're barefoot on gravel right now. i'm glad the garden is helping balance and comfort you.

you're right about weeds. they are just plants growing where you don't want them to be. i guess living in a province where agriculture is a major industry, the view on what are and aren't weeds would be more accentuated.

i love your garden, the riot of colours, textures all combining to create a very peaceful havoc. now there's an oxymoron.

Alan said...

Wow nice sunflower, how do you get them to grow...mine always get eaten off by the squirrels before they even get a chance to look like a sunflower.

Greg said...

DW, it doesn't sound bad at all when you put it like that! Thanks.

Your greater understanding of teh weed culture (not THAT weed culture) makes perfect sense considering your locale.

Alan, I'll confess to lots of good luck with the sunflowers, but Liquid Fence did keep the local bunnies from mowing everything flat. I'm sure fertilizing and watering with the soaker hose is playing a role, too, of course.

We don't have any squirrels in the neighborhood, surprisingly. Just bunnies and wild turkeys and feral cats and other rodentia miscellaneous.

Alan said...

Hmm didn't know about wild turkeys. Anyways we're not allowed pesticides of any kind where I live and everything is actually growing healthy and better than ever now. I used to spray my roses all the time, powder etc. Now I don't even use fertilizer and everything is blooming better than ever. I think because all the good bugs are not being killed. I wouldn't have believed it but all natural...grows everything Better.

Jacob said...

Greg, I thought of you yesterday when I took some pictures of a bright red berry that grows in clusters in the woods around here. Don't know if you would have any truck with indigenous pacific nw plants, though. Still, I will post and put it up to you and the others. Maybe Butch will have an idea since he lives in the same quadrant as I do.

These are absolutely joyous pictures. Allyssum is one of my favorites. It always reminds me of my mother from very early childhood. And for some reason, I put the memory in San Francisco because we had family we'd visit there. Mom. Allyssum. San Francisco. Not a bad gathering, that.

Greg said...

Alan, you might be okay with Liquid Fence: it's an organic solution made with putrefacted egg solids (so yuk, and be sure you know what way the wind's blowing, but the scent fades once it dries), and apparently it deters the bunnies by retraining them to look elsewhere for grub.

I'm all for the good solutions that don't hurt the good bugs. It really is true that Nature knows better what she's doing than we!!

Hiya, Gawpo! You're right I don't know much about the flora of the PNW, but I love your pictures, so I'll be over shortly!

Meanwhile, that's a delightful string of memory to have inspired with a little allyssum: behold, the power of flowers!!