first frost

All winter we patiently wait for the first days of summer to arrive.  We wait and we wonder.  Will it be another rainy summer?  Will it be a decent summer where we're lucky to see a few days of sunshine?  Or will it be one of those rare summers where we bask in the sun all month long....  Then.... before we know it, we're doing fall cleanup and getting the yard ready for winter again. 

That's what my sweet hubby and I have been doing the last few weeks.  Cutting all the plants down to the ground, exposing slugs.  Putting yard art away for another season.  Tidying up the yard.  Admiring the good, the bad, and the ugly, making notes of what did well and what changes will need to be made the following year.  Then, just as we wait for the dog days of summer, we wait for fall to arrive.  That first hard frost that tells us summer is truly over.  

We don't have to wait any longer.  It finally arrived a few days ago, in all its glory.  While the shrubs were still covered with their early morning frost, I headed outside to enjoy those last moments with the garden that I love.  As I wandered along the garden paths, I could hear the garden going to sleep for another season, as leaf after leaf dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. 

Seasons come and seasons go, and with each new season, new challenges and new wonders.  It's almost time to let my garden go for another season.  Soon, it'll all be covered with a white blanket of snow and then the waiting begins all over again. 

leaves

There's leaves.... and then there's leaves....

I love all kinds of leaves....

Big leaves.
Small leaves.

Fall colored leaves.

Hanging leaves.
Concrete leaves.
Concrete??? Yes! These were made from real leaves cast in cement. I love love love them! You can use them in the house, as yard art in the garden, or hanging on the wall. These are made locally, if you're interested.

my fall garden

I love my garden. Especially in the Fall, when the colors are changing.
It's almost done for the year, and that saddens me.

My azalea:

Just an ol stump with stump mushrooms growing next to it:

The secret door to Fairy Fairyland:

The beach:

My red Final Astilbe:

My footbridge:

Yes, I love to wander through my garden.
Especially this time of year.

hydrangea

Isn't this Limelight Hydrangea gorgeous? I have several of them in my gardens, but this one is outshining all of them. I wonder why....

I think most people are familiar with the classic blue Hydrangea, but I almost prefer this one. The flower is so dainty, almost lace-like.

Later! Nancy

hop to it

I love this picture. So simple. Hops. I wonder how many it takes to make beer.... :)





Nancy

It's a nasty job.... but one that needs done.... Hunting for slugs. I have this beautiful beautiful back yard, and the slugs are demolishing it, one leaf at a time, as they nibble away. So yesterday, with bucket of salt in hand, I went on search for the elusive slug. It wasn't hard. They were everywhere--crossing the lawn, napping on stems, eating leaves. All my gardens are lined with large rocks and wood rounds and you can always score if you tip those over. And piles of eggs! Yea, I'm not going to have any slugs next year.... I told Mike that when we get around to cutting all our plants down this Fall, he can do the snipping, and I'll go behind him with the vinegar and squirt the buggers. Have no mercy! Take no prisoners!

Later.... Nancy

an august garden

Pictures of my new garden. This one was created late last summer and is already doing so well.

My new most favorite berry: Serviceberry. So sweet.


I can't help but love the combination of Dragon's Blood Sedum, grasses, and Hostas.

My new favorite ground cover:

These golden spireas have become one of my favorite shrubs. Their bright, cheery foliage brightens up any dark corner. Behind is the beginning of a hedge of Japanese Maples.

Some Fall colors.... August 8....

killing frost

We had our first killing frost last Monday. It got down to 28 degrees. According to the weather man, we're a couple weeks early this year. I went outside and captured some pictures before the morning sun melted the dew away. I love this time of year.

Red-leaf rose.
Tor Spirea.
Astilbe.
Birdhouse with red Astilbe and Japanese Maple.
Siberian Iris and ornamental Grass.

gerbera in the bird bath

I've never been a huge fan of gerbera. They seem too delicate for our rainy summers but they're doing just fine. Could be all the sunshine we're having.... I can never keep water in this bird bath so decided to just keep a planter in it instead. The real test has been the last couple days of nonstop rain. Heavy coastal mist, light drizzle, and heavy heavy rain. And they still look nice! Hmmmmm may have found a new favorite!

house and curry

Gardening, for me, is about the details. A garden with nothing but plants can be a little uninteresting. But bring in some rocks, some wood rounds, a bird bath, different colored foliage or different shapes, and it changes the whole perspective. Like this little house. Weathered. Broken. But it has its place on this broken piece of pallet. It's proud! It's interesting! It has a place in this world!

Next to it is a planter box, practically rotten, but it still held dirt. So what better way to honor this little shadowbox of a garden, then to plant some curry. It's a lovely addition to the compost area. I love this little picture.

my orchard

I don't really have an "orchard." I do have a couple apple trees along our property line.... There are a couple apple trees we can grow okay, and the Montmorency cherry does really well here, but our summers aren't warm enough, or dry enough, to produce mature fruit. This has been an incredible summer for Juneauites and we've had a couple dozen apples on our tree. They won't mature, but it's still fun to see them.



Ligularia under the apple trees:


And a little bird house on a fence post:


I keep expecting to wake up some morning and find that a bear has enjoyed a midnight snack, but maybe they're waiting for them to ripen a little more! Nancy

squash?

I love my yard and I love to share it with others. It brings such peace and calm to my life. Even weeding. Gardening makes for good therapy; it really does have a healing power.

Earlier this summer, I went out to empty our compost bin and found some seedlings growing in the top of the soil. They were trying so hard to grow, that we left them to see what would happen. Well, THIS is what happened! We're not exactly certain WHAT it is... possibly a yellow crookneck squash.... We'll see. Whatever, it's a happy clam in that compost bin.

the water runneth over

Do you hear that......?


It's my very own waterfall.....




And my very own sandy beach....

And my very own creek....

All in our back yard!

At least the beginning of my creek bed. Still lots to do... more rocks to place, more gravel to add to all the nooks and crannies, soil to add so plants can be planted....

It's awesome!

Stay tuned. Nancy

we're busy busy

We've been busy around here this summer. Record temps! Record days of sun! Record non-rainy days! Wow! We've hardly had any rain this summer, just incredible incredible sunshine. You can't imagine how hard Juneauites work and play when it's sunny and nice out. We work hard and play hard because one just never knows when the weather will change for the worse. Which is most of the time.

Mike finished putting the patio back together. We had it torn out when the excavator leveled our back yard. Next year he wants to put pavers in rather than flat rocks because flat rocks are just too hard to find in Juneau. So it's a little uneven and not perfect enough. Being a mason for 30 years, he'll get it right when we have more time. But it looks good for now.

We gave away our hot tub last year and had this big, empty spot on the deck we didn't know what to do with. Well, I know what I wanted... but hadn't won my hubby over yet.... But we're slowly making it into a little room for me that I can sit and drink my morning coffee and not get dripped on from rain. This year we cut down more trees and de-limbed many (topped them off) so we could get more sunshine and day light in our back yard and, now, we have this record warm summer and we're wishing for some shade! So we hung some cute bamboo blinds to ward off some of the hotter morning sun. We got the blinds put up yesterday as well. I had to replace an indoor/outdoor rug we had in our den, an area where the dogs go in and out with wet and muddy feet, so I took the old rug out and put it under the bistro table. With all my annuals and some herbs and vegies in pots.... I love it! Another project to check off the long list! I love finished projects!

And when my hubby isn't working on my "to do" list, he's helping me tend to grandbabies. Hunter is 20 months now (on the right) and Ellis just turned one in May. Two of the cutest (and smartest) little babies I've seen in a long time! :O

Me, what am I doing while my husband is working on my list.....? Much of the same--landscaping, working, babysitting, making special little areas in the yard where we can sit and just enjoy. This is one of my favorite areas:

We'll sit out here and have lunch some times, where we can look out over all our hard work. Maybe in a few weeks, we'll sit out here and hear the sound of a waterfall.... just part of my new water feature that is getting put in. There hasn't been enough progress though to put pictures. But soon. For now, I can enjoy the loveliness of my gardens.

Later. Nancy

bragging rights

I think I have the nicest looking compost bins! Never having grown hops before, I didn't know what to expect.... so I planted them along the split rail fence.... then learned the rails don't have enough substance for the aggressive vines to cling. So they grab on to the compost bins, driftwood, apple trees, and everything else that gets in their way!

I had this grand idea to re-locate them to some of my larger Spruce trees in the back yard. They've been de-limbed somewhat so we have these bare tree trunks that are just itching to have a vine climb them. I relocated one this year but got behind schedule so will need to move the rest this fall or next spring. They have some heavy duty root systems which is surprising for such a dainty vine. But this one seems to be quite happy in its new home and I can hardly wait to see it in its advanced growth stages.

I was greatly surprised this spring when I saw that my Lewisia survived our horrid winter. To begin with, I wasn't certain how hardy it would be for our winters and really wasn't expecting it to survive. And the fact that it was planted in a basket and left out all winter and still survived, just amazes me. There's no good reason why it should have survived, yet here it is, healthy and blooming! It's hard to tell from this picture, but it's a bright bright pink, almost fluorescent. That's a sedum growing with it. I love this combination and little accent to the garden.

I've never had much luck with Sweet Woodruff but may have found the perfect garden to plant it in. And it's taking over! Last summer I planted it in three different gardens and only one area survived. Why? They were all planted in the same soil conditions, within close proximity to each other, similar light conditions..... I feel good having had some success, so will try planting it in other gardens again this year. Then keep my fingers crossed. I think they're one of my favorite ground covers with their little green leaves and dainty white flowers.

I love setting flower pots on my moss-covered stumps. These are some pretty little violas.

I find it interesting how my likes and dislikes change from season to season; from month to month some times. A year ago, it would never have dawned on me that I would be buying and planting grass in my gardens! Especially grass that one might find out on the Wetlands! Yet, here's proof that I'm losing my mind in my older age! I actually have learned to love grass though and the wonderful accent they add to the gardens.

I love my garden and all its little rooms. I especially love the accents I have tucked in each one. I could spend hours outside, just admiring them, loving the peace and contentment they provide.

a garden tour

Some times I wonder if I was born with dirt under my fingernails.... Was it my destiny to be in love with plants and tending to nature? I suspect it was. It was how we were raised. Gardening, taking care of pets, tending to wild creatures, appreciating nature around us.

Then there was Mrs. Baxter. She was our next door neighbor and they had a plant nursery in the field next to us. I don't recall ever going through the nursery and I'm not even certain it was.... or just greenhouses where they grew their own flowers. She had THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GARDEN IN THE WORLD. Or at least in my world. It was full of dahlias. She lived in an old, rock house filled with antiques and outside were gardens and pathways that we could get lost in. I never wanted to leave.

Today, I'm still trying to live in that garden.... Without knowing it, or understanding why until recently, it appears I'm recreating my past into the future. Tending to the birds and squirrels. Adding a small creek bed and pond. Designing my gardens with pathways that wind, secret rooms, quiet places to sit and reflect, accents to surprise you.

For me, it's not so much about plants that bloom, but having a place where the dogs can romp and roam and the grandbabies can explore. When I make a new garden, it has to be dog-friendly so if they do happen to wander recklessly inside the boundaries, any damage won't be devastating. I try to fill my garden beds with hearty shrubs and plants that will bounce back if they get trompled on.

I also love to incorporate what you find in nature, into my landscape. Ferns, driftwood, naturalizing ground covers, rocks.

I LOVE FERNS! They make such a great backdrop for plants. You can put ferns next to iris or sedum or astilbe or most anything and it looks good. I love ferns just as much as I love the actual bloom on a flower and I probably love Fall colors more than I do actual flowers. When I buy shrubs, I often seek out those plants that will provide something back to nature, like berries for the birds, and then the Fall colors.

Yard art is another necessity for my gardens. Whether it be my little gnomes resting lazily on a boulder, watching the world go by, birdbaths which are nothing more than a ceramic saucer filled with water and sitting on a rock. I think rocks and wood rounds also make great accents in a garden. They add a certain charm and an inviting feel to the garden. Often, a garden's focus is not a plant at all, but some kind of yard art whether it be an old bucket filled with old soil and covered with moss or a weathered piece of driftwood I found along the beach.

One day when I was outside working in the back yard, I found the entrance to what I believe to be a garden fairy's home! Could it be??? I've yet to see the little fairy girl that lives inside this moss-covered tree stump, as I suspect she only comes out at dusk when all dangers have passed. I believe she sprinkles her fairy dust over my gardens and casts her fairy charms in such a way that it's the real reason my gardens look as lovely as they do. Yes, this little door holds all the secrets to my garden.... One day, when I'm wandering down the garden path with my little Hunter or Ellis, I think she'll show herself.... But until then, she'll continue to watch over my gardens, dusting it with fairy love.

Happy gardening! Nancy