My Existential Garden

Brought the hibiscus in before the poor thing freezes. May have to keep it dormant in the garage as there's limited space to let it live out the winter in light and warmth. This was the last of the summer blooms.

How About Those Leafs!

I'm serious about compost. At the rear corner is the start of this fall's compost pile. In the middle are almost a hundred bags of leaves. By late spring, they will have partially broken down, making wonderful mulch. Front pile is last year's compost production. I do not turn the piles -- what's the rush? The garden clipping pile is finished in a year and the leaves only pile is ready after six months (leaves must be moist).

Polianthes tuberosa

Planted bulbs indoors in March -- no flower until almost September, but a powerful fragrance described as exotic, sweet, and too much would be too much for me. Extracts are used as the middle note in perfumes.

Solanum Integrifolium

No room on the doorstep for a monster? How about a miniature about the size of a golf ball? Except it's not a pumpkin. They’re a plant in the nightshade family — same as potatoes and tomatoes.

They’ve been called mock tomato, ornamental eggplant, pumpkin bush, and my favourite, pumpkin on a stick.

Solanum Integrifolium is the botanical name and it’s native to South East Asia.

Late August in the Sideyard

This shady corner didn't seem so crowded in Spring. There's barely room to sit now, but then I rarely sit anyway.

Spicebush Swallowtail

This is what was next on the Verbena, but it skipped over to the Echinacea

Giant Swallowtail

First moths, now butterflies. What's next for my Verbena bonariensis?

Green Roof

Made this some time ago from hypertufa and an old straw fedora. A tip of the hat to Sempervivum.

Humming bird moth

Faster than a speeding humming bird -- a lucky shot. This was only the third time I've seen one in my garden. It had a liking for Verbena boneriensis.

Aeonium 'Kiwi'

A-E-I-O-U Only plant I know that uses all the vowels. Not to be confused with echeveria or sempervivum, the latter AKA house leeks or hens and chicks. Like escheveria, aeonium is not hardy in my zone 5.

Torenia fournieri

The linked anthers spring apart at pollination. As they are, they resemble a delicate diamond ring or pendant.

Gentian

Both winter and I forgot about this one. Another spring surprise.

Papaver orientalis

Spring planting time means heavy traffic on my garden path. I'm always speeding. All the signals were green yesterday -- almost ran a red this morning.

Lamprocapnos spectabilis 'Gold Heart'

Love that heart -- how perfect. After four days of rain and no activity by me in the garden, it's been busy producing gems.
(Formally Dicentra spectabilis)

Compost in my garden happening.

There must have been thousands of books, articles, and videos produced on how to make compost. You'd think it was a complex esoteric process. It's not.

Here is the simple truth about composting -- compost happens! It's been happening for billions of years.

Compost happened (screened)

No additives, complicated machinery or electrical device is necessary for compost to happen, and if it promises to produce compost in only two weeks, save your money.

Like, what is the rush? Nature makes wonderful compost without spending money or making any effort.

Spring Treat

This cool and cloudy spring has been lovely for spring flowers. Even in May, there's often a blast of summer that blows the tops off the tulips and has the daffodils mourning. But not this year. This is a quick shot of Narcissus 'Ice King' and it looks good enough to eat -- not a good idea.

Coreopsis 'Route 66'

Sophie and Coreopsis 'Route 66'

Planted in spring 2010 and I'm happy to see it has survived winter and is looking healthy. The flowers start out yellow with a red center that slowly bleeds into the yellow, eventually becoming almost entirely red as the plant matures. Foliage is thread-leafed and the mature plant clearly reaches the height of Sophie.

It's been on my bucket list ever since I learned of it — Route 66 the highway, not the plant — although I think I will try the plant in one of my old galvanized pails this year.