Camellias and Conversation

Camellias and Conversation

fall gardening

Camellia 'Snow Flurry'

I am convinced certain plants in my garden do all they can to avoid blooming on the 15th of the month when I host Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.

Perhaps they are shy? Don't like to be photographed and publicized? Or maybe they wanted a post of their own?

My camellia 'Snow Flurry' was in full bloom the day after bloom day. I had to show it in bud for bloom day. Then the

Echoes in the garden

Echoes in the garden

gardening

Echo of color

See the echo of color in the garden?

The orange mums with yellow centers echo the colors in the sculpture behind them. If anyone asks I definitely planned for that to happen once the mums started to bloom.

Like any good gardener, I take credit for everything good in my garden. I do not take credit, however, for weeds. Nor do I take blame. Dr. Hortfreud and I have been

I left my garden for a week

I left my garden for a week

gardening

I left my garden for a week, and when I got back, I went out at first light to see what happened while I was gone.

Rain seems to have happened.  Four inches of it, if you want to believe this rain gauge. I think it shows more rain than we actually got, or the other rain gauge I have shows less. I'm not sure which is right, so I generally average them.  I know that's probably not the right

Mercy Pulling Time

Mercy Pulling Time

gardening

When you "sedum" bees on the barely opening sedum flowers, you know it's time*.  Let's not put it off.  Don't wait. You know it's over.

Yes, it is time for mercy pulling in the garden, as in "For mercy's sake, that flower did not perform well, pull it out and move along."

I would rather look at bare ground than flowers that are begging to be mercifully pulled out of their misery and moved on

Waiting and watching for a perfect spot?

Waiting and watching for a perfect spot?

gardening

Are you waiting and watching for a perfect spot to plant in?

If you are, I regret to inform you, but feel it is my civic and gardenly duty to inform you, that the perfect spot is a myth, a holy grail that cannot be created, conjured, or composted into existence.

Yes, dear reader, you are quite right that we can come close to perfect soil by making sure to add plenty of compost, by correcting

A garden is a story told by plants

A garden is a story told by plants

gardening

Lilies in Plopper's Field

A garden is a story told by plants.

When the time is right, the plants tell the stories, stories of the past and the present, stories of conquests and defeats, stories of friends and enemies.

The only way to hear these stories is to go out to the garden, look around, and let the plants, in their own time, tell their tales.

I've heard many stories in my own garden

Ladies and gentlemen, grab your pruners

Ladies and gentlemen, grab your pruners

gardening

Not far from here, but far enough from here, there's a race taking place in Indianapolis.

It's the Indy 500 race, of course, and it always takes place on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

No matter where you are in the city, you can't help but see signs of this big sporting event.  Everywhere you go, there are black and white checkered race flags,  banners proclaiming "Welcome Race Fans",