It's Your Fault, Carolyn

I was out in the garden yesterday, swinging the pick axe. October has been fairly dry, and the clay soil has become like concrete. Yet not all of it is like that. There are plenty of places I have been improving for years, adding compost and mulch with the seasons, and in these areas the shovel will slice through with satisfying ease. But not the spot I chose to dig. Oh, no. That particular spot was all native, hard enough to test the metal of any shovel. It was time for the heavy, sharp pick axe.

It's all Carolyn's fault. This fellow blogger, of Carolyn's Shade Gardens, and whose professional opinion I enormously respect, commented on the following photo I published in my June post, A Look at the Front Garden. In my acid soil the 'Endless Summer' hydrangea is bright blue:

Carolyn said she wished the blue hydrangea was next to the blue bench, which is located in another part of the front garden. Of course! Technicolor! Why hadn't I thought of that? Yet there's no place for the bench next to the hydrangea, and I didn't want to move the large shrub. However, I remembered Carolyn's comment when I saw a small 'Endless Summer' hydrangea for sale this week. The plant even had a few hot house induced blooms for instant gratification, despite the fall weather. Here in Alabama, October is the perfect month for planting shrubs, so I determined to buy this one and plant it next to the blue bench.

So Carolyn, it's your fault I was huffing and puffing and swinging the pick axe like a member of a chain gang. I hope it's worth it! Here's the results of my efforts:

One can't tell from the photo, but the little hydrangea is several feet from the bench to allow room for growth. 'Endless Summer' will turn pink in basic soil and blue in acid. There's no guarantee it will be the same shade of blue as the original one, but I think it will be pretty whatever the color turns out to be. I amended the soil with some good, home-cooked compost, and I watered it well. Hydrangeas need a lot of water, so I'll be diligent to keep it hydrated. Cooler temperatures will help it to become well established before next summer's heat. 

I hope the combination blue hydrangea/blue bench will live up to my vision. And to Carolyn's. I have been blogging for two years now, as of October 5, and in that time I have received many good tips and ideas from other garden bloggers. Thank you, Carolyn, and to you all who have supported and encouraged me and whose creative endeavors keep my own plans blossoming. Happy blogging and more gardening to you!

View From My Blue Bench

It started with a hummingbird feeder, a hand blown glass orb on sale at a discount store for less than six dollars. I felt a glow of satisfaction as I paid for my bargain, then headed toward Myers Plants and Pottery. I wanted a new shepherds hook so I could hang the feeder near the patio table.

Pulling into the nursery's parking lot, I braced myself for the task at hand. Myers is to an obsessed gardener what a Ghirardelli factory is to a chocoholic, but I thought I would be okay. I knew where the shepherds hooks were, and I already had my bird feeder. I could resist temptation.

There were many new plants and garden ornaments since my last visit to Myers, and the place was a festival of colors. My heart thumped faster and my feet slowed. 

"Did you see the list of what we have on sale?" A sweet nursery worker greeted me. 

"No, no. I'm here to get a shepherds hook."

"Hostas are half price," she smiled. I'm a regular, and she knows me.

"Half price?" I gulped and my feet turned toward the hostas.

No, no! You go get that shepherds hook. You can come back another day to look at hostas.

My feet reluctantly turned in the other direction. I was going to be good. 

Then I halted in my tracks, gaping at a blue metal bench. A rush of desire obliterated all thoughts of hostas and shepherds hooks. My tongue hung out of my open mouth and my arms stretched toward the bench as its magnetic force drew me in. I stroked the cerulean colored enamel and then sat down.

"I love it!" I said aloud.

In a flash the sweet nursery worker was beside me. "It's very sturdy, and it's on sale."

"Sale?" I gasped. I was sinking, and I knew it.

No, no, no!

Somehow, I forced myself away from the blue bench. In a daze I found a shepherds hook, paid for it, and then drove home. I stumbled out of the car.

What have I done? It's the only blue one they have, and it's on sale!

"Lou," I called to my husband when I entered the house. "Myers has a blue bench, and I really, really want it!" Then I shamelessly reminded him of my upcoming birthday.

So, here is my new blue bench!I put it in the front garden, and I can imagine how beautiful it will look against the fall colors of Japanese maples and dogwoods. I can see myself in the spring time, admiring the daffodils from my blue bench, and how pleasant will be the smell of nearby dianthus and roses!

Meanwhile, it's hot August, and there's not much blooming in the front garden, except for a few pots of heat stressed annuals. The blue bench adds a splash of cool color, just when it's needed. I sat for a long time, admiring the view and snapping photos of what I see, sitting on my blue bench:

By the way, the new hummingbird feeder is hanging on the shepherds hook but so far has failed to attract any hummingbirds. They seem to prefer the gaudy plastic ones I already had.