8/14/12

Mid-August in the back 40

I ran in to Kelly at the Dead Can Dance concert last weekend. She said Garden Blogger Spring Fling 2013 is slated for San Francisco? Is that right? First I'd heard of it! Anyway, I may or may not participate in the Fling itself, but I definitely have some suggestions for gardens you should visit and maybe for accommodations too. San Francisco is expensive. I would love to meet some of you. Would you come over for dinner one night?

Anyway, our chance encounter reminded me that I am a garden blogger. I took some pictures to prove it.

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The big pivot to monocots continues as the monocots already planted get bigger and bigger.

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It won't ever be all monocots though, at least not in this garden. I've always got to have something for the insects. For the last few years, the fennel (I have three big clumps of it) are crawling with swallowtail caterpillars, but that has not been the case this year. Wherefore art thou, caterpillars?

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I thought I had more Asclepias curassavica than just this one. I most have lost a couple. I will grow more.

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The Meyer lemon is bent over with fruit. We'll be having fancy lemonade for indian summer in September and October. Meanwhile, I've been snipping off the leaves as they turn yellow. Ugly!

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I snipped all the leaves off the buckeye too. It loses them this time of year anyway when they turn brown and drop off to mitigate the effects of the long summer drought, but I don't care to witness the transition.

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I culled all the dead things out of the nursery, and replaced them with new, living things. I'm ready to sow seeds like I used to, but first I have to get my lazy ass to the real nursery to get some growth media. I'm out.

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I came very close to removing Fuchsia 'Miep' this year in a made pruning frenzy, but at the last moment, before the last cut, I put the saw down. She's now growing back all over the place and making bright pink flowers.

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This garish, inappropriate lily which I really did try in earnest to kill is perhaps the most vigorous plant in the garden.

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I didn't know Lilium lancifolium was super-common and even weedy when I bought it. I've been plucking bulbils off and potting them up for a couple weeks now. If you didn't know, the spots are purple. How groovy is that!

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We had this container on our front steps, but I decided to move it to the backyard when we painted the front steps. It was crowded up front, so I made room for it back here. I am happy.

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Usually aeonium go dormant in summer, but this one seems more alive than ever. Also note: Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus).

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10 comments:

danger garden said...

So are you inviting us all over for dinner then?

hilda said...

garden envy here ! : ) you have an awesome garden... it looks like you will get an amazing lemon crop (is it always that fertile?) and i specially love that tiger lilly.

ryan said...

Is that true about the garden fling happening here in 2013? That would be cool. I don't really know anything about these flings or who organizes them or even when exactly they are. I'm curious what gardens you would recommend and how many of them I've been to.

chuck b. said...

Yes, it is true! I have a lot of suggestions, including some gardens that I have not visited myself yet.

Unknown said...

Now that divorceland is done I can get back to this lovely garden blogging conversation. I am VERY excited about the next Fling taking place in San Fran and I expect that it will be well attended. I would love to come back to your house and have dinner and I think I know a few folks from Portland I want to bring too if I can get them down there :-)

I will do my best...

Peter said...

Wow - Love those photos! Thanks for sharing :-)

Victoria Summerley said...

I'm coming to the San Fran Fling! Look forward to hearing your recommendations, Chuck

Botanical Betti said...

I do believe that garish lily is taunting you. Looking good! And yes, that orange one with purple spots IS groovy.

Christopher C. NC said...

Can you accommodate 85 for dinner at your place? That was our attendance at the Asheville Fling in May of this year. Did you miss that?

Kelly can use any help she can get to plan this event. Planning 5 days of activities is not a one person job.

Garden Broad said...

Amazing how resilient garish and inappropriate can be. Certainly helps me to thrive ;-)