Wednesday, August 12, 2015

The Walkabout

Every morning and every evening I go for my "Walkabout", which is basically a walk around my property, taking stock of what's what. I am accompanied by my two faithful companions of the furry variety, who bounce around with happy tails and floppy ears. They have adjusted extremely well to the new house and while I'm on my walkabout, they go on their own little "Sniffabout", chasing anything that squeaks or moves. 



Some mornings I grab the shears to deadhead spent blooms. 

Other mornings I'm on a "beetle battle" against the God-awful Japanese Beetles. Did you know a handheld propane torch is a great weapon against Japanese Beetles? 

This morning my weapon of choice was the camera, as it often is. Come with me on my walkabout and let's see what's happening in the garden today!



We head out the kitchen door, which is on the second floor, which is the main living area in my chalet-style mountain home.  The deck is a wraparound, with many pots of flowers and plants and various seating areas. 

First stop, we check on the baby fig tree a friend grew from a cutting of her own fig tree. She dropped it off just the other day with a basket of veggies (what a good friend!) and although I have yet to plant it in a decorative pot. It seems quite happy here and I look forward to watching it grow and flourish in our new home. Figs and Gorgonzola......mmmmmmm!!!



We head around the corner to check on the Jasmine, which has yet to flower. It's so close now, with many, many buds, but the cool nights appear to be hindering it's progress. Summer is returning tomorrow so we should see flowers in the next few days. The Jasmine was planted near my favorite evening sitting area, not only for the glow of the white flowers but for the intoxicating evening scent. In the winter the pot will come in and live in the sunny front window until next spring. 



The GIGANTIC pot of Petunias is doing well, and their fragrance in the evenings when we sit out on the deck is pure heaven.


Just look at that color, how could that not put a smile on your face at the end of a long day?


The Geraniums are happy - can you tell I like bright colors around my home?


And the Verbena mingles happily with the white Petunias and the Geraniums to create a cool counterpart to all the hot colors - I always include some white in my plantings to give the eye a rest and to make the other colors "pop" - not to mention, the white flowers glow so beautifully in the early evening light. Gorgeous.


Down in the garden, the Cosmos are wet with the morning dew. We've had a heavy dew the last few mornings, brought on by the cool mountain evenings.


The Casablanca Lilies will be opening soon - I check on them daily to make sure they are still there and haven't been devoured! I lost a few of them early on this season when the deer was around on a regular basis. Fingers crossed that the remaining will survive and I get to enjoy their bloom!


The Zinnias have been flowering like mad all season - I don't normally put them in but I'm sure glad I did this year.


Another one to watch.....a volunteer sunflower, coming up in a pot of flowers, planted by some thoughtful critter. The bloom isn't far off now and I can't wait - I love sunflowers but don't normally have much luck with them!


Cleome is a regular in my garden every year. They haven't done as well in this new home as in the past, perhaps I shall give them a little more space next year - they have been swallowed up by some of the perennials.


The Black Eyed Susans were a surprise to me....a great surprise as I love their sunny faces in the late summer garden.  I will surely put in more of these at the edge of the woods to grow among the wildflowers. I made the mistake once of putting them in my main perennial garden and they absolutely took over!


We pass the Coneflower patch on our way to the veggie garden. Another great display of late summer flowers with Coneflower, Queen Anne's Lace, and Bee Balm all growing happily together. Love them all!


The gate to the veggie garden, with the arbor I added in the spring. On each side of the arbor I planted a climbing rose and a clematis. All are doing well and next season should put on quite a nice show!


In the veggie garden the Dill is flowering around the Nasturtium, creating a beautiful contrast.


The tomatoes are heavy on the vine and the harvest will be a big one this year! I might have to learn how to can tomatoes!! This transplanted city girl never quite got the hang of canning yet.....


The Nasturtiums and Butternut Squash have taken over the garden path.


And the beans have climbed up and over the fence, into the Lilac tree, and bent it right over!


Around the back of the veggie garden the ornamental grasses grow beautifully among more Petunias and Dahlias. The Dahlias were another impulse buy this year and I love the way they have performed in this corner!


And this GINORMOUS cucumber had escaped the garden and was growing on the outside of the fence. I've been watching him and he was ready to pick.....but he wasn't destined for a salad....


I had other plans for this guy!!


Cucumber infused Tequila makes an EXCELLENT margarita for a little taste of summer in the long winter months!!


He now rests with the others in the lower level fridge....

Perhaps the surplus tomatoes will meet a similar fate? I'm thinking tomato basil infused vodka would make a mean bloody mary!

Thanks for sharing my walkabout today!

2 comments:

  1. You introduced me to Gladys Taber and your writing reminds me of her. Just think if we had photographs of her life. I am reading her every night. Love your writing and photos! Rhonda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What a wonderful compliment, Rhonda, thank you so much! FYI there is a Gladys Taber album, I think it's called Stillmeadow Album, which I bought - it's full of black and white photos of her home and family. I found it interesting to have a visual to go along with the stories in her book. I'm so glad you're enjoying her - I need to get more of her books!

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