Ghostwater Garden

Turn, Turn, Turn

We came back from a weekend in Toronto, and fall had arrived in the garden. The little wild asters are blooming, sprays of white sparkles. The sunflowers hang their heads heavily, as if mourning this day.

Equinox.

Yesterday I woke to rain, bleak and drear. Today it was cold. Took great effort to drag out of the cozy bed, and into the day.

Soon to come the long dark nights of winter.

Today is golden apples scattered across a shaggy lawn. Today is burnt red virginia creeper on weathered lattice, dipping in a cold wind. Today is holding on with both hands, grabbing at the last remnants of warmth and wrapping it in words around my self.

Misinformation

I get so annoyed when I see things like this.

Greenhouse is a fast game where you have to make sure the bugs don't kill the flowers. You operate a Fumigator up and down the ladder spraying the bugs as they emerge. On the top screen Inchworms try to eat the flowers and on the lower screen spiders attack the flowers.

Greenhouse Game

Spiders attack the flowers? How backwards is that? So kids that play this game get reinforced on the thought that spiders are ugly evil creatures to be feared and destroyed?

And nothing could be farther from the truth. Spiders are a gardener's friend. If your garden has no spiders, it is a mighty sterile place indeed.

Spiders attack the flowers. A better game would allow you to deploy an army of spiders, ladybugs, and praying manitses to rally to the aid of the beleaguered flowers!

Long Time, No Post

Been elsewhere. August in the garden is a slow month. The weeds are not sprinting, but need to be pulled before they set seed. The flowers continue as they will. An occasional deadheading is the most strenuous chore that needs doing.

We put a fence up for the Hoggle. I documented that elsewhere. He has finally decided that it is a good place to be, but the porch is the next thing we will be working on.

So. I've not much to say, but here are some pictures:

I have several sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) going in a whiskey barrel that holds gaura and snakeweed. They were volunteers, probably planted by blue jays. It has been a long summer waiting and wondering if they would finish their cycle before the frosts. I think they will be fine, and right about the time the seed will be ready, the goldfinches will be dining up before winging south.

Obedient Plant (Physostegia virginiana ssp praemorsa 'Variegata'.) I bought this plant for its leaves, which are not very well presented in this image. They have an interesting quality of grey/green, combined with a butter cream edge that really sounds like it shouldn't work. And often with variagated plants the flowers are in stark contrast with the foliage. Somehow, this plant pulls it all together and it works. Ants love the orchid-like lavender flowers - they hide inside the flowers - perhaps there is a nectar payoff for them in the depths of each blossom. The brown tips of the leaves show that I was a bit negligent in watering the barrel they are planted in. Lazy August.