A Gardener in Progress

Now you see it, now you don't.

2012-01-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

After a week of snow, snow, more snow, an ice storm, heavy rain and wind we are finally enjoying a nice break in the weather. After a nerve wracking night listening to the wind blow through the trees we woke to sun and some blue skies. It's almost hard to remember all the different weather we experienced in one week. I was anxious to get out and see how the garden did now that I could see most of it again.

This was the pond just a day and a half ago. I love how the snow looks at night.

This was the pond this afternoon. What a difference! There is still some snow around the outside and lots of slush in the pond.

Even the fish came out to see what was going on. I saw at least 4 today.

Hellebores that were completely buried look no different than before the snow.

This Euphorbia looks so fresh and colorful.

Can you believe this Red Valerian is still blooming? I can't.

The Wallflower 'Bowles Mauve' is still blooming.

The rosebuds were completely encased in ice a few days ago. This one looks like it will still bloom.

Primroses that we bought and left outside before the snow.

Yesterday these Pansies were completely flat and looked awful. Today with a little sun they've perked right back up.

I feel extremely lucky that we made it through without any major damage. A few broken branches here and there is all. We've driven around and seen many branches down, many laying over power lines. Other than the power flickering we had it the whole time. Many others weren't so lucky and have been without power for days. I'm sure there are still people waiting to have their power restored.

Looks like next week we'll have lots of just regular old rain. I never thought I'd look forward to rain, but after this past week I sure am!

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Okay, I get it. It's winter.

2012-01-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay Mother Nature we believe it's winter now! The snow has been piling up for days. We've had snow falling since Saturday, with our biggest "dump" yesterday. All week the forecasters have been changing and putting off the snow and rain. As of right now it's still snowing heavily. The worst part though, is that last night and this morning there was freezing rain and now many trees' branches are breaking under the weight, it's actually dangerous to go out where there are large trees. Sadly one person has already lost their life from a falling tree. I know much of the country makes fun of us out here because of our "wimpiness" when it comes to snow, but we just aren't as prepared to deal with it here. No roads close to our house have been plowed or sanded and to get anywhere we have to drive down hills. School has been canceled all week and most likely will be again tomorrow. We all are getting cabin fever - as the fun of sledding and snowman building have lost some of their appeal with the iciness of the snow. Anyway, we're still enjoying it from indoors, but looking forward to getting out soon.

A view of the snow this morning, it's difficult to measure because under the last few inches is a layer of ice. We probably have 7 or 8 inches total.

Footsteps and tire tracks are quickly filled with the new snow.

The Snowgardeners are up to their waist in snow and all the uncovered greens have been reburied.

The snow penguins are shoulder high in snow.

It does look pretty though.

We are under an "ice storm warning" now, Sea Tac airport is closed. I don't remember having one of those before. Ice has coated everything.

We found the neighbor's cat on the pond drinking from a spot kept open by the pump. They do leave bedding and food out for these outdoor cats, but they seem to prefer going under our deck. Sweet Pea has put out fresh water and bedding for them under the eaves of the house. The neighbors say the cats won't come inside.

The poor little fairy is just about buried in snow. Icicles are all around the waterfall.

The shed garden doesn't get as much snow because it is sheltered by the neighbors large Cedar trees.

A look down the path.

Our large Japanese Maple's branches are almost bent to the ground with the weight of snow and ice. I'm hoping they can hold out a little longer and not snap. Some branches are laying right on the roof so they have a little support.

I've never been able to see the very top of the tree just standing and looking down.

I did some winter sowing yesterday, now they are covered just like the winter sowing that was already there. Yesterday when I went to see what our dog was doing in the snow I heard a "crunch" and realized I stepped right on one of the containers.

Green Man is dreaming of spring just like me.

Hope everyone around here is staying safe and doesn't lose power. My husband has not missed a day of work, he has four wheel drive and chains. He's not even from a part of the country where it snows (the Central Valley of California), he just doesn't let it stop him. I'm so wishing there was a chocolate delivery person nearby, maybe I can convince my husband to get some on his way home... That's the only thing missing from the house right now.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Gardening Snowmen!

2012-01-17T14:27:00.000-08:00

We've gone from no winter, to full on snowy winter over the last few days. Today a few inches have fallen, but it sounds like the big storm will be tomorrow. Around here the weather forecasts change all the time so who knows what will actually happen. Sweet Pea and her friends went off and so the Littlest Gardener and I went and played out in the snow. Got to take advantage of it while it's here.

We made a couple of Snowgardeners. This guy found that the Kale and Chard were looking pretty good after digging them out from under the snow.

This one had a butterfly on it, I guess it mistook the Butterfly bush branches for a flower.

These Snowgardeners are all organic too!

Snowy picket fence.

The pond is pretty slushy right now since it's not really that cold, just around freezing.

Yesterday the Robins were visiting, today not many birds are around.

All the plants have a heavy coating of snow.

Gracie tried her best to sneak out from the gate, luckily the snow made it tricky.

The hummingbirds have been around and fighting for the feeders. I think I better refill them soon. This one sat while Sweet Pea was playing right by it, not bothered at all by the activity.

It will be interesting to see if we do get this record breaking snow they keep talking about on the news. Luckily we are fully stocked on the important things like Diet Coke and Taco Doritos. Oh, and we have plenty of milk and fruit and that type of thing too ☺

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

A snowy January Bloom Day

2012-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

Well, it finally seems like winter has arrived. I think just about everyone was hoping for a little snow since we haven't seen a flake since last winter. They started predicting it almost a week ago and sure enough we did get some. I haven't joined in on bloom day for awhile and thought it would be fun to see what was blooming while it was snowing.

This is what it looked like a little while ago from our front porch. I had bare feet and was still in pj's so I didn't venture out much further.

The rest of these pictures were taken yesterday afternoon after our first snow:

One reason I love Wallflower 'Bowles Mauve' is that it is still blooming. It really blooms just about all year, but as I've learned from experience it's not that long lived. I've read that people say, "it blooms itself to death."

Hellebore - Lenten rose type.

Sarcococca blooming and smelling great!

Primroses are blooming all over the yard.

More Primroses. The only other flowers I found blooming were, of course, Pansies and Violas

The fairies don't seem to mind the snow.

Neither do the snow penguins (created by Sweet Pea yesterday afternoon)

Here it is this morning after a few inches of snow had fallen.

So, are you seeing snow, flowers or both right now?

Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what others around the world have blooming now.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Too early and right on time.

2012-01-08T17:36:00.000-08:00

We are having some amazingly mild weather lately, and from what I've been reading, so has a lot of the country. I'd say many of us are due some mild weather after a year of real extremes. I've been seeing posts and hearing people talking about some of the plants that are already showing buds or making their way up through the soil. As much as I love seeing those signs of spring I'm a little nervous that we could and probably will get some really cold weather. Some plants will be fine either way, but there are some that might not be.

The main one I'm wondering about right now is this Magnolia 'Vulcan'. I was hoping this might be it's big year to really put out some blooms since it's still fairly young. It's already budding out and this seems far too early, then again I'm not experienced with Magnolias other than knowing that a freeze can kill the flowerbuds.

In the same bed the Ninebark 'Little Devil' still hasn't lost it's leaves. The Ninebark in my backyard dropped it's leaves weeks ago.

Thinking the Pulmonaria seemed really early caused me to check back on my blog and see that they are actually right on time. I have pictures of them blooming in late January.

Violas haven't stopped since I planted them in fall.

More Violas in another bed.

I went out to the backyard and thought I smelled something good. I went to check that the Sarcococcas are right on time and blooming like crazy.

Why am I showing a picture of our bunny Blackthorn?

Because Sweet Pea found a Hellebore (Helleborus x sternii) 'Blackthorn strain'. She thought it was meant to be that we have that growing in our yard. She used her own money to buy it and it's planted close to Blackthorn's hutch.

As I looked at our raised beds and noticed the Chard, Kale and beets growing I found two of these plants. Since I've never grown it before I thought I would see if anyone else agreed that it was Pak Choi. I started some from seed and had sprouts that were quickly mowed down by the slugs. It sure looks like the pictures I've found online.

Are things early, late or right on time where you are?

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Happenings in the garden.

2012-01-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Our New Year started off with absolutely beautiful weather. Mild and sunny, it was too nice to not go outside in the garden. I enjoyed the first hour in peace and then decided it was far too nice for anyone else in my family to sit inside and got them all to join me, although they didn't do any gardening. Between watching my oldest daughter and my husband play a game of HORSE (a basketball game in which she made him try to make baskets while saying "Meow" loudly or have a stuffed animal balancing on his head), my youngest taking me around to ask what things were and the dog escaping from the yard three times I actually got quite a bit done.
It was a good time to see the newest happenings in the garden. I was surprised to find tulips and Dutch Iris coming up and some of the Hellebores pretty far along.

Because it really hasn't been all that cold the ornamental Kale still looks really pretty.

Chard from the Seattle Tilth sale last May is still producing. I just checked to see that their edible plant sales are not that far away. Here's a link to their website.

Kale that Nola gave me is starting to grow. I hope the slugs don't eat it all though.

Primroses are budding and

blooming! The slugs have found them too.

Not a great picture, but you can see how far up these Hellebore buds are.

The row of Sarcococca that I planted along the deck is finally starting to look like what I imagined after planting it many years ago, and is full of buds about to bloom.

The entry garden actually looks good compared to how it looked when I first went out that morning. There are new Hellebores planted along with a small Sarcococca. Heucheras along the edge will soon be joined by Grape Hyacinths and whatever other bulbs I've forgotten about that are in there.

Look at the amazing sunrise this morning! The benefits of the kids going back to school include seeing the sunrise after sleeping in for the last two weeks. It's now pouring rain, but it was nice while it lasted!

I am so excited for Spring, have I mentioned that before?
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Three years of blogging!

2012-01-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that another year of blogging has gone by. This past year of gardening has been great, many changes were made to our garden. The past year of blogging hasn't been as productive for me though. I've found that I just seem to have less and less time for it, and yet the thought of totally giving it up just can't happen. I've made too many friends, friends that I've met at the beginning of my blogging and newer friends that I've met in the last several months.
I appreciate each of you that visit my blog, especially when you take the time to comment or send me an email. I apologize that I haven't been as good about returning visits, or at least commenting as often as I'd like. Now that the holidays are over and there isn't as much to do outside I hope to be able to visit more often.
For now I thought I'd do a quick review of my garden. I like that my blogaversary coincides with the new year, it gives me a good excuse to go through pictures of my garden while there isn't much blooming outside.

January had Hellebores, Sarcococcas and Pansies blooming.

February was when the lawn went away for good! We spent many hours outside, much of it in freezing cold weather and snow getting the job done. We put up a picket fence, built raised beds and spread gravel around the beds.

March was when the rest of the fence was finished. My husband and his Dad built the gates and arbor together.

April shows the pond garden waking up. I love when the bulbs are blooming and there's lots of fresh green foliage around.

May in the shed garden's first spring was very colorful!

June in the front garden is one of my favorite times. Here you can see the painted picket fence and gravel that was spread where the grass had been.

July and the pond garden is very lush and full. We had record breaking rain and cool weather over the spring and much of the summer. Most of the garden didn't seem to mind although it was a tough year to start vegetable gardening.

August and the new raised beds in the front yard were finally producing vegetables for us. Squash, zucchini, beans and Chard all did really well.

September is when I decided to redo the driveway bed. This area had really been ignored and need an overhaul. It now should have much more interest year round rather than the middle of summer only. I'm still trying to figure out where I can squeeze another rose in here...

October shows some of the rearranging in the pond garden. I fell in love with grasses this past fall and added quite a few of them throughout the yard. We had a beautiful fall, much warmer and drier than the previous one.

November in the path garden shows lots of green still and the beginnings of the leaves that drop from the trees. It really doesn't change that much during the year down here, other than shrubs and spring blooming perennials.

December, on Christmas Eve I had a 'Kimberlina' rose blooming! I'm always impressed with how long roses will bloom even after some very heavy frosts. Seeing that pink amidst the brown mushy plants nearby was very cheering!

As usual, once the holidays are over, I'm already on the countdown to spring and I can't wait to see what changes this year will bring. Happy New Year!

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Happy Winter Solstice!

2011-12-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

Today is winter solstice, the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. For me it means now that winter has officially started, that spring is not all that far away.

It was a frosty, but clear morning for the first day of winter.

To celebrate the solstice I joined up with the winter sowers group to start my first round of winter sowing.

The first four sets of seeds are supposed to honor Remembrance, Life, Mother Nature and Faith. I decided to throw one more in for good measure.

This is my third or fourth year winter sowing and I've had really good luck. Towards the end of winter I will winter sow some annuals too.

It was actually sunny enough to set up outside rather than on my kitchen counter!

This is a link to my post from last year which also shows brief instructions on how to winter sow. The whole point of winter sowing is to let the seeds go through the cold weather and even lots of snow to help with germination. If you live where your winters are cold and snowy this will still work for you! That's the fun part about it, gardening in winter!

Remember: "No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow" ~ Guinea Proberb.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Let it snow and other ways that I've gotten rid of Christmas stress.

2011-12-18T13:12:00.000-08:00

This Christmas season has been one of the least stressful ones that I can remember having as an adult. Why? Because I took away all the expectations that I normally put on myself to have it be "perfect" or like one that is seen in a magazine.
Didn't get the Christmas cards finished. Oh well, my family and friends still know they are important to me because I'm making an effort to tell them that instead.

The Littlest Gardener made chocolate treats for her friends at school

Didn't get trays of cookies and candies made this year. Did have fun making fudge with my sister and splitting it with her (and dropping a couple of plates off to friends who needed a little chocolate fix).

Didn't get a real tree cut down fresh (or even from the hardware store) this year. Did get a fake one that took the stress and future stresses out of finding time on a weekend (that are filled with sporting and family and work events) to go as a family and find one, wait for it to dry out enough to put up and then want to take down the day after Christmas because it's so dried up I'm afraid to turn the lights on anymore. We still all decorated it together, and truthfully it looks better than most real ones we've had.

Went to the mall once only to be overwhelmed by all the people and lack of choices, instead found better and more personal things online (including some hand made).

Did take time to do a sewing project, something I haven't done in many years. I sewed and embroidered the advent stockings across the mantle. I even taught Sweet Pea how to do a little embroidery.

Didn't worry about the big box that was turned into a reindeer by the Littlest Gardener in the middle of our tiny family room. Normally that much clutter would drive me crazy.

Love that Sweet Pea has turned our house into a winter wonderland with the snowflakes and paper chains we made together. If we don't get snow for Christmas, we still have our own homemade snowflakes inside instead.

As I read recently: "Take time to appreciate the little things, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things."
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

December flowers.

2011-12-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend my girls and I visited a couple of nurseries. I love to see the Christmas displays and also what plants are out. I never stop thinking of gardening, even when the top layer of soil is frozen in much of my yard. Some nurseries are still trying to get rid of perennials and there are still good deals to be found. The weather over the weekend was very cold and wet. Over the last couple of days the sun has broken through, but it's still cold with the high getting only to 39.

How come every winter I decide I can squeeze one more Hellebore in? Probably because there's barely anything blooming right now. I found this Helleborus Niger 'Jacob' and thought it would brighten up a spot in the garden. Where, I don't know, but I'll find a good spot that I can see from inside the house.

While carrying 'Jacob' around I found a clearance table at the nursery. Everything was at least 50% off! There were lots of really good plants on it too, but I was good and just found a few.

After seeing the Hellebores in the nursery I decided to see what the Hellebores in my garden were doing. These are Lenten Rose type Hellebores and they bloom toward the end of February whereas the H. Nigers also called "Christmas Rose" are blooming right around now.

A self seeded Red Valerian in my backyard blooming now which seems very late, but I'll take that color anyday!

Violas seem to love this half wine barrel. I think they are protected enough that the cold temperatures don't seem to bother them. I'm also very happy to see all those buds on the Pieris. I find myself checking for buds on other plants like Camellias and Sarcococcas. Just seeing those buds helps me through the cold weather because I know there is the promise of flowers to come.

Daphne 'Summer Ice' will bloom up until about January and then take a month or two off before it's back in bloom again. This is an evergreen shrub and those flowers smell so good!

Isn't the new growth on Abelia pretty? It didn't bloom long this year but the pink here is almost as good. It's mostly an evergreen shrub unless we get many days really cold weather, and then it will lose most of its leaves.

Our backyard gets the most sun during the winter and spring and so I love to go and stand on the deck to soak up the sun when it's out. I've been adding more and more container plantings to this area. The red flowers are Cyclamen and Pansies There are a few more containers that aren't seen in this picture that are planted with tulip bulbs. I've seen signs of digging, but so far no bulbs are gone. I think the squirrels still prefer the apples that are left on the tree.

We had a beautiful sunrise this morning with lots of oranges in it, tonight's sunset is just as pretty. As nice as it is I do look forward to when the sunset is later than 4:20 pm!

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Frosty and Foggy Days.

2011-12-09T14:27:00.001-08:00

Today is the first time I've seen sun in days. It's been very cold and very foggy lately. The sun finally got a chance to break through today and it's so nice to see blue skies. The sun has tried to come out for days, just breaking through the fog around 4:15 as it was setting. It did give us some beautiful sunsets though! And the moon at night was extra bright.
Earlier today I went out to look at the garden and how pretty it looked frosty with the haze of fog around everything. I've seen so busy I haven't had a chance to enjoy how pretty things look covered in frost. Even the spider's silk that draped from branch to branch looked like it had been dipped in white paint and made the delicate silk look much thicker than it is. The winter light, even in the fog, is my favorite. All the colors seem so much deeper.

The butterfly garden covered in frost. There are still two different Erysimums blooming!

Abelia, to the right, starts blooming late and is mostly evergreen, unless we get many days in a row below freezing.

In one of the raised beds there is chard, beets and kale growing here. Since this the first winter growing them I'm not sure if this is the end for them or if they will bounce back.

The driveway bed that I worked on earlier in fall still has lots of interest. The Ninebark hasn't lost any leaves yet. The bright green in front is an evergreen called False Holly (Osmanthus) 'Goshiki'.

A frosted unknown pink rose.

Frosty 'Lady Emma Hamilton'.

We put garland and lights up on the picket fence, something I've always wanted to have. It looks so pretty all lit up at night.

The front of the house through the fog. You can see what a slope our yard is on in this picture.

The pond had no ice, although the birdbaths all do. After 8 years of having the pond I came up with a good way to clean the pump when it's cold. It was quite dirty and needed a final cleaning for the year. Instead of dealing with cold hose water. I filled a bucket with warm water from the house and took the filter and pump apart and cleaned them in the warm bucket water. Cleaner than usual and no numb hands! Why it took me so long to figure this out I'll never know.

I haven't adjusted the color in any of these pictures, it's just this vibrant looking right now in the garden. Maybe it's the cold or maybe it's the fog? Do you see our neighbor cat on the fence? He and his brother are friends with Gracie. They have been sleeping on our back deck the last few days, seems like a cold place to sleep, but I think they are waiting for Gracie to come out and play in the mornings.

The bright red apples just pop against the bare branches. They are too high to reach and so the squirrels are mostly enjoying them now.

Down the path you can see how colorful the Oakleaf Hydrangea is. This has been it's best year ever.

I'll be interested to see how our winter goes. Typically we've seen a dusting of snow by now, or at least a few flakes. I've found myself hoping for some, maybe during the school break?

It's been very busy here so far we've had a choir concert, a choir field trip (the kids got to sing in the State Capitol), seen Arthur Christmas with preschool friends (very cute movie), gone Christmas shopping and seen Santa. We've still got to get our tree, make candy, finish shopping, more basketball games and a Christmas ballet recital. As busy as it all is, I'm enjoying this Christmas season more than ever. But, I know that once it's over I'll be impatiently waiting for spring gardening!

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Mornings at the pond.

2011-12-05T07:50:00.001-08:00

With the much cooler weather we've been experiencing, there's been the usual winter increase in birds here. I see the Juncos and Wrens hopping through the garden eating seeds from Black-Eyed Susans, Coneflowers and other plants I haven't cut back yet. I see the Pileated Woodpecker and Crows (and squirrels) in the apple trees munching on the apples too high for us to reach. I see them splashing in the birdbaths. There are hummingbirds fighting over the feeders now that most of the fuchsias are done. I've seen large flocks in the tall Cedars at the church down the street. And my favorite is seeing them enjoy the waterfall in our pond. They are there mostly in the early day, right when the sun is low and it makes picture taking difficult, but yesterday morning I just had to try and capture some of the large flock of Pine Siskins that were visiting. We used to see lots of these birds in the summer, but I've noticed over the last 3 years or so that they only visit in winter now.

These are just a small group of the many were actually around the pond and in the apple tree.

The water is so cold it hurts my hand to have it in for more than a minute or two, and yet I find them splashing and bathing in the waterfall.

Looking for insects in the rocks.

A few last sips, and then they were gone.

I'm not sure what it is about birds, but I am fascinated by them. My husband has pointed out lately that there are birds decorating every room, I took that as a hint that they might not be his first choice of home decor.

Are you seeing more or less birds this time of year?

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Not too shabby for mid November!

2011-11-20T15:39:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally accept the fact that winter is around the corner. We had an amazingly beautiful fall right up until about week or so ago. It seemed to have been making up for our less than amazing spring and summer. But after a few frosts, we finally had a pretty good freeze last night with temperatures down in the mid 20's. So, that means it's perfect weather to get up really early and go watch a soccer game! Sweet Pea's soccer team played today, unfortunately they lost by one goal, but it was a great close game. Her team ended up first in their league and second in their division, pretty exciting for her. Anyway, a good thing about getting up that early on a weekend meant there was lots of the day left to get other things done. Even though birdbaths were still frozen I decided to go out and do more fall clean up. There is still quite a bit more to do, but now I know I have to take advantage of the dry days, cold or not, to finish. Once I get moving I forget about how cold it is anyway.

This planter just looks better and better. I love how it's filling in.

A newer evergreen shrub in my garden, which is supposed to do well in the Pacific Northwest, is False Holly (Osmanthus heterophyllus) 'Goshiki'.

This Aster is one of the few things left blooming in the garden. Wallflower, Erysimums and Daphne 'Summer Ice' are about it for now.

The shed garden looking pretty good for the middle of November.

There are still quite a few apples left on the tree. I can't reach them and need to remember to have my husband get some down. They have been so good this year. I recently chopped some up to cook with a really good maple glazed pork tenderloin the other day.

I have filled many bags with leaves and pine needles from the path. It gets so matted and wet that our dog won't go outside.

Sarcococca ruscifolia is already full of buds. It blooms in late winter with the best smelling flowers. It does great in dry shade and is evergreen, I love it.

The pond had a layer of ice on it this morning. The fish are hiding at the bottom and there are still lots of leaves to scoop out. The Water Hawthorn is just starting to bloom, it actually prefers the cooler weather and blooms into winter.

The window boxes outside our dining room window are doing great. The Littlest Gardener chose the colors of Violas. They are bright and cheerful!

Overall it's still looking pretty good outside, I do miss not seeing many flowers though.

Hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving! My sister and her family are driving from Idaho to join us, we're excited to see them and hope they have a safe drive especially since it sounds like there are several storms predicted.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Not done yet!

2011-11-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

We've had several good frosts already, there have been lows in the 30's at night. But, that doesn't mean the garden is finished. I'm always amazed and impressed with what still is going on in November out in the garden. I decided to slip on the wet and leaf filled Crocs to take a few pictures of some of what still looks good, but it sure felt cold while I out there (could've been the wet bare feet). I guess if the flowers could handle it, so could I!

Dahlias are still hanging on and blooming. I love the dark colored foliage on this one. Calibrachoa is still blooming and looks nice and colorful.

There are still lots of pretty blue Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue' flowers. Many have faded, but there are quite a few that still look this fresh.

Geranium 'Rozanne' the flower that never wants to stop is still going very strong.

Hardy fuchsia 'Pat's Dream' is just covered with flowers. The hardy fuchsia by the pond is also blooming well. These will bloom until the first hard freeze.

Erysismum 'Apricot Twist', which according to the tag only blooms until March, hasn't quit blooming.

This Swiss Chard has been here since May. We just keep cutting off the older leaves and new ones just keep on coming.

I've never had a Nasturtiums blooming this late. There is Kale and beets growing to the left.

Our lone pumpkin is still on the vine. The girls wouldn't let me to cut it off, they want to see what happens.

Aster lateriflorus 'Prince' was new at the end of summer. Tons of little flowers are blooming.

Rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton' keeps putting out buds, they don't seem to like the frosty cold weather and don't open much further than this.

Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow' is covered in heavy dew here. This will be evergreen all winter.

Daphne transatlantica 'Summer Ice' has many, many fragrant flowers. This will bloom almost year round. I was worried it was dying toward the end of summer, one whole branch died back. I added some compost around the roots and gave it extra water, it seems to have bounced right back now.

We also still have lots of apples on the apple tree. I recently picked some and made the most delicious apple pie. Click here to find the recipe. It was amazing! (I did cheat and used the premade crust that you just unroll into a pie pan, but I did still cut it and make a lattice top.)

Hope there are still some plants holding on and adding some life to your garden!

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Where did October go?

2011-10-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

How on earth can October almost be over? Time has been just flying by. It seems that just doing the regular day to day things have taken so much time that I have little time left for blogging. Every so often I get a chance to visit a blog or two, but not as many as I'd like. When I realized that the month is almost over I couldn't believe it. We've had mostly beautiful fall weather and every chance I get I run out to do a little cleaning up or planting. Yesterday the Littlest Gardener and I spent a couple of hours cleaning up the front raised beds, emptying containers, cutting things back and even planted a few bulbs. I just never know when the last of the sun will be and want to soak in every ray I can!

This is similar to the view out the kitchen window. Washing dishes isn't so bad when you have something pretty to look at. The Oakleaf Hydrangea with the Pennisetum in front is such a pretty combination.

A container on the deck is a galvanized bucket with holes drilled in the bottom. It's hard to see in the picture, but this Kale has pink edges on the white leaves almost the same color as the Violas.

'Rozanne' just doesn't have any intention of slowing down. I have three in my yard and they are all blooming still.

I did some cleanup around the pond yesterday, cutting back all the yellowed Hostas. In this washtub I've got another Kale and Violas.

My American Beautyberry 'Profusion' grows low to the ground, maybe not quite enough sun? It does have lots of berries though and has only been here a couple of years.

LOVE the purple berries.

The most gorgeous show going on around here are the Japanese Maples. Someday I will walk up our short street to take pictures of everyones fall colored Japanese Maples. It's so colorful on our street right now. Our big Japanese Maple turns this pretty gold color before losing it's leaves.

The sun makes the leaves just glow!

I have to admit that my short bursts of time spent on the computer have been partially spent on Pinterest. So many great ideas! Here's one that the Littlest Gardener and I did yesterday. It was very easy and aside from me melting some chocolate chips, the Littlest Gardener who just turned 5, was able to do some by herself.

Just take an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss and dip it into melted chocolate chips. Then push it onto a Nutterbutter round cookie, take a chocolate chip and dip it into the melted chocolate and "glue" it onto the other side of the cookie. We are calling them "haycorns" like Piglet does in Winnie the Pooh. (I can't find the original source of this recipe, there are many variations on the internet, if you know where the original idea came from I would be happy to give them credit.)

Hope you are enjoying October, at least what's left of it!

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

The lawn may be gone, but we've still got grass.

2011-10-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Back in February of this year we removed the remaining lawn in our yard and I haven't missed it for a second. I've been putting more grass back in though lately, although this grass is much easier, no mowing required. I've always loved ornamental grasses, but just had no idea on how to incorporate them into my garden. I've learned lots from looking at blogs and also have noticed how much they are being used in newer landscaping around here. I slowly started by adding them to containers a few years ago. Then added just one to an area near my pond a couple years later. Now during this fall I've added even more and am just in love with how they look.

Japanese Blood Grass (Imperata cylindrica) by the pond. I'm hoping one day it will spread more. This has been here at least two years.

Mexican Feather Grass (Nasella tenuissima) has been in this container for about two years. I keep starting to plant it in the garden, but just love how I can see it from inside blowing in the breeze.

A bronze Sedge mixed in this container planting.

Sedge (Carex testacea) 'Prairie Fire' in another container.

Golden Acorus in the water garden. I've also got it growing in my pond. I made the mistake of cutting it back one year not realizing it's evergreen. Now I just trim back the dead leaves.

Another Carex mixed in with a perennial gold fuchsia, Campanula and Heuchera. Look how mossy the stones have already gotten!

New Zealand Sedge (Carex comans) 'Frosted Curls'.

It was pretty shady when I took this picture, but here you can see it growing with Lonicera 'Lemon Beauty' (evergreen shrub on right), Lamb's Ear, Spanish Poppy and Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy'. The combination is really pretty.

I've added a few Feather Reed Grasses (Calamangrostis acutiflora) 'Karl Foerster'. It's a bit floppy and has no blooms, but that is because it was just planted. On the right is my new favorite shrub, a Ninebark 'Little Devil'.

This is probably my favorite new grass and area that I've been working on. Behind the pond I pulled up Penstemon 'Mystic' because it was reseeding into everything and becoming a nuisance. I moved a few other plants around to add a Lonicera 'Lemon Beauty' (small shrub in front of the little conifer) and this Purple Moor Grass (Molinia caerulea) 'Sky Racer'. It looks beautiful in front of the Ninebark 'Coppertina'. I can't wait until it really fills out and those seed heads are swaying in the breeze.

I love how different all the seedheads are on the different ornamental grasses.

I hope this might inspire others who, like me, are a little afraid or confused about what to do with ornamental grasses. They really can look pretty just about anywhere. I was pretty good about being sure that I didn't add any that will become invasive in my garden. I know some grasses can be a real problem. The Mexican Feather grass has reseeded a very small amount, but it has been easy to just pull up.

We are having a gorgeous fall day here, I've already been out to clean the pond. The screen door is allowing the sounds of the kids in the school playground to drift in. This is the fall weather I love to work out in the garden in and a good day for seeing how the fall light makes the garden look.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

The pond and path garden in Ocotber.

2011-10-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

October is off to a rainy start, but it's hard to complain after the beautiful September we had. I always forget how much I enjoy fall. Here the leaves haven't really started turning yet, but it has cooled down quite a bit. This is the time of year I like to move things around (although even in the hottest parts of summer I will still dig up and move plants). This is also a good time of year to find some good plant sales. One nursery near us had one gallon perennials for $2!
These pictures were taken yesterday while the sun was out.

Now that the pine needles have been scooped from the pond it looks much prettier. There are still the occasional Water Lily blooms.

The Fuchsia magellanica is still going strong.

The apple tree behind the pond is just loaded with apples this year. I've used some for baking and they have also been nice and juicy to eat off the tree. This is the first year the apples haven't been full of worms. I never spray the tree, but decided to try the sticky traps this year and it seems they have worked. The trap has a hormone that attracts the bad bugs and they stick and can't go lay eggs in the blossoms. I hung it in about February and left it there all summer.

The shed garden is kind of a mess. Guess I need to do a little rearranging here for late summer and fall interest.

The geraniums on the path have all been cut back. Pine needles are tangled in everything. I've been raking and raking and filling the yard waste bin. At least you can walk down the path now.

I've been working in this corner recently. To the right I finally took out the Hydrangea that seemed to look worse each year. Two blooms was all it had this year and it was mostly sticks. In it's place is a Leucothoe 'Rainbow'. It is evergreen and has pretty variegated leaves. It's fairly small now and difficult to see in this picture. On the left I moved the Corylopsis 'Buttercup' out from under the Abelia into the open space left by the Currant bush. The Sawfly Larvae really did major damage on the Currant bush, most of it was dead. The Corylopsis needed more space and I like how it looks much better than the Currant anyway.

The Oakleaf Hydrangea at the beginning of the path is having it's best year ever. It's just so pretty and covered in flowers. It probably took about 5 years for it to really grow enough to put on a show. I'm so glad I was patient with it.

I think the garden is appreciating the rain that's been falling all morning. I'm hoping it will take a break though for awhile since Sweet Pea has a cross country meet to go to in the afternoon. The kids never seem to mind going to soccer and other outdoor practices in the rain, it's mostly us wimpy parents that complain about standing outside and getting cold and wet.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Best September ever?

2011-09-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

September has been an extremely busy month for us. We had back to school for both girls, ballet for the Littlest Gardener, junior high cross country started for Sweet Pea, then Sweet Pea decided she also wanted to play soccer again, the Littlest Gardener's birthday, a visit from the in-laws, our anniversary and planning for Sweet Pea's upcoming 13th birthday on October 2nd. I was beginning to feel some withdrawl from the garden. We had a lot of wind and rain the last few days which made the garden a huge mess. Looking at the front yard every time I went in and out of the house and not being able to do much in it was making me anxious to get my hands in the dirt.
Today I got to spend 2 1/2 hours cleaning, raking, planting, digging, sweeping and raking and was it ever great. I was able to clean out the pond, the back deck and do a bit of cleaning in the front yard. The sun was out with a light breeze, perfect for gardening.
This is the first autumn we've gotten to enjoy our new front yard. It has been so fun watching it change throughout the seasons. I think even with the crazy busyness of life this month that I'm still enjoying the garden in the front more than I ever have since we moved in 12 1/2 years ago.

I've been starting to add some fall color to the planters.

I normally wait to pull out the fall decorations until after Sweet Pea's birthday at the beginning of October, but I was too excited to see how it would look.

Dahlias always make me happy this time of year. They just bloom and bloom.

I finally got the Littlest Gardener to hold still long enough to take her picture by our tallest Sunflower 'Mammoth'. She was having fun riding her bike as fast as she could in circles in the driveway.

Kale 'Red Russian' growing quickly in the raised bed.

Black-eyed Susans are another September favorite. The Dragonfly seems to like them too.

I was surprised to find all these flowers on 'Julia Child'.

Aster 'Professor Kippenburg'

Salvia 'Black and Blue' just came up a few weeks ago and is now blooming. I was quite surprised to see it.

Re-do of a wine barrel planter on the driveway. There is also a Barberry behind the Carex 'Prairie Fire'.

For some reason I'm drawn to this angle and keep taking pictures of it. I'm always surprised by how much is still blooming in September. This year with all the new garden space there's more than ever.

Other than a few windy and rainy days in the last week, we've had absolutely gorgeous weather. Hopefully it will hold for awhile longer so that I'll be able to do more work out in the yard soon.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Last days of summer.

2011-09-19T14:21:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we had our first fall "system" move through. This brought much cooler weather, lots of rain and wind. The rain was appreciated by the garden, but the first few windy days are not appreciated by me. They bring down all the dead pine needles from the Ponderosa Pine. It takes many, many days to get them cleaned. Just when they are mostly swept and raked up, another wind comes through. Our roof looks as though we have a thatched roof. Pine needles are my very least favorite thing about the end of summer. But, once they are sort of cleaned (until the yard waste bin is packed full of them) and untangled from everything, the garden looks good again.

Sunflowers tall and short are blooming in the front garden.

Yes, that's a RED tomato! I started these 'Tigerella' tomatoes last year and none turned red. I'm so glad that at least one is turning this year. In a few days my in-laws will be visiting from California, hopefully we'll be eating tomatoes from the garden while they are here.

We spent a long time yesterday cleaning out the front raised reds, pulling out lettuce and greens that were done and planting more seedlings. We've got lots of chard, kale, beets and carrots starting. I sowed lettuce and radishes yesterday. I still consider this an experimental year, so we'll see how well things do started now. I do know for sure we need to organize our plantings much better next year, also that we'll plant way fewer tomatoes since they took up a lot of space and haven't produced much.

Oh, and I found what the strange Sunflower is called. It's 'Sunspot' and supposed to get 18" - 24" tall according to the packet.

This has got to be the prettiest lettuce I've ever grown. 'Mottistone' has been doing great, no signs of bolting, and I found that the fairies like it too.

The other raised bed seems to have more warm season veggies growing. Pattypan, Buternut and Zucchini are all still growing.

I showed the start of the changes of the driveway bed in a previous post. I really like how it's turning out.

From a different angle you can see the new Nandina 'Gulf Stream' on the left and Osmanthus 'Goshiki' on the right. These two are both evergreen.

Love the seed heads on this Clematis.

The shed garden still looks pretty good for this late in the summer. I've been noticing how much red/burgundy colored foliage I've been adding in both the front and backyard.

Fuchsia magellanica is still doing great by the pond.

One plant I'm very happy with this year is the Bugbane or Actaea. I've had it in several places and it seems it finally likes it here. It's close to 5 feet tall and is covered in the best smelling flowers. The honeybees were all over it.

We are looking forward to my husband's parents coming for a visit. It looks as if summer is returning for this week and we should be able to enjoy lots of time outside. Not too long ago I replanted both Dill and Basil for my father-in-law to use when he hopefully makes us Spanakopita. In March they were here and saw the very beginnings of the garden, and he also helped my husband build the front arbor. I'm excited for them to see how it all looks now.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

September front garden.

2011-09-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we're already almost half way through September. This has been such a busy month. Both girls are back to school - there's now an 8th grader and a Pre-K'r in this house. Now that the routines of school, cross country and ballet are started I finally had a little time to do some work in the yard this morning.
We've had a lot of warm weather lately and today it cooled down quite a bit and was perfect for gardening. I had planned to do one job, but ended up cleaning up the aphid infested Nasturtiums and mildewy pumpkinless pumpkin vines in the side yard. After pulling up the vines and cutting back the fig tree some I was happy how much better it all looked. I know everyone has a spot in their yard that gets neglected and the side yard is mine.

Finally some Cosmos are blooming. I've never seen them start this late.

Cosmos 'Cranberries' (Select Seeds)

Cosmos 'Picotee', the only one that came up.

This is the strange Sunflower that I've shown in some recent posts. I think some birds have already started eating it.

This shows it's weird proportions, it's growing next to Basil plants.

Columbine that has been blooming all spring and summer.

'Iceberg' Rose and Cleome.

Asters and Coneflowers are doing great.

Gracie and the neighbor cat hanging out in the flowers.

Agastache 'Raspberry Summer' from Bluestone Perennials.

Seedlings that need to get planted, but where to squeeze them in?

Another bed (the driveway bed) I've been working on. I ripped out all of the Phlox. It had just taken over the bed and it had such a short bloom time it didn't look very good. I just planted the Ninebark 'Little Devil'. It's supposed to just get 3-4 feet wide and tall. I plan to get a couple more grasses - Feather Reed Grass 'Karl Foerster'.

David Austin rose 'Lady Emma Hamilton' has really pretty colored foliage. It has been very disease free and even handles afternoon shade, it has a great scent too. This is growing in the driveway bed that I showed above.

We also just celebrated a very special day here yesterday - the Littlest Gardener turned 5! She celebrated with a few of her best girl friends at Build a Bear. 5 little girls making stuffed animals is about as cute as it gets and they all had lots of fun.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Flowers, food and fun!

2011-09-06T21:45:00.000-07:00

Forget what I said in my previous post about the feel of fall in the air. Summer has decided to stick around for a bit longer. It's been hot! Daily watering has become a must to keep the vegetable garden going. Many plants in the backyard that compete with big trees have needed frequent watering too.
With school starting back up for the kids I hope to have some more time to do some garden work that needs doing. There are perennials that badly need to be cut back and lots of weeds that seem to popping up everywhere.

This is the gigantic Sunflower that was only supposed to get to about 18 inches high. I'm not sure what happened, but the leaves and flower are just huge. It's probably about 3 feet tall, but I don't think I've ever seen such big leaves or flowers on such a small plant. The birds will be feasting on it.

Rose 'Honey Perfume' has started another round of blooms.

I started all different types of Nicotianas this year, and had terrible luck with most. Since they have gotten mixed up in my planting I'm guessing that this is Nicotiana sylvestris. This is the third year I've tried growing it and glad to finally have at least one plant bloom.

Rose 'Iceberg' hasn't looked as good as usual this summer, but this last flush of blooms has been much better.

Rose 'Harlow Carr' and Geranium 'Rozanne' look so pretty together. I keep missing a good time to get more of this flower bed. There is a hardy fuchsia and Heuchera 'Crimson Curls' blooming with these two and it looks so pretty.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' is absolutely covered in Honeybees.

Look at this forecast! The last several days have been up in mid to high 80's too. This has been the weirdest summer weather. Now it decides to get hot (but I'm not complaining).

I'm hoping that upcoming heat starts to turn these guys red!

Hope the heat helps the Butternut Squash grow a bit bigger. These were started from seed this year.

Also started from seed were the Pattypan Squash. We've been eating lots of these and they're really good!

Found this cute sign over the weekend. I'm not sure where it'll go, but I thought it was so cute.

The Littlest Gardener (who is about to turn 5) loves to help water. She has been enjoying helping me water and look for vegetables to pick in the front yard.

Some of the fun I've been having has been redoing a couple of beds. This bed I rarely have shown pictures of because it's sort of been a bit of a mess. I kept trying to grow full sun plants here, but they just leaned and looked floppy. So I took almost everything out and started over. One little spot gets lots of sun, so I planted a Chocolate Eupatorium there. I also added Heucheras, Astrania and a hardy fuchsia. I left the Hydrangea 'Pinky Winky' which was new last year, Clematis 'Jackmanni' (which loves it here) and Daphne 'Summer Ice'. My goal is to keep this bed a bit more orderly than the rest of the yard since I need to get in to water the window boxes and put a ladder in here when we clean the gutters (something that we need to do frequently since there are several large trees that drop leaves, needles and cones year round).

I've also been working some on the driveway bed which isn't quite as much fun since it's in the full hot sun. I've been starting a few more greens that will hopefully last through the fall and into winter.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

September, already?

2011-09-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

How can it already be September? This felt like the shortest summer ever. Since we really didn't have a whole lot of summer weather it doesn't feel as if it's already time for the kids to go back to school. In the last few days I've begun to feel fall in the air. It feels like it's time to start lighting the pumpkin spice candles and put a blanket back on the bed (although I don't think it was off for more than a month or so). Luckily there are still more flowers coming so at least it doesn't look like summer is over.

Abutilon thompsonii which I just purchased after seeing some Abutilon growing in Ciscoe's garden. Apparently they are very easy to take cuttings and root - he said just put the cutting in water and wait for it to root. So, that will be my challenge this year.

I bought a start of a Morning Glory earlier in the summer has really just started blooming and growing. I love how they seem to glow in pictures.

Golden Feverfew - I have growing in a container. I'm not sure whether this will over winter or not, but they are so cheerful to look out at.

Zinnia 'Persian Jewels' - The Zinnias are so short this year and just starting to bloom, very late for them.

The Littlest Gardener and I have noticed that Daddy Longlegs (that's what we call these guys) seem to be on every Sunflower plant, blooming or not. One day we watched one of them along with an ant and a wasp. They were all on the same leaf and I couldn't figure out if the wasp was going after the ant or the Daddy Longlegs. Anyway, now I wonder why they like Sunflowers so much?

Another Sunflower starting to bloom. The petals remind me of long blonde bangs blowing around someone's face.

This is the bud of the gigantic leaved Sunflower that was only supposed to get to 18 inches tall. I can't wait to see how big it is.

A really pretty Dahlia with dark foliage.

A new rose from this summer is David Austin rose 'Harlow Carr'. It has such a good smell and the flowers are on the small side, I love it!

Today is the first day of 8th grade for Sweet Pea! Next week the Littlest Gardener starts Pre-K. Time goes by quickly and there are days I wish they wouldn't grow so fast.
Is fall in the air where you are?
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Lots of pretties at the end of August.

2011-08-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe August is almost over and school is just about to start. It feels like summer just began. There is still a lot blooming and still a few more flowers to come. I've been working on having more blooming towards the end of summer and going into fall. It seems though, that a lot of the late summer bloomers don't last quite as long. There are other flowers that seem to have been blooming for months like hardy fuchsias, agastache, hydrangeas and Monarda.
I've also been moving lots of plants around. For some reason that urge always seems to strike when we are having our hottest weather of the summer, which means extra watering trying to save the freshly moved plants. I know it's not when you are supposed to move plants, but aside from the extra watering, the plants seem to do fine.

Rose of Sharon 'Minerva'. It seems to bloom right when the leaves decide to yellow and fall off every year. I love the flowers, but it's not my favorite looking plant otherwise.

Chelone or Turtlehead is looking really pretty right now. It would probably like more water than it gets.

Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' bloomed very late and has lots of tiny flowers this year.

Daylily 'Ruby d'Oro'

Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue'

The entry garden - Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue', Fuchsia 'Pat's Dream' and Rose 'Harlow Carr'. This rose has really prickly canes.

Echinacea 'Green Envy'

Dahlia

Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Red Valerian on the right and Crocosmia, that was sent to me by Darla a couple of years ago, on the left.

Kniphofia 'Border Ballet' is new to my garden this year.

Sunflowers are just starting to open.

The unknown pink rose ('Heritage'?) with Cupid's Dart behind it.

I planted what I thought was supposed to be a small sunflower (18" high on the packet) in the raised beds. The leaves on this are HUGE.

It was a bit overcast when I took pictures today. The small shrub by itself is a replacement Mexican Orange (Choysia) for the one that didn't survive the move when I divided the bed back in February.

I've started pulling annuals out of pots and thinking about what I'll plant in them for fall. It's sad getting rid of the summer bloomers, but it is fun starting fresh with at least a few containers. I've sown seeds for fall vegetables for the first time. So far I've got Chard 'Bright Lights', Carrots, radishes and beets. I plan to start some Kale and Pak Choy soon too.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Not ready yet.

2011-08-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I would've sworn I could feel the beginnings of fall in the air. The cooler evenings (not that we've really had any warm evenings this summer), getting darker earlier (that always makes me sad) and the Ponderosa Pine needles dropping all over the deck (my least favorite thing to clean up). But the weather has decided that it's finally summer and it's been quite warm. Over the weekend we finally hit the high 80's and aside from some rain and lower temps a couple of days ago it's been up the 80's and predicted to stay that way through the weekend. During the month of August I'm typically sick of dragging hoses around and start letting most plants fend for themselves. This year I barely had to water at all until August, making me less annoyed with watering and now wanting me to keep summer going as long as possible. I'm not ready to let the plants fend for themselves, in fact I'm making it my duty to protect them from the heat. I'm not ready for summer to end, it's just arrived in this part of the country.

It's hard to believe that Violas are still blooming in August. Most flowers started blooming late, and many have been hanging on for months. One that I really can't believe is still going are the Sweet Peas, they've usually all been pulled up a month ago.

A cute new addition to the garden this year is Tennessee Coneflower (Echinacea tennesseensis).

Another new Coneflower is 'Milkshake'.

Agastaches have become a real favorite over the last couple of years. This yellow one is 'Summer Glow'.

Aster 'Monch' was finally moved from it's old spot of part sun to full sun and loves it. Time to move the other one out front too now.

Some of my absolute favorite flowers here. Rudbeckia 'Cherry Brandy', Agastache 'Apricot Sunrise' and Monarda 'Raspberry Wine'.

New in the garden this spring was Erysimum 'Apricot Twist'. It was in bloom when I bought in April and said on the tag it would bloom through May. Well, it hasn't stopped blooming since April and shows no signs of stopping. It also has a delicious scent.

I have it planted near Daylily 'Strawberry Candy' and they look beautiful together. This picture isn't the best, but hopefully you get the idea.

I know probably most of the country is ready for signs of fall, but I'm just not ready yet!

All of you in the way of Hurricane Irene I hope you stay safe and it passes by quickly without damage or injury.

All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

SAGBUTT and Ciscoe - how much more fun could I have had?

2011-08-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a fun day and I wanted to share some of it. I had the fun in joining up with some other local garden bloggers for a SAGBUTT meeting (Seattle Area Garden Bloggers United To Talk). Yes, we know the name is funny, and that's what makes this group so great! There's nothing like being with other people that enjoy gardening as much as I do. Melanthia of Garden Muse hosted the meeting at her home where we talked, ate and got to enjoy seeing her garden and chickens. It was fun seeing bloggers that I hadn't seen for awhile and also get to meet some new ones whose blogs I've been following. I felt like I already knew them as soon as I saw them. After the meeting we were lucky enough thanks to Kit 'Aerie-el' of Gardener's Roost to go on a garden tour. I was only able to visit one which belongs to local gardening expert Ciscoe Morris and his wife. Hopefully the other SAGBUTT members will share more of the other gardens on their blogs so I can see what I missed.
Here are some pictures from Ciscoe's garden. His garden definitely matched his enthusiastic personality!

The "hellstrip" surrounding his corner lot was all planted with a mix of perennials, shrubs and fruit trees.

This summer Eryingiums have become a new favorite of mine. I'm still looking for one that gets such a nice blue color. When the Littlest Gardener saw this picture she said, "Hey, that's Sea Holly!"

Lots of colorful foliage and textures throughout his garden.

Someone pointed out that each of the apples had been wrapped to protect them.

Lots and lots of Cacti filled the driveway, many were in bloom. They are overwintered in the garage.

This was one of my favorite pieces of garden art. These metal bats were hanging from the pergola rafters. Now I want one for my garden!

This was the view from the patio under the pergola. The large trunk to the right is from an old Wisteria. In this corner is a water feature along with lots of really interesting plants.

Part of the water feature.

A flower bed in the back garden. Meeting Ciscoe in person was a pleasure. You could just tell how much he loves gardening and the joy he gets from sharing his knowledge with other gardeners. It was the same joy that I felt when talking with the other garden bloggers that day.

Other bloggers that I had the pleasure of seeing were: Paula of Petunia's Garden, Nola of Life on Tiger Mountain, Alison of Bonney Lassie, Julia of Polka Dot Galoshes and Yvonne. Plans were made for upcoming meetings at local public gardens, private gardens, seed swaps and other great events. Join the Facebook page for the group if you are interested in joining in.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.