fall blooms

More zinnias! 

I still cut a few for inside the house.

Celosia took me by surprise. These sprang up self-seeded after I pulled out the bug-ridden borage. Grew very quickly. 

Some even have the convoluted 'cockscomb' or 'brain flower' look. Might just let them grow on their own every year, instead of painstakingly starting them as seedlings in spring.

Lovely petals like crepe paper, rose-of-sharon

Even though it just got planted a week ago, 

my wandflower bloomed!

Liriope is making purple spires

and japanese salvia softer yellow ones- 

Some of my nasturtium plants recovered from the heat (and I sprayed for bugs)-

a week later-

The cardinal climber has wound all the way up to my deck railing

and one on the other fence is actually flowering now!

Thickets of turtlehead. 

Even the small patch at the very far back of the yard did better this year. Because I swiped off a lot of mealy bugs on stems early in the season? or because more sun reaches them now... 

Pannicle hydrangeas-

'Autumn Joy' sedums. Some are more pink than others.

Summersweet had plenty more flowers this year and occasionally I paused in the very back of the yard to lean into their vanilla scent. 

There's also marigolds and nicotiana of course... . .

some coleus

They have all done really well this year. My favorite in the pots on the deck and around the garden is this bright one I pinched (it doubled in size since these photos) - one of which has been growing in the corner behind the pole beans, and there's a thick row of them across the front perennial bed. I think next year I will plant the crazy 'rodeo drive' there instead, if it continues to look tamer- because the bright one seems too much contrast between the darker foliage of boxwood and mums. 

Also really like the 'exhibition limelight' with its huge leaves. It's been in a pot under the deck stairs, near the tomato bed.

Last night temperature dropped to forty degrees. As security measure, I took cuttings of all my coleus- here's some of them- 

I haven't been terribly fond of the orange/lime one, which is very red/yellow this year- I think if I plant it in deeper shade next summer it might stay the paler hues.

digging relocations

I moved some stuff this past week. Not done yet, but it's a start. First was the rhubarb. I think it's my last attempt to relocate it. Went from the corner of rear perennial bed to a blank spot (taking another chunk out of the lawn) in front of the pannicle hydrangea near the nicotiana patch. (Eventually I want that edge of plants among the tree roots to expand so that lawn edge is straight). That sycamore stump (from the neighbors, who gave me some rounds when they cut down their tree) is the perfect height for me to sit on and enjoy part of the garden. 

It was very sad when I first moved it. 

Watered heavily every day for a while, mulched it thickly with compost and grass clippings. Now a few of the younger leaves are standing upright again, so I hope it will recover well.

The empty spot it left behind doesn't seem so large- 

and now I notice one of the hellebores there is yellowish.

Compare to other one on the left. Too much sun? Nutrient overload from me feeding the rhubarb that was next to it? It's growing new leaves from the crown though, so not done for yet, whatever's wrong.

Next thing I did was rip up more grass in the front, to start expanding that perennial bed so it's a straight line across from the little path off the driveway. Edging will go all the way from driveway corner to curve around where the pink sedums are on the opposite end- 

I will get a better photo later when it's a better job done- right now the edging only goes a little ways and it's not the stones I actually want to use, just what I had at hand. But had to start moving stuff so I'm ready to shift my black-and-blue salvia when it goes dormant. First I dug up and moved forward the two cranesbills. Hope they get more sun.

They are very floppy and pathetic looking now, I am a bit anxious they might not survive this (it's better to transplant them in the spring). Yeah, I didn't pull all the grass out but will soon smother it in mulch and fallen leaves for winter, then uproot what's left in spring.

Into the space vacated by the cranesbills, I transplanted my mountain laurel. I'm hoping it will do better here- has lost a lot of lower leaves lately. And the very attractive flowers can be enjoyed more, now that it's by the front porch.

the only cantaloupe

I figured I better harvest it, because the skin was getting these cracks, and I didn't know if that would let insects or bacteria get inside-

So cut it open and ate half for breakfast. My husband had the other half. It was rather bland- not quite ripe. He liked it, I was a bit disappointed. It was just alright.

rich compost

Today I cut the 'compost cake'! And wow, how rich it looks. 

I thought for sure there'd be matted leaf or dry layers somewhere, to break up and toss into the newly moved bin- but nope. This one literally 'cooked' all year- I don't think I turned it once since starting last fall, and after taking off the top five or six inches to start the new pile, it was rich crumbly blackness all the way through

I started spreading it- blanketed thickly the two newer beds that are empty now- (having pulled and tossed the dying zuccchini, cantaloupe and cucumber vines). Side-dressed the leaf beet chard, swiss chard, 'callaloo' amaranth and tokyo bekana.

Also around some plants I moved to the front yard, more to tell later.