Fall has arrived!

 

We have leaves everywhere!

Look What Showed Up Today

twins

I really like this...

which is obviously why I keep posting it :)

Wooly Bear

There are hoards of these little guys around here this year. You can't avoid them on the grids. The parking lot at Miles' work is full of them and when the wind picks up, all you see is little furry balls rolling around. I counted 17 from the end of the boardwalk to the girls gate this morning and that was without even looking. As I came back to the house, I noticed there were at least that many making their way across the drive. The middle brown band is supposed to foretell winter. Wide band mean mild winter, narrow means severe winter. I hope that is a wives tale that is correct because this is wide :)

What is this again?

Green in the front garden.

Your Yellow Glads

One of the patches in the sun garden turned out to be yellow and orange. I am sure you are right... the orange looks exactly like Hunting Song. I was so happy to see the yellow and it looks awesome with the orange. I seem to be adding more and more yellow and orange yet they were colours I was trying to avoid. I never know my own mind in the garden it would seem.

 

Weeping Willow

My favourite tree in the yard.

Purple Glads

This is the first time I am seeing this purple one. You recognize it?

Pink Glads

Another that I won't know the name of until I look it up. Blooming in the front garden.

Orange Poppy

 

This one is really bright. There is a solid yellow one with these two in this patch but it is not open all the way yet.

Orange and Yellow Poppy

 

They might not be 'Jelly Bean' but they sure are pretty.

Birds on a Wire

 

 These are the swallows that live with Mikaela at night.

New Neighbour

 

Sharing a few of Miles' photos from the last few days. The littlest guy there is our new neighbour. His fence runs all along the drive from the main road to where the drive splits at the little house. He's a cutie!

Dahlia

 

Galley Red by Miles.

Dogs

 

Summer and Moxie on the bridge. We've been having nice weather here. By Miles.

Another Surprise

 

The last time I deadheaded the painted daisy, I was sure it was finished. Painted daisy are not as hardy or showy as other daisy in my climate. I am not sure why. But much to my surprise, the middle one in the patch sent up all new bud stalks and yesterday, they opened. Its friends are done for the season but it decided to put on one last push for me. I love daisy.

Second Flush

The delphinium at the front of the house decided to come up with a second flush of flowers for me! That hardly ever happens with delphinium here. Once it has gone to seed, it is usually done. I have 5 of them that are giving me another round of flowers this year. Wish I knew if it was anything I did that made that happen so I could do it again next year! I have a feeling it was more to do with the weather than me though.

Feeding the Birds

 

Every year we get volunteer sunflowers growing in the bird sanctuary under and around the bird feeders. I pull them like weeds and throw them in the compost normally. This year, we decided to let some of them grow to see if we could get seed for the birds. There are 15 sunflowers out there now. Our season is not usually long enough to get sunflower seeds without a lot of frost protection work as the season gets later. I am not going to do any of that work. I am using a cross my fingers and fly by the seat of my pants strategy. Seeds are not that expensive and trying to harvest some was really just for a bit of fun. If I have to be out there covering flower heads with plastic in my nightgown, the fun just seems to drain out of it.

Birch Bark Moss

Yes, it's true, that is moss on my birch. With the high groundwater left from the floods and all the rain this year, I actually have moss in my, typically dry, Saskatchewan garden! Of course, I have slugs this year too. Not sure I like the changes. I'd rather water than hunt slugs. Slug hunting, as it turns out, is no fun at all.

Second Crop

 

The rhubarb I cut down for Jen is up again. Smaller and sweeter stalks this time around.

Longwood Dainty

It is tiny, tiny, tiny but it opened today and it looks like there are more buds :)

Another Pretty Poppy

 

Still not sure what these are but I really hope they go to seed!

New Glad Closer

It's pretty, whatever its called.

New Glads

I don't know what these are called. The map says the 2 patches planted here are 'Hunting Song' and unknown. Since these are not 'Hunting Song' and I don't recognize them, I guess they remain unknown.... at least until I pull out my catalogues and order sheets.

Alpen Cherub?

Opened today.

Blue Boy

Blue Boy today. Lots more flowers and it looks healthy. There are 5 or 6 stalks so I think a patch is born :)

Pineapple lilies

Yes, that's plural - the first season we've had more than one bloom. This patch is kind of jammed in between other stuff. Last year Kelly moved a plant to the front garden and it didn't survive the winter - so we're leaving these where they are and moving some of the stuff around them.

Fushia glads

I've lost the name of this one over the years but it does look quite striking in the back graden.

If there be thorns.

I love the colour of the John Cabot thorns. When the sun comes from behind them they are really dark pink and I can see them all the way across the yard.

Hunting Song

I love this!

Luna Rose

Now we have a hibiscus in the back yard too!

Flax settling in

The dwarf blue flax looks like it has taken in this spot. It flowered (a little) but more importantly, it has started to grow! I really hope it comes back next year.

Esther's rocks

Esther brought us these beautiful rocks (along with a big clump of kniphofia aka torch lilies).

Dropmore

I really should move this. It doesn't get anywhere near enough sun at the deck side of the boardwalk. But I love it here and it keeps coming back reliably. Since the space is small, it is a bonus that it doesn't get huge.

Last of the Cactus

 

How cool are the tall ones?

Cactus Group

 

This is the best angle I can get for all of them together. It is just missing the baby that is off the bottom edge of the pic. It is a baby from the tree shaped cactus in front. That is the only one that doesn't look very healthy. We'll see.

Little Round One

 

I am not at all sure which is my favourite of the cactus but I really like this little guy. He has long, deep red spines and it a short, squat little thing.

My New Cactus Garden

 

I have admired this in Judy's neighbour, Nyla's, yard for several years. This year, she was getting rid of it and I volunteered to haul it away for her. She is tired of dragging it inside every winter. I am willing to do that for a couple years anyway so we will see if I can manage not to kill it this winter.

It is growing in lava rock and there are two rocks that are apparently a set but only the large one has cactus. It is one of my new favourite garden things so the next four pictures of this will be of this - from different angles.

More Red Blooms

My Galley Red has three blooms now and two of them are perfect. It is a huge plant!

The Surviving Phlox

The surviving phlox is purple :)

Front Garden

This is all new from last year in this spot. The daylily didn't bloom this year. I don't think it gets enough sun there. I am moving all the daylily this year and then not again for at least 4. I mean it! lol.

Penny Eating the Garden

I don't think she realizes how big her feet are but at least she is eating the grass under the feeder and not the plants.

Another stormy day...

Well, the dropped call was the warning. The storm finally blew in. Pouring rain for quite awhile, keeping me inside. Everything is wet but the sun is shining now. I can still hear the thunder though.

The Monkshood is almost done. I found this one laying on the ground trying to reach the sun. It will last longer in the vase than in the mud where the dogs can tromp on it!

Autumn Flame

I did a good job of shaping this heather back in the spring, even if I do say so myself. It sits out front corner of driveway and road. The flowers will dry out and turn orange as fall approaches.

Galley Red

 

Not the greatest pic but here is the first flower along with an aphid, much to my disgust. There are lots of other buds and I think I have sent the aphids on their way. Keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

The Next Spot

 

This is the spot I decided to put the Meadowrue. I guess I have a lot to do before I can plant them!

Sunny Bamico

This lily is so delicate and fragrant!

More weather damage...

Guess I am short on pictures, lol. This was the Monkshood, after the storm and before I chopped it off and popped it in the vase. There are more standing weeds than standing flowers out there today. I am going to have to go do some staking and hooping if I want flowers through the fall.

Flowers in the back

Windswept and Rain-pounded

I haven't looked today since the rain has stopped but this is what my prairie coneflower patch looked like after the last storm.