Blooming in September....

...and will continue until frost is Kleim's Hardy Gardenia...



Although it doesn't exactly cover itself in blooms like I would like, it is certainly nice to have a gardenia make it here. The first few years were iffy, but it's now a pretty good sized shrub. It's in a bit of a protected location but also endures less sun than it probably would like.

This one and the gardenia Chuck Hayes are the only two of several that I have tried to persevere here. Chuck Hayes suffered greatly this last winter (which wasn't a particularly harsh winter) and I lost about half of the shrub. It's doing okay. I think its problem is the late freezes we can have here...it pops out with its new spring growth too early and then really suffers.

Now THAT'S a Spider...

'Tis spider season....and while I often see these garden spiders, this is a particularly large one...maybe the largest I've seen. I happened upon her (if you follow the link, you'll know why) while digging daylilies; fortunately, I spied her before I ran into the quite awesome web.



I got a kick out of noticing all the weed seeds caught in the web (one of the reasons I saw it)...it's been quite the year for weeds...oh my.


It's been a bit rainy today, so I haven't been out to check to see if she is still there....

I was glad to learn these spiders are considered harmless, since she is quite scary looking...and also because, well, there are more than a few of them around...

Seeing Red...

Mr. Cardinal came in for a pretty close look...



...he's sitting in the pot ghetto....

Later, he moved to the bench...more comfortable, I suppose (joke...haha)...



....it was pretty neat to have him around. I hope he and the missus will stay....they just need to be extra cautious...Sam and Leo, you know...

Happy Campers

The daylilies below are no longer the latest and greatest, but they are still very good performers....and I happen to like them all, so they get to stay...


Missouri Memories:


From the AHS Daylily Database:

Missouri Memories (Hansen, 1992)

height 26", bloom 6", season L, Rebloom, Evergreen, Diploid, Pale orchid pink with lavender violet band above green throat.

Lake Effect:


From the AHS Daylily Database:

Lake Effect (Stamile, 1996)

height 23", bloom 7.25", season M, Rebloom, Dormant, Tetraploid, Fragrant, Mauve purple with a blue gray lavender eyezone and green throat. (Druid's Chant × Big Blue)

Michael Miller:



From the AHS Daylily Database:

Michael Miller (Stamile, 2000)

height 30", bloom 6", season EM, Rebloom, Evergreen, Tetraploid, 22 buds, 3 branches, White with gold edge above green throat. (Great White × Platinum and Gold)

South Pacific:



From the AHS Daylily Database:

South Pacific (Smith-FR, 2005)

height 34", bloom 6", season EM, Rebloom, Semi-Evergreen, Tetraploid, 30 buds, 4 branches, Coral pink with yellow watermark and edge above green throat. (Belle Cook × Seabiscuit)

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis:

From the AHS Daylily Database:

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (Grace-Smith, 2004)

height 28", bloom 6", season E, Rebloom, Semi-Evergreen, Tetraploid, 28 buds, 6 branches, Pink with gold edge above green throat. (Linda's Magic × sdlg)

Garlic Time!

Today my order from Filaree Farm arrived. Yippee! You know how I love my garlic...

I had forgotten how much I had ordered (nine varieties!)....which, I suppose, is what happens when you order in early March and are longing for spring and gardening season to begin...

I thought it might be interesting to see the order:


Neat, huh?

I have garlic downstairs in the basement...where the lighting isn't too good...especially when you go down there at night (like just a few minutes ago...)...

So, I have the new garlic (plus...ahem...a few varieties I just ordered from Territorial...how can I resist??) and this garlic to plant this fall...like now...




Sorry for the dark pictures...you get the idea....I'm excited to plant all the garlic and looking forward to...yum...trying all the varieties!