September Plans and an Alien in My Garden

I am loving September! Already there is a touch of autumn in the air. The peeling bark of a river birch adds a distinctive touch to the September garden.Days are pleasantly warm, while nights have a touch of coolness.The deep green of summer has acquired a few golden edges. Plants, wildlife, and humans heave a collective sigh of relief over the departure of intense heat and humidity. We all have renewed vigor and interest in the garden.

I have planted some fall vegetables: three varieties of lettuce, swiss chard, collard greens, broccoli. Peppers and butter beans continue to produce. I have never planted fall or winter veggies before; usually I haven't the energy after nursing tomatoes and other plants through the summer. But I think I may like gardening while the weather is more temperate. It is a small vegetable plot; but I have high hopes and may still add more goodies. 

I have a list of shrubs, perennials, and ground covers to transplant. That list will have to wait a few weeks. I am soon headed to the other side of the planet, all the way to Taiwan, to vacation with some friends. I will be back mid October, with lots of catch-up gardening and blogging waiting for me! 

Meanwhile, I enjoy taking photos around the garden.

I like to sit on the patio and watch the wildlife. I always keep my camera handy and sometimes I get lucky. Actually, it's not luck at all; it's perseverance! After about a hundred tries I managed to get the following photos of a cardinal and a couple of hummingbirds:

Near the patio I found this spider making a messy web over some cosmos. Unlike the birds, it posed for me and let me take all the shots I wanted. I think its hairy legs are creepy!

My tiny 'White Marseilles' fig tree is growing well in its pot on the patio and has even produced a few figs this year. I am impressed with the leaves! During the hottest part of summer the tree dropped a lot of its leaves, and I was worried. But it has quickly recovered and is sprouting new growth.

Here are some more interesting leaves. See the alien hiding behind the first one. I wonder what it is planning to do in my garden!Above left is foliage of a knockout rose. It is putting out lots of new buds. Above right is a Tropicana canna leaf. My son informed me I put these leaves on my blog too many times! But I love them.

Some random shots about the garden:
Top row: Caryopteris, or blue mist spirea, is a pretty shrub that attracts lots of bees. 2nd row: Purple oxalis; An indoor plant, Kalanchoa is spending the summer outside. I hope I can get it to bloom again by Christmas! 3rd row: I featured Hearts-a-bustin in my last post, but every day I am more impressed with the pretty seed pods.

And finally, no matter what I do, the garden is always preparing itself for the future!Top: White oak acorn. Bottom left: trident maple seed pods; Bottom right: Hickory nut pod.

I hope to get out one more post before I leave on my trip next week. If not, I promise to take lots of exotic photos. See you soon!

Always Waiting

We gardeners are patient people. We are always waiting. Waiting for seasons to turn, for plants to grow, for fulfillment of our visions. I have spent all of September waiting.

Waiting for temperatures to cool down. We remain in the 90s during the day, but next week that will change, according to weather predictions, with highs in the 80s. At last I may get to do some heavier garden chores without risk of heat stroke. I need to transplant several shrubs; I need to renovate my forsythia bushes. And the area by my new woodland path — lots to do there!

Waiting for fall. I want to revel in the colors of autumn foliage. I want to wear long sleeves. I want to open all my windows and let in cool, fresh air. Football stadiums are filled to capacity every weekend, and pumpkins are for sale in grocery stores and garden centers. Yesterday, September 23, was the first official day of fall. Although our weather is still stuck in summer, leaves are starting to change along the edges. It won't be long.Japanese maple leaves are beginning to turn red along the edges.A hint of color shows also in dogwood foliage.The Chinese Pistache leaves are already golden.

Waiting for rain. I think we have had two light rain showers this whole month. Green grass has faded to tan. Leaves are wilted, crinkly, or downright dead. Flowers have disappeared. This, too, is changing. The high pressure system that prevented clouds from coming our way has moved on, and today at last there are fat cumulous clouds overhead. No rain yet, but surely it must come.Here is my 'yardman'. He works valiantly to keep things watered. He is very cheap, but he expects a lot of fringe benefits!

Waiting for bulbs to arrive. I have ordered an assortment of daffodils and alliums. The daffodils will go to the area by my new woodland path, the alliums to the new border in the Lady Garden. I have never planted alliums before, but onions and chives do well, so I hope the more decorative cousins will also flourish. My bulbs should arrive in October. 

We can get caught up in waiting. I remind myself that tomorrow is guaranteed to no one. What I have is today. Today is a golden day in September, warm and rich as buttered pound cake, ready to be tasted and enjoyed. (I've been trying to lose a few pounds, forgive the simile!)