The Last Roses of Summer

The roses have been giving me some final blooms
this week. Seems they wanted to give one last hurrah
before the cold weather comes in and takes them.

“ Almost Black” looks like pure velvet when it
is in bud stage.

Then unfurls to a deep red with dark highlights
around the petals.

The new “Iceberg” rose that was planted this spring
has been blooming better than my Knockout roses
this summer.

Since I love white blooms in the garden I have
been in love with this rose this summer.

“Easy Does It” is another new rose planted this
summer and it has been non stop in blooming also.

I am not a favorite of the colors of orange in flowers
but Easy Does It has so many shades to the petals
that it has really grown on me. She looks pretty with
a few water drops from a watering. Looks like she has
company on one of the petals.

“Crimson Bouquet” is my favorite of the red
roses. It blooms in waves throughout the summer
and it smells divine. She has a few chewed leaves
now.

I have had the Crimson Bouquet rose for years and
it is very hardy and has never failed me yet.

Gertrude Jekyll is also a new rose and I love how it
has produced waves of blooms this summer.

I love how Gertrude’s petals keep unfolding from the
tight buds into a full bloom of many petals.

Even the climbing rose “New Dawn” has graced me with
a few new blooms.

New Dawn usually only blooms once for me so
it is having a finale bloom to say goodbye to summer.

As I mentioned my Knockout roses have been a
very big disappointment this summer.

With exception to this Rainbow Knockout which has
bloomed very well.
The new Sunny Yellow knockout only bloomed twice
and the red and pink singles and double Knockouts
shrubs have just had a few blooms in all.

Along with the roses having one last blooming
event this lone Shasta Daisy came out to say
goodbye for the summer.

Today is also “Fertilizer Friday” at Tootsie’s
so join us in Flaunting the last Flowers of
this summer.
Fall is really here now although we have had days in
the nineties this week but a big change is on the
agenda tonight. We so need the rain that I am hoping
this cold front will bring in.

The Last Rose of Summer

'Tis the last rose of summer, left blooming all alone
All her lovely companions are faded and gone.
No flower of her kindred, no rose bud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes and give sigh for sigh.
I'll not leave thee, thou lone one! to pine on the stem
Since the lovely are sleeping, go sleep thou with them
'Thus kindly I scatter thy leaves o'er the bed
Where thy mates of the garden lie scentless and dead.

 ~Thomas Moore~

Happy Gardening Everyone !

Lona

Fall Arrangements

Yesterday the sun was out so pretty so I thought I
would take advantage of it and roam about the hills
to take some pictures.
I went to several spots that I enjoy but ended up back
at an old favorite at Conkle's Hollow.
I was there at the beginning of Fall when all of the
Autumn flowers were at their peak and the butterflies
were everywhere, the sound of the bees and birds
filled the air.

But Friday the butterflies and bees were very
much absent.





The flowers were all done with their blooms
of bright yellow on goldenrod.





All that remained were the golden brown heads
of the blooms.





The ironweed with its brilliant purple blooms
were all but blown away.






Beautiful heads of grass that remained blown about
by the cold breeze looked golden in the sun.





Even the grasses growing on a patch of ground in
middle of the stream were now dormant from the
cold freezes and frost.
Ice was even now forming along the edges of the
creek and in places there was a small coating of it
forming upon the water.



The only color than stood out was the red of the
berries from briers that grew along the stream.




Further up in the hollow that is ringed on all
sides by rock cliffs the air was much colder and there
only the mosses and ferns were green.





Even the ferns seemed almost lonely and
forlorn amongst the layer of leaves.




I was the only one visiting Friday and the quiet was
so striking as I ventured up into the hollow.
Even the birds were silent up in the cold hollow.
I finally got froze out and started back out looking
for signs of birds that were so absent in the hollow.
As I got back out across the bridge and into the
sunlight again I heard a Nuthatch but could not
seem to get a sight of it. I did spy two Chickadees
fussing and making a racked in a water birch tree.






Its peeling bark looked so pretty in the sunlight.
Then a heard a noise up above me in the sky
and there was beauty in wings spread wide against
the blue sky. It is times like this one when I covet a
better camera lens.





Frozen to the bone and shivering I started walking
to the car. I felt so refreshed and alive though to have
spent the alone time amongst all of these beautiful things.

Happy Gardening Everyone and
Have a Wonderful Weekend!

All The Leaves Are Gone

Leaves

"How silently they tumble down
And come to rest upon the ground
To lay a carpet, rich and rare,
Beneath the trees without a care,
Content to sleep, their work well done,

Colors gleaming in the sun.

At other times, they wildly fly
Until they nearly reach the sky.
Twisting, turning through the air
Till all the trees stand stark and bare.
Exhausted, drop to earth below
To wait, like children, for the snow."

- Elsie N. Brady-

Well maybe not all of them are gone but they are sure
getting there.
All that seem to remain are the mighty Oak leaves
and a few stragglers hanging on.
I spent four hours raking and mowing Monday
and got about half done. With the rain yesterday and
last night the rest of the leaves fell and you cannot tell
I was even in the yard. ;-)
Oh, well I need the exercise anyway and what better
thing to do on a mild sunny day.

All of the little spooks and goblins will be coming Thursday
evening. I tried to make the kitten that grew in my flower
beds to look scary for a Halloween posting but it was just no use.
Who could call this
one scary with those little eyes peering up at you.

Dwarf Iris bulbs have arrived to force this Winter and
some tulip bulbs are already in the fridge to get their cooling
down period. A fellow blogger said that the Iris reticulata did not
have to have a cold period so I had to get some 'Blue Harmony'
to give it a try at least once.
See what you started ----. You will remain nameless but you
know who you are. ;-)
After throwing out the Paper Whites last Winter because of the
strong smell I won't be trying to force those again.
Also as a winter project some more Gloxinia seeds
were sown and some new variegated African Violet leaves
are coming to start some new plants. (That is my hope anyway)
The Poinsettia was brought in and I am trying to get it to set
on some red color which I am told is very hard to accomplish. It
will no doubt be thrown out then as another fail experiment.
The osteospermum was raided for some branch ends to start.
I was shocked, but now I do not know why it surprised me, that
the deers had finally got up the nerve to come right up to the house
and munch on it and my anemones. Good thing I got those
pictures before they went on an eating frenzy.
I thought they were deer proof !
They are eating everything now that shows the color green.

All deer hunters please come to my house this November.

The new Gardening and seed catalogs are starting to come in
the mail now already to tempt me for gardening this
Winter and next Spring. They will come in handy on a rainy,
cold day.
" The house is clean". ;-)

Happy Gardening and Have a Safe
Halloween Everyone!

Fall Blooming Anemones or Windflowers

Most of the flowers are about gone now at least
the ones I have in my beds.
The Fall blooming anemones or wind flowers
are trying to keep their heads above all of the falling
leaves over the weekend.
I am so glad that I at least have them and the Mums
blooming now.



Anemone x hybrida 'Queen Charlotte' or also known as
'Konigin Charlotte' was such a beauty this Fall and it was
so tall this year getting to 4 feet with the blooms.
She is spreading out all around her and will be
giving me some great divisions next Spring.
Also she is loaded with seed heads so they are being
cast to the woods garden bed in hopes of getting
new ones started there. Some of the seed heads
from my flowers are covered with a little soil in
the Fall and next Spring they will start growing
new plants. I have gotten so many Coneflowers
just by covering the seed heads. It works better
for me than trying to seed them indoors in the winter.
Her blooms are all but gone now after the rains.




Anemone x hybrida 'Honorine Jorbet' is a new one I just
planted in late Summer purchased from Bluestone Perennials.
It was so healthy and big that it took right off and
started giving me a few blooms already this Fall.
This bloom looks a little rough from all of the rain.
I needed some white in the shade garden.
It will grow tall at 3 to 4 feet and is good in zones 4-8.




Anemone hybrida 'Party Dress' was planted this
Summer in the shade garden. She is such a pretty
one but her heads are drooping. It will get to 36-38
inches tall and is good in zones 4-8 also.
The pictures are not the best but I have an awful time
getting good pictures from white and pink blooms.
The lighting was not quite right.




The Royal Carpet Alyssum is still putting on some
bloom and looks even darker with the cooler temps.

This purple osteospermum is looking tired but is still
putting on a few blooms. I want to try to grow some
cuttings from it although I have little luck rooting plants.
I keep trying different ways though.

We had hard rains this weekend and wind so all of
the beautiful Fall leaves have fallen here in the
Hocking Hills.



And this is what will be keeping me busy today
and this week, raking and mulching leaves.



Hope everyone had a great weekend and
Happy Gardening and Raking Everyone!

Mums the Word

Hey gang I got the housework all done and cleaned
today. Yeah, it is raining straight down ;-)
The leaves are falling with it and there is now showers of
yellow leaves falling in the back yard. The rain will bring
down what was left of the pretty leaves and only the old
brown oak leaves will remain, and remain, and remain.
They just last and blow around forever.

Since it is time to Flaunt those Flowers I thought
I would share some of the Mums that are around the
yard. I hope you all are not tired of pictures of Mums yet.
I have saw such pretty ones on blogs over the last few weeks,
and some were flat out gorgeous. I for one never get tired
of seeing beautiful flowers. In fact I would say I never met
a flower I didn't like but that would be an error, there are
one or two. Paper Whites forced indoors.Sorry I hate the
smell of them indoors and although I like some of the
newer Marigolds I cannot tolerate the fragrance of them.
They are suppose to be good for keeping pests from
gardens though.

These pictures were taken this week when the sun
decided to pay us a visit and we did get a little warm up.




The blooms were loaded with this green metallic looking
bees or bugs of some kind. I do not remember seeing them
before but they have a pretty color to them.



This Mum was one of the ones that were grown
from seed a year ago.






They were even on this Becky Shasta Daisy bloom. They
sure were busy little things that day. Maybe they were
storing up.




This is another one grown from seed.

I could not help but snap a picture of this Mourning
Dove with all of the color for its backdrop.

Today is Fertilizer Friday so join us with the hostess
Tootsie over at Tootsie Time and Flaunt Those Flowers!



Happy Gardening Everyone and
Have A Great Weekend!