Friday, October 15, 2010

The Beauty in the Hocking Hills

 
Today is Fertilizer Friday with Tootsie @ Tootsie Time.
So ‘Flaunt Your Flowers’. From the weather I do not
know how many more Fertilizer Fridays I will be able to
share. My garden is about done for this year.

Kitty_2

I did find this green eyed flower hiding or trying to hide 
in the garden beds.She is all fluff and about as wide as she
is long. Seems a weird coincidence since I just said on the
posting of on “Things I Like”  about taking pity on the cats
that I am not too fond of that this little meowing fur ball
was found.
The little thing follows me around all over the yard since
its Momma is ignoring it. All it does is meow. I think she
is lonely.
We planted astilbes, phlox and daffodils together Tuesday.
She wasn’t much help and was underfoot and in the way
most of the time, meowing all the time when it was not
trying to catch the extension cord from the drill which I was
using to dig holes for the daffodil bulbs.

Mums_Fall

The Mums are slow to bloom this Fall.

Mums

 

Coleus_Fall

The coleus in the pots have survived the cool mornings
so far but with temps in the lower 30’s predicted they may
finally get bitten tonight.

Cosmos_Fall

The Cosmos are still going strong. Since I have had terrible
luck getting Cosmos to grow in previous years I did not realize
they got so tall.

 Pansies_purples

The new pansies are loving the cooler temperatures
that we are having now.

Lantana_Fall

The Lantana ‘Luscious Grape’ is still blooming.
I have moved a lot of the plants to the front porch from
the frosts but soon they will all go to the basement for
the winter.

CH_FallColors

Monday was a beautiful day so my daughter and I hiked
along the upper trail of Conkles Hollow. It is a 2 2/2 mile walk
along the rim of the hollow with some very scary parts in the trail
so everyone walk with  care along the rim.
I am so glad that we decided to go when we did  because
since then we have gotten a very small amount of rain but
some high winds and all of the
gorgeous Maple leaves are now on the ground.

 

CH_Gorge3

There was some color amongst all of the pines on a hazy
day.
Here the state parks trees would have been in their peak
this weekend but after the wind I am afraid the cars full of
tourist looking at the Fall leaves here in the hills will be
very disappointed with the colorful maple leaves gone
and on the ground.
I know because we mowed leaves Tuesday and now
you cannot even tell the yard was touched.

CH_Gorge

The cliffs at Conkles Hollow are 200 feet high so you can see
across the hollow to the hills beyond.

 

CH_UngerRidge2

See that tower across the hollow on the hilltop? Well my
house is on that ridge to the right of the tower. I only live
a half mile from Conkles Hollow and within two to three
miles of all of the other parks that make up the Hocking Hills
State Park system.

CH_ThruTrees2

Through the pine trees along the path golden
leaves glowed in the shade and sun on the
hill beyond.

 

CH_Berries

Fall berries are plentiful this year and I have not
seen so many nuts for a long time.
Does this all mean a hard winter and nature is taking
care to produce for the critters to survive another
long winter? I so hope the answer is NO.

 

CH_FallFlowers

The Fall flowers were almost all gone that grows
in this park.

CH_FallAsters

A few wild Asters were still blooming in the sun.

 

ConklesHollow11_Fall

I hope you all are enjoying the beauty of Fall
it is passing by fast. The days are getting shorter and
nature is reading for a winters sleep.

Everyone Have A Great Weekend!
Lona

25 comments:

Balisha said...

Oh, my gosh...you live in such a beautiful area. Conkle's Hollow is gorgeous. Thanks for posting these pictures, so I can see where you live..Have a nice weekend. Balisha

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lona, what beautiful views you have on those hikes. We also use a drill to plant our bulbs. I still have to do this on the weekend. It is so easy to order them but not to plant them.

Eileen

Karen said...

Hi Lona, thank you for the beautiful pictures of the lovely parks in Hocking Hills. As a tourist there in 2009, it was amazing! The kitten is adorable, looks like it is pretty young yet. We only have one big cat and even he can be rather pesky at times. Hope you have a good weekend!

Gardening in a Sandbox said...

Hi Lona: What a beautiful area you live in. The trees are a beautiful colour this fall. Loved all your flowers and your kitty is aaaaachoo cute.

Kay said...

Beautiful photographs and what a cute kitty. I noticed an album on Webshots and it said something about Hocking Hill. Is that you?

Tootsie said...

oh girl...everything is just gorgeous at your gardens...especially that beautiful little baby!!! I wish I was closer...I'd snatch that little hug up and steal her away!!! how darling!!! thanks for linking in and tugging on my heart strings!!!

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

You have so much natural beauty and your cultivated beauty going still. That kitten is too cute. I so wish I could have it.

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress said...

It's so beautiful there both in your garden and the surrounding park area. You must love watching the seasons change. That cute kitty face is too sweet. Good thing it didn't show up around here, my daughters are always begging for a cat.

Carrie @ Cottage Cozy said...

Your darling kitten gives me thoughts of adding a cat to our family. We haven't had one for some time...since our little "eightball" died! My garden is almost done too...a few roses!

I am having a "double-the-fun" giveaway...something for a little one and something for you! Stop on by to join the fun if you get a chance! I enjoyed my visit today! :)

MILLIE said...

I so love your part of Ohio. Thanks for sharing those wonderful Autumn pictures.

Darla said...

What beautiful scenery surrounds you. Thanks for the hike....the squirrels are gathering nuts and shredding pinecones here, I've seen two solid black wooly worms..sigh. I'm leaning (although I do not want to) towards a very cold winter.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Lona ~ What lovely blooms you still have in your fall gardens, and what a sweetie pie that little feline is. How could anyone resist her? :-)

The autumn colors are so nice even if they are not as great as other years.

Enjoy getting your gardens ready for their winter sleep and the last of their beauty.

Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

Annelie said...

Lona, that little green eyed fir ball seem hard to ignore and dislike. So cute.

The coleus is in a pot, give it shelter overnight. Or, are you kind of like me, a bit ready to let go of the summer and embrace fall?

Enjoy your weekend!

Annelie

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

You live in a beautiful place. The hiking scenary is truely magical. I would like to have one green-eyed flower like yours.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

You have something of summer and something of fall in your garden, Lona! I look at your cosmos and wonder why didn't I have any this summer? Usually it selfseeds.Actually, it was such a weird summer - very few plants grew from seeds! I think the seeds didn't have enough warmth.
I also want to tell you how great it is that you hike with your daughter! The scenery is lovely, but to have a daughter on your side - it is priceless.Have a great weekend!

Carol said...

What beautiful eyes your sweet little kitty has Lona! Wonderful photo. Lovely vistas of fall foliage too. HOpe you are having a lovely weekend. ;>)

Floridagirl said...

You live in a beautiful place, Lona! And of course, your Friday flowers are beautiful also.

Joe Todd said...

Sat. 16th Linda and I just got back from Conkle's Hollow. They have reenactors encampment going on today and tomorrow. We walked the gorge trail. I was at Cantwell cliffs yesterday.. Love those Hills... Seeds are in the mail.

Happy@Home said...

Your flowers look very pretty and the views from your hike are breathtaking.

The Redneck Rosarian said...

The coleus and mums are so pretty. The views from the hill are spectacular. Thanks for the tour!

Barbara said...

How lucky you are to live near such a beautiful state park. It must be a constant inspiration for your own garden.

Bonnie said...

Gorgeous photos!

Corner Gardener Sue said...

What a treat this post was! From your blooms, to the fall beauty of your neighborhood, all was a feast for the eyes. Those mums are worth waiting for. I don't know if I could handle the scary part of that trail. Edges near drop offs cause me great fear.

I planted my beautyberry bushes the spring of 2009, and they were less than a foot tall. I'm thinking yours will bloom next year.

I was able to gather some seeds from the variegated false sunflower yesterday. I also have some from the love lies bleeding. I need to do a search to see what the seeds of kiss me over the garden gate look like. I can't tell if what I got off of the spent blooms is seeds. I'm not remembering now if you wanted any other seeds besides the false sunflower.`I also have some extra seeds that my neighbor gave me from a tall pink cockscomb if you're interested.

Anonymous said...

We didn't even get down to HH this fall, darn it! And now the colors are fading fast. But this weekend we are taking a four day trip to the Poconos, so I hope to find beauty there. I'm glad you enjoyed my beach lighthouse pictures. My home state of Michigan is beautiful indeed, and the people of Ohio should learn to vacation there along the shores. I LOVE lighthouses! Yes, my mini roses live outdoors. Any rose that needs protection can't live here!

Lynn said...

A little mewing furrball showing up in the garden is how I ended up with a bossy garden diva that now struts in and out on demand. She is a good companion in the garden though, despite getting in the way now and then as I try to work in the beds. Every garden, I think, needs a little feline furr ball to wander about and snooze inappropriate on the furniture and pots.