Kaseys Korner

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?!!

there's a chicken in the garden

unfortunately, just not a real one! 

Instead a most comely iron "girl." 

Isn't she cute? 

I wish there'd been two but I think I was lucky to find one (since the store owner where I bought it said she was so over chickens, there would be no more!)  Bummer.

Oh well, I think she looks good guarding the topiary and she'll do until I can someday try the live version!

p.s.  I think she needs a name, don't you??  Any suggestions?

Frosted!

Twas the 6th day of December and not a twig, branch, leaf, blade of grass, etc., etc. (you get the picture) was left untouched by frost.  Wait ~ December 6th??  Isn't it still officially fall?  No one would believe that in my neck of the woods. 

The tree line across the street from my house screams "winter:"

Notice the snow covered ground too??  Sure looks like Winter to me.

It settled in on October 26th (the date of our first snowstorm) and refuses to give Fall it's rightful time back!

Blog readers prepare yourselves for a looonnngg stretch of the "winter blues" compliments of yours truly.

When winter bullies in after only one month of Fall it doesn't take a calculator to figure that's FIVE months of gnarly white cold versus the three dedicated on the calendar.

Totally disproportionate, don't you think? 

This gardener would prefer if the months were skewed the opposite way!

Maybe Spring will figure out a way to chip off some time on that end?

You know that's what this girl's hoping for....

November ends

on a mellow note, capping off a week of milder than normal temperatures. 

 

It's been an absolute delight. 

Especially since it came on the heels of 20+ inches of snow (end of Oct & beginning of Nov) which brought a sudden violent and premature end to Fall.

If the weather forecast is correct, tomorrows calendar flip also marks a switch in the outdoor thermostat as well ~ 5 to 8" of new snow and highs in the twenties.  Ouch.   That's a forty degree drop.

I doubt I'll be ready.  I never am. 

It will be DECEMBER tho so I guess it's inevitable??? 

Time to move the "party" indoors.  At least we enjoyed the warmth while it lasted ~ hopefully it won't be TOO long before the mercury eeks upward.

Above:  Amaryllis 'Red Lion' ~ originally purchased as 'Prince Carnival' but who can complain?! 

I'll be back as soon as I dig out from under the Christmas decorations (and the snow)...

 

 

2011 Garden Additions

I thought about titling this post "I planted what?"  or "I planted all that?"   But the more methodical side of me took over and I decided I needed a good reference point in case there was ever a reason to look back.  Something I'm trying to do less and less of but still...

The list consists only of shrubs & trees added to the garden the past spring & summer.  It was compiled out of my own curiosity ~ it seemed I planted endlessly and I wanted an accounting for my efforts.  Now that it's in black & white before me, I can't recall how I managed?  In no particular order:

(16) Boxwoods

(25) Yews

(1) Weeping Pussy Willow

(1) Columnar Serviceberry (pictured below)

(1) Double Pink Flowering Almond

(1) Dwarf Alberta Spruce

(1) Dogwood (pictured below, unknown variety ~ found without a tag, baking in the sun, on the asphalt parking lot of a big box store)

(11) Arborvitaes

(3) Endless Summer Hydrangeas

(1) Japanese Maple

(2) Rhododendrons

(1) 'Blue Girl' Holly (sporting a lone berry)

Whew.  That's it ~ maybe it's not as much as I thought?  Oh no, it's every bit of what I thought ~ my back remembers each and every one!!

All of these additions were added to create structure (and privacy) in the back garden redesign ~ maybe you remember going thru the process with me?  Countless bulbs & perennials were also planted ~ I just didn't have the patience or fortitude to create that list.

In the early days of winter (at least here) all the hard work of the past season gives me infinite hope and excitement for the 2012 gardening year ~ it's good to have something to look forward to, isn't it??!!

 

 

Hibiscus 'Powder Puff'

and the first snow of the year.  Say what???  Yep, you read that right ~ we got the first snow of the season last night and into today.  It was heavy, wet stuff that left a TON of damage in its wake since most of our trees & shrubs were still fully leafed out.  I was out throughout the night and all day today trying to knock it off the branches I could reach.  Tomorrow I'll have to assess the damage but already I hear chain saws working on the many branches down across the neighborhood.  The ground was warm ~ it was 80 degrees on Monday ~ so the pavements and streets mostly melted.  Below you can see some of the accumulation on my patio table:

At one time I measured 10" using a ruler but I'm sure there was more since it was melting the whole time.  Here's another look out the back patio door:

Isn't that crazy??  Melted concrete but piles of snow. 

Thank goodness for 'Powder Puff' Hibiscus that opened in the middle of our wintry day:

Feeling grateful I brought it indoors to overwinter, I'd considered otherwise.  It's loaded with buds:

which it also had last year but then they all fell off after coming inside??  That's why I was torn about whether to keep it or not.  I don't know what I did differently this year, I'm just happy for a bloom when everything is cold and white outside.

Makes the whole snow thing a bit easier to swallow, doesn't it?? 

Late Season blooms

Now that it's October, much of the garden is looking decidedly "past tense" but luckily not everything.  Thank goodness for late bloomers, right?!  One perennial ~ Eupatorium rugosum 'chocolate' or Chocolate Snakeroot ~ is just now peaking:

Gotta love that, right?  It opened a little too late to attract butterflies, which is why I purchased it (I haven't seen any for a couple weeks now) but it's still a beautiful late season perennial.  Those dark stems are what got it into the cart!

They should stay in bloom until our first hard frost which, sadly, could happen any time now.  You know I always hope it's later rather than sooner!

Another perennial just starting to open is ~ Helianthus maximiliani or Maximilani Sunflower:

This native prairie perennial doesn't require a lot of water which is why it came to live in my front garden.  I wish it would spread more but the five stalks that came up this year are the most since being planted three years ago.  Their height is impressive ~ two are at least eight feet tall!  It's hard to tell scale in a photo but maybe you can get the idea from the pic below:

I don't remember them waiting so late to bloom before but it's been a strange year as many of you know.

An annual that has kept me waiting is Leonotis nepetifolia 'staircase.'  Started from seed & planted in the new oval bed, the plants grew and grew, eclipsing the birdhouse tuteur long ago.  It was the end of September before a speck of color could be seen on the buds tho.

See them towering over the birdhouse??  They are so tall, they're first to catch the morning sun!  Despite their height & unique bloom structure, I'm on the fence about whether they'll be included in any future garden.  They always bloom so late (some years frosting before the buds open) I'm thinking I'd prefer something that would be in flower for a longer period of time...

The orange whirls are pretty cool tho and they provide great winter interest so who knows?  I could change my mind again by next spring!

We had our first taste of cold weather this weekend.  Blustery winds and highs Saturday in the low 40's.  Brrr...  I was busy all afternoon hauling tender plants indoors & covering others because of a freeze warning.  It didn't happen but still, better safe than sorry, right?

Now I have the difficult choice of what to try & overwinter and what to let go....  I'm playing out the odds (in my head) of keeping everything!!! 

 

 

 

the early October garden

feels more like August.  I know, I know, we're only 3 days in but with temperatures in the mid 80's it's hard to believe the calendar.  Even tho I'd rather pretend it's going to be Indian summer until December, I'm realistic enough to proceed with the season.  Mums have been added to the tall urns at the end of the yew allee:

White rope lights were also added on either side of the yew pathway to illuminate it at night.  It looks like a runway out there after dark!

Pumpkins have been scattered hither & yon:

and phase II of the back garden redesign has commenced!  The first part of this phase is adding more raised bed area to the north side of the yard.

You can see a bit of exposed soil on the right side of the above photo.  Someone besides me is excited by the excavating ~ our Lhasa, Butterball!  I caught him jumping out of the newly dug bed:

After he landed he stopped and looked at me as if to say "Who me??  I would never get in there!!"

Ha!  We know better, don't we?!!!  :-)

As you also know, the garden is full of surprises ~ today it was a primula bloom I would never have dreamed possible:

'Pubescens' blooms in spring but it's never repeated in the fall before.  I have no idea why, but beauty of this caliber is not to be questioned!

More expected are aster blooms.  Below is Novi Belgii 'Winston Churchill:'

I planted this one in the container (veggie) bed and am lovin' the raspberry pink color.

David Austins 'Abraham Darby' is beginning a third flush of blooms!  Bloom on Abe ~ it's a rose that could bloom year 'round and I'd still never tire of it:

If you grow it, you know it smells every bit as delicious as it looks.

A new plant to the garden surprised me pleasantly by blooming non-stop since mid summer ~ Gaura lindheimeri 'Passionate Rainbow:'

I didn't think it could get better until Nicotiana alata 'lime green' took off ~ the combination is really lovely.  To think when I bought it, I really didn't care if it bloomed at all ~ I just liked the foliage so much!

The end of the week is supposed to usher in a cool front and some rain.  I knew the heat couldn't last but we're trying to enjoy it as much as possible before it ends.  The garden has been such a joy this year ~ totally worth all the hard work.  The only question I ask myself is "what took so long to do it??!!"

what's a gardener to do

when temperatures hover around 100 day after day after day?? 

There is work to be done but only if the "gardener" is not adverse to major perspiration. 

The seating areas are appealing but the most pleasant time to enjoy them are early in the morning:

and late in the evening:

The sun won't be scalding then but those are prime times for the bumper crop of mosquitoes inhabiting the garden this year.  It's almost impossible to win.

Sometimes the best bet is to observe the garden from indoors and run out like a mad woman when something flits by to photograph ~ like this butterfly:

I think it's a Fritillary but I couldn't positively identify which one?  The best side view I was able to capture is the one below:

Perhaps there will be other opportunities as it seemed to be really interested in Clematis texensis 'Duchess of Albany:'

It's one of two "texensis" varieties grown here.  The other, 'gravetye beauty,' you've seen many times:

I had butterflies on the brain this spring when I planted two new Asclepias Incarnata but I have yet to see any light upon them ~ there's 'Princess:'

and 'Ice Ballet:'

It's too early to give up tho ~ I usually see the most butterflies in August and we are (too) quickly approaching that month. 

Something else occupying (worrying) me during this heat wave is an injured Robin:

He's been hanging around the garden for over a week now trying to recover from what looks like a narrow predator escape.  His left leg has to be broken (I never see him put it down), he's missing feathers including most of the tail ones (which you can tell better in the photo below:)

I'm also uncertain about his left wing (whether it's broken or not.)  I know the odds are stacked against his survival but I'm pulling for him.  I've done an online search for a rehabilitation place in my area but can't locate one ~ what would you do??? 

 

 

birdhouse tuteur

Today a little update on the re-designed back garden.  Remember the tuteur that was placed in the new oval bed?  (it originally had a pointed top)  I recently replaced the "point" with a birdhouse:

You'll have to tell me what you think ~ I like it better but perhaps everyone does not?  I think it's my weakness for garden ornamentation that makes it more appealing??  It's practical too ~ with the birdhouse on top it's like getting two for the price of one ~ a birdhouse & a tuteur!!  Here's a slightly longer look:

Mostly included because of the robin in the center of the photo (the gray/black blob) and the first year male Bullocks oriole on top of the arbor.  The summer garden is never without either so they absolutely deserve a place on this blog.

Both the grape jelly feeder (conspicuous by its copper top in the previous photo) and the sugar water feeder above are used almost continuously.  It keeps me busy ensuring they never run empty but I don't mind the extra effort.  It's worth it , most especially to have the orioles in such abundance.

Swiveling to the right, a shot of the red/yellow container:

The contents include one each of Lysimachia congestiflora 'Outback Sunset,' Fuchsia 'Autumnale,' Geranium 'Mrs. Pollock' and 4 tomato red petunias.   I'm really liking the combination because of how it brightens the partly shaded area where it's placed.  

Out front, Filipendula rubra 'venusta' is in full bloom. 

I was out at sunset the other evening trying to capture the tall, airy blooms when I accidentally captured this:

The gold circles were a result of the setting sun thru the oak leaf openings.  Isn't it dramatic?

I raised up slightly which switched the circles to a position above the Filipendula blooms:

Still pretty fantastic, wouldn't you agree?  and most completely a fortuitous stroke of luck. 

I've been staying busy pruning.  I feel like that's all I've done for several weeks now.  Over the weekend tho, I vowed to be done (at least for now.)  It's time to relax a little and enjoy all the efforts that have been put into the new design.  Think I can do it????