Late Summer in the Front Garden

We have had rain almost every day in August thus far. The vapors of summer have settled over us like a warm wet towel. Yesterday I was able to get out to my dripping garden.A view from inside the front garden.It wasn't raining at the time, but when I returned to the house I was damp. I didn't mind. The rain has moderated our usually high summer temperatures, and the plants are loving the moisture. The garden feels mellow and ripe, like the golden figs I picked the other day. My little White Marseilles fig tree produced a total of four figs this year. They were very sweet, and Lou and I gobbled them up. I hope my potted tree will grow bigger and produce a larger harvest next year.

In the front garden, Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' is putting on a show. Its chartreuse tinted white blooms glow along the hydrangea walk, where earlier blooming hydrangeas have faded.This shrub blooms reliably every year from midsummer till fall, when its blooms will acquire pink tints.

Another plant that is gives a reliable punch to the summer garden every year is Canna Lily 'Tropicana'. I have loved it from the first moment I saw it. It was the plant that began to nudge me toward the tropical side of my semitropical climate.Before Tropicana, I dismissed most tropicals, but now my tastes have broadened considerably. Some of these shamelessly brazen plants are much more suited to my sultry climate than the pastel delicacies that were my first love.

Farther down inside my front garden is the peculiar Voodoo plant. I think it may be mature enough next year to bloom. I am looking forward to that! Meanwhile, I enjoy its tomato-like foliage and its creepy patterned stems, which feel like human flesh!

If you don't know anything about this plant, you must read my previous post, Under the Spell of the Voodoo Plant. I have two voodoo plants, both growing in large pots. I was shocked to discover a third voodoo plant in the ground about fifteen feet away from the originals. Since those have never bloomed, I don't know how this has happened. Perhaps a squirrel dug up a small corm and planted it for me!

A summer view of a rustic birdhouse inside the front garden:Summertime, and the living is easy!

Finally, here are some simple summer flowers:

 May these August days bring you many blessings.   Deborah

My Days as a Princess

It has been a week since I walked in my garden. The following are a few of the photos I took then, nothing new but nice that the garden is doing well through the summer:

Cryptomeria japonica, shown above in the last photo on the lower right, was once upon a time a Christmas tree. It has grown well since I put it out in the yard.

I had hip replacement surgery the day after I took these photos. I was in the hospital for a few days, then finally came home, where I am bound to hobble around the house on a walker.

Definitely not my style.

You may think this came about because of shoveling, hauling, digging with a pick ax, and other gardening chores. I have always been a hands on, down in the dirt gardener. Bored by gyms, I think outdoor activities are the best form of exercise.

Or maybe my situation was the result of my day job. I am a nurse, and I routinely spend 12 hour shifts on my feet, constantly moving around with few breaks.

Maybe it was a little of both, but probably it was genetics. Everyone in my family has arthritis. My brother had hip replacement surgery last year, and he has a sedentary job. (Although he is a gardener...) It recently became clear that it was time to do something about my condition.

I confess I have been down in the dumps. Yesterday I sat with my feet propped up on the couch. Lou had put layers of blankets under the cushion so that once down, I could get up again. Sitting atop the pile, I was reminded of the old children's tale, The Princess and the Pea. Behind me, sunlight streamed past the window panes. A spider web was strung between the glass and the window screen.This is the view from the couch. The edge of the patio can be seen on the far right.

This morning I felt a bit better, and Lou suggested I sit on the patio. The temperature was pleasant, and I perked up as I listened to birds and watched a lizard scurry across the concrete. I looked at my walker and decided it was good for most terrains. I stood up, and my walker and I ambled toward the front garden. I made a discovery: Walking is easier on soft mulch than hard floors. I intended to just go a short distance, but soon I was all the way down in the middle of the front garden, inspecting plants and even pulling a few weeds. 

Thanks to modern medicine and technology, I should be back to normal within a couple of months. Meanwhile, I perch upon my throne of blankets and cushions. I point to this and I point to that, and Lou does it. My days as a princess will not last long. A physical therapist will be seeing me several times a week, but I think my garden will be the most important factor in getting me off my tush and moving toward recovery.