A Late September Tour of My Garden

Some friends came over recently for a tour of the garden. Panic! Summer is over, and fall is not quite here. What's to see in the garden? Other than weeds? But there is always something to enjoy. So here is a quick tour of some parts of the garden for those who can't see it in person.

Near the patio the old doghouse is smothered on one side by wild ageratum. Before it bloomed, Lou wanted to pull this weed, but I told him to leave it. A few sprigs of Red Cascade rose combine with the wildflowers and the bright colors of the doghouse.

From the other side of the patio, here is a view of the front garden. Notice the Red Banana plant, back from the dead!

Aren't these red banana leaves gorgeous?

Lets walk down the steps and peek at the Lady Garden. I have done a lot of work here this year, and there is still much to do: the joy of gardening!

I love the variegated ficus shown above, which grows in a pot in the Lady Garden. It is not hardy, and I will have to bring it in by December. I will also have to bring in the terra cotta lady head pot, shown below. This pot is what gives this part of my garden its name. The terra cotta can not take the freezing and thawing that accompanies winter. Notice I have put out my first pumpkins, in celebration of fall.

Leaving the Lady Garden, an oakleaf hydrangea catches our attention. These grow wild all over the place. This one already has amazing fall colors.

Walking up the road we look over the woodland garden. I won't take you in there today, but here are a couple of views you can see from the road.A trident maple on the left and the spreading branches of 'Orido Nishiki' Japanese maple complement the mondo grass that grows as a ground cover below them.From the road you can get an overview of the entry to the woodland garden.

In front of the house, by the parking court, silvery 'Powis Castle' artemesia, bright spider lilies, and Autumn sage combine to offer a colorful greeting to guests.

Finally, here are some more blooms we see on our tour.Top row: a couple of colorful fall mums. 2nd row: 'Penelope' rose and purple Heliotrope, which has been blooming all summer in the front planter. Third row: Both of these blooms are on the same shrub - Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' has lived up to its name!I hope you enjoyed the tour. My friends got raspberry chocolate cake; for that you will have to come in person!

Have a great week!    Deborah 

A Year in the Lady Garden

This is the third installment in my series of seasonal tours through different parts of Deb's Garden. Today we will look at the past year in the Lady Garden. The Lady Garden is tucked into a clearing in the woods down from the patio next to the house. This garden will always be true to its sylvan roots, a wood nymph rather than a lady of society. It is a new garden, still gawky, untamed and needing refinement. But there are some changes that have happened over the months.

First, lets walk toward the Lady Garden on the wide path which leads from the lower front lawn. Here are some views as you come to the main entrance of the garden:

If you turn around from inside the garden and look back toward the lower lawn, you see one of my favorite views. The large building is my neighbor's workshop. I planted the evergreen trees on our property line to screen it, and they have done a good job:

Here are views of the arbor that marks one end of the Lady Garden. It is a great spot for watching wildlife. Many birds, including a pair of owls, live in the nearby trees:

Next to the Lady Garden is a small footpath that leads up a slope, where it joins the front garden near the house:

Finally, opposite the arbor is the end where the Lady of the Garden lives. I recently added the rock border to make a planting area. Spring bulbs are arriving soon and will be planted here:

No doubt, many changes to the Lady Garden will occur with the coming seasons. It will be fun to one day look back and see it in its youth. Thanks for touring with me. By the way, this is my 100th post, since I began my blog last year on October 5, 2009. That is something to celebrate, and more seasonal installments are coming!

You may also like:

A Year in the Woodlands

A Year in the Front Garden

A Year by the Patio

A Year in the Lower Lawn and Words About Maintenance

Rocking Along in the Lady Garden