Kaseys Korner

forecast for frost

The garden faced its first frost of the fall last Saturday (October 6th). 

About average for us (as far as the date) but bittersweet as always....

Occurring just as many perennials were producing a few new buds (above Clematis 'Hagley Hybrid')

and Phlomis 'Russeliana'.

'Sweet Autumn' Clematis had almost finished blooming (above photo taken earlier) but forecasts with predicted lows of 23 (!!) mean work for the gardener had just begun.

Pots of tender tropicals made the journey indoors, pouting all the way.

Remaining vegetables were harvested with sighs at all the lost potential left on the vine.

It sounds morbid but final rounds were made throughout the garden to say goodbye for another year.  Does anyone else do that?

Particularly sad for blooms like anemones which had only just begun to open. 

Lavish bouquets were cut & gathered.

'Abraham Darby'

Only to wake & see the garden was spared.  Wonder of wonders.  A light frost, taking out only the tenderest of annuals. 

Thank you Mother Nature ~ however prolonged it may be...

 

 

what I know for sure

I love self seeders.

especially Morning Glory 'Pink Feathers.'

My favorite petunia is 'Pretty Much Picasso'

My favorite zinnia is 'Queen Red Lime:'

I can't get enough Stachys hummelo:

and I love, love, love my vintage iron birdcage. 

I love it so much, I want it to be perfect this summer ~ which has me torn between growing Thunbergia 'Arizona Dark Red:'

or Calibrachoa 'Cherry Star' inside it:

Can you help me decide???

I also love this shot of Echinacea purpurea buds (with Salvia verticillata 'Purple Rain' & Pink Fleabane in the background:

I'm happy beyond belief that I have a pond, even if it is a small pre-formed version.

Watching fish is more relaxing than I ever knew & learning about water plants has added another dimension to my gardening experience:

Most of all, I love photographing my garden.  It's second only to creating it.

There's one more thing tho ~ I love sharing it with you. 

It beats the heck out of keeping it all to myself!

 

 

garden scenes

Pretty pictures only.

I realized last night what's been stopping me from blogging (as much) ~ no time to write. 

Since taking photos is never a problem, I thought I shouldn't let that hold up the blog...

My coffee cup and a sprig of roses ~ a common sight during the summer ~

I set my cup down to do one little thing then come back many minutes later to cold coffee. 

Sound familiar??

Lately, roses accompany the cup since I've been cutting them to bring indoors.

or to stick on my nose while I'm reading a book!

Clematis texensis 'Duchess of Albany:'

in full (might I add ~ spectacular) bloom.  A favorite clematis shape & color...

Clematis texensis 'Gravetye Beauty' is also in bloom but not photographed (you've seen it so many times before anyway, right??  It's a red version of 'Duchess of Albany')

A small collection of containers on my back patio:

and one on my front patio:

the one above is a new favorite being made of stacked flagstone rectangles. 

Very cool (and heavy!)

ooooh, that was easy ~ short & sweet ~ maybe I could do this more often??

 

 

 

 

Clematis 'Purpurea Plena Elegans'

This year, all on it's own, is blooming in my new favorite form ~ a standard!

Okay, maybe not the best photo to showcase that effect ~ let's try again:

See how it gathered itself around the top of the obelisk ~ almost as if it had a premonition about my 2012 fixation!

Never have I loved it more....

Also loving the Canterbury bells which are going full steam. 

The double purples are my favorite but it's hard to discriminate when the single cups are lovely.

Made even better next to the show-stopping yellow foxtail lilies:

Anything special you're loving right now???  Maybe it's too hard to narrow down??

 

Siberian Iris 'Pink Haze'

along with an assortment of other (new) blooms ~ you knew there couldn't just be one focus, didn't you??!!  Not this time of year!!! 

'Pink Haze' was added to the garden last summer along with 'Sky Wings' and 'Heliotrope Bouquet.'  All are lovely and seem to last longer in my garden than Bearded Iris do.  I'm really digging the daintier appearance of their foliage as well.

Of course having "pink" as part of its name didn't hurt either!!

Which is how the Bearded Iris below got into the garden:

In a moment of weakness, I broke down this spring and purchased 'Beverly Sills.'   I'd lusted and lusted and lusted (you get the picture) after it for years on end.

One of my neighbors grows 'Beverly Sills' in their garden but even tho I'd dropped numerous hints and admired it profusely, a single rhizome was never offered.  :(    Oh well, it's here now and that's all that matters.

Yesterday I moved the birdhouse (on post) around to the front garden.  You might remember I had Clematis 'Josephine' growing up it in a container?  

Notice the pink iris (a bit blurry) in front.

Once I'd moved 'Josephine,' it seemed logical to start fresh with that container.

Btw, best move ever (I've already told you) ~ taking 'Josephine' out of the pot!

It is REALLY blossoming (lol) planted in the garden.

I've never had her look so gorgeous or bloom so profusely.

Patting myself on the back for that one!!

oooh, speaking of Clematis, I finally found one I'd been oogling for a while now ~ 'Betty Corning!'

I often thought of mail ordering her but could never quite bring myself to do it.  This year she showed up at a local nursery. 

I immediately took it as a "sign!"  You would too, wouldn't you?!!!!  ;)

Above:  looking toward side gate. 

The tiered topiary reminds me of my latest project ~ learning to use hedge shears.  I hope it's a quick learning curve and that the boxwoods & yews are forgiving of mistakes!!  So far, I have a tendency to be too cautious so no big holes (yet!)  Afraid to scalp the poor things...

Finally ~ I sure have rambled on and on tonight ~ I'm busy as many of you are ~ planting containers.  Thanks to my pinterest obsession, I was inspired to turn an unused light pendant into a container:

I debated and debated what to put in it and finally settled on a 'Black & Blue' Salvia & two nasturiums.  I know ~ maybe it needed something a little more "out there??"  I'll keep thinking.  Meanwhile the sparkle from the drop crystals is making me totally happy.   :)

Now that was quite a bit more than just 'Pink Haze,' wasn't it?!!!!

 

 

 

 

a sea of roses

is keeping me adrift these days (and away from the computer.)

'Abraham Darby'

The garden has never had more.

'Crown Princess Margareta' buds

This gardener couldn't be happier.

'Golden Celebration'

 The scent wafts over, around and thru ~ permeating the air.

'Winchester Cathedral' buds

Single blooms are clipped & the garden is meandered with them stuck to the nose.

'Winchester Cathedral' Tree Rose

There's no better way to breathe....

'Crown Princess Margareta'

Miniature Rose 'Cupcake'

'Abraham Darby' bud

'Teasing Georgia'

The photos above seem to reveal what the preferred rose color is ~ surprised even me ~ I thought it would be pink but it definitely seems to be hues of yellow????  

There IS pink tho ~

Pink roses threaded thru the rusted iron obelisk. 

Clematis 'Hagley hybrid' rambling among the same pink roses.

'Hagley Hybrid' is easy to miss, if you aren't looking.  It made much more of a statement when it climbed the antique birdfeeder but unfortunately, raccoons knocked that over one too many times this past winter and broke it.  :-(

I've heard much of the country is sweltering in heat this holiday weekend, not us.  I wouldn't go so far as to say it's cold but it's cool(er), blustery and we've definitely had more perfect outdoor/grilling weather.  That's okay, along with enjoying the roses, there's graduation & accompanying parties to keep us busy.  Whatever is happening in your area, enjoy the Memorial Day weekend & thank you men & women of the Armed Services.  We never forget you!

 

 

kitchen window view

It's hard to wake up on the wrong side of the bed when you look out the kitchen window and see this:

the arbor smothered in pink roses & honeysuckle. 

bliss, bliss, bliss.

That's looking left.  The view looking center is the birdhouse tuteur bed:

The view looking right:

Hawthorne tree in bloom (with ladder left over from last nights grackle eviction.)

The blooms are usually covered with bees & the sound of their buzzing noticeably loud. 

Unfortunately, last week I learned the neighbor discovered a colony of bees in the spruce tree behind my house.  Instead of calling a beekeeper, he called property management.  You can guess what happened ~  extermination.  It still makes me sick.  I've seen very few ever since...  :-(

Not out the kitchen window but next to my sink:

A double pink gloxinia!

No excuses to be grumpy, right?!!

Clematis 'Silver Moon' & 'Josephine'

Awesome individually but even more impressive intertwined. 

(for those of you not familiar with these two clematis ~ 'Josephine' is the double pink & 'Silver Moon' is the single lavender)

'Josephine' had been growing in a container the past couple years but never seemed happy there.  She produced a couple of blooms each season but never put on the show I had envisioned.  Last fall, I finally took the hint & decided to release her from the confines of the pot & planted her in the garden.  Her position, next to 'Silver Moon,' (shown below in the foreground) was decided mainly because it was the only location available.

Turned out to be a good site & you can see how she responded! 

There are many, many buds to come (for both clematis) so I don't think I'll be putting another clematis in a container again...lesson learned!

Something else that came out of a pot ~ not by my hand but voluntarily ~ are these strawberry plants:

The original plants were planted in a strawberry jar (they didn't survive the winter there) but the runners that dropped & rooted in the cracks between the flagstone pavers have started to flourish.

right down to producing berries:

Aren't these two perfect examples of plants telling the gardener what they need??!!!  I'm glad I listened regarding 'Josephine' and fresh strawberries are a side benefit I sure didn't know I'd be harvesting!

 

 

Clematis 'Asao'

has earned it's own post (not because it's beautiful, although there is no dispute there) but for being the first clematis to EVER bloom in April!  At least in this garden...

It's not just one lonely bloom either ~ it's in true "full-on-bloom-time" mode!

You have to love that aspect of this wacky spring weather. 

On the flip side, the above average warm temperatures & below average precipitation have already sparked talk of water rationing in our area.  If something doesn't change soon, it could very well become a reality.  :-(

Today is a day to shrug that worry off tho (momentarily) & to enjoy the novelty ~ for who knows if it will happen in another year or not?  I would say all things are possible and all bets are off for 2012 ~ wouldn't you agree?!!

 

catching up

I certainly left you all "high & dry" didn't I?!  Yikes ~ my apologies.  Somehow it still hasn't slowed down then my Mom came for a visit.  I had good intentions of posting before she arrived but as you know, that never happened.  Temperatures were in the upper 80's for most of her visit so we were able to be in the garden a LOT (hardly having to pretend it was summer.)  She was excited to see the changes in my back garden especially since I hadn't even started those when she visited this spring.  On one of the afternoons during her visit, I spied what I thought was a newly emerged Monarch butterfly.  I flew into the house to grab my camera but by the time I got back, the butterfly had totally disappeared.  I began to wonder/doubt if it really was "new" but then today, look what I discovered a few feet below where the butterfly had been drying:

The empty chrysalis!!!!  I can't believe I found it after the fact ~ I had searched & searched all around the milkweed in that bed when the caterpillars first disappeared.   Then today, there it was ~ attached to the underside of the urn that sits in front of the birdhouse tuteur.  Arggg.  Next year, I'm going to have to search a LOT better as I would really love to follow the whole process.

One butterfly I didn't miss photographing was this Western Tiger Swallowtail sipping on Verbena bonariensis just today:

Since I last posted, I've also had another Amaryllis bloom.  'Aphrodite' was purchased on clearance after Christmas last year but didn't bloom then:

SO pretty but I have to admit, it seems more than a little strange to see an Amaryllis in bloom during "pumpkin" season. 

Big & little orange globes have been scattered about the garden & I particularly like this one mixed with Fuchsia 'Autumnale:'

The foliage of 'Autumnale' is so impressive ~ it 'almost' makes the blooms inconsequential:

Don't you agree???  Anyone else growing this one?

My Mom & I also got into some dangerous shopping in the fairy garden section of one local greenhouse.  Oh my.  Look at two new additions that made the trip home with us:

I think I'm hopelessly addicted!  And definitely excited to bring it all to life next spring.  I want to go back for the blue crystals & place them under the bridge to create a pond.  This is exactly the reason I never jumped into the fairy garden arena before ~ thanks again Dora!!!

Other blooms in the garden right now are Buddleia 'Honeycomb:'

Anemones:

'Sweet Autumn' Clematis:

and finally, buds on the Brugmansia.

I'm not sure why this plant waits until almost frost to produce blooms??  I hope a few make it to flower since it will soon be time to start hauling it (& all the other tender plants) to the basement.  I can't believe how fast summer flies by each year.  I also know I can't be the only one who wonders where September went??   It's gone so fast, I'm already counting down the days until next garden season!!