Looking Up Through The Trees

Gardening Gone Wild is holding an August Photo
Contest with the subject of "Down on Your Knees".
The contest was named and will be judged by David
Perry who is one of the best in Photography. It involves
as the subject suggests that the photographer take the
pictures from the knee down. The idea is to take pictures
with a different angle or perspective that makes the viewer
gets a fresh and unexpected look at textures and angles.

The contests ends Saturday August 22, so do not be late.

My entry is of this pink lily where I literally had to get down
and shoot up at the drooping lily. When I did it picked up
the back drop of the trees above it and the sunlight reflecting
on the back of the lily making it seem transparent.
It was a fun project and there have been some amazing
pictures entered.





Happy Gardening Everyone!

The Plants Just Know

In the Autumn it is always hard for me to let go of
the growing season when the nights get frosty and the
days grow colder because of the shorter periods of daylight.
It is always hard to see the flowers though some may be faded
by then have to be either sacrificed to freeze to death or to be put
away in the basement or what room may be available in the house
for them. Though the Autumn colors are beautiful it still always
makes me sad to end the season and look into winter.
I even dedicated a posting to it last October entitled
It's Hard to Let Go

After sorting them out to see which ones would be
over wintered in the basement and knowing the porch
would no longer give them protection I finally let go and
carried them all to the basement.
Some of the plants that were taken to the basement were:
geraniums, osteospermum, latana, datura, sweet potato
vines, and mums.
I even brought in petunias and impatiens to see if they
would keep.
Most of the plants were geraniums because they are so
forgiving and can be over wintered two ways. In their pots
or out of the pots and hung upside down by their roots.
I checked on them a couple of times over the winter and
gave them a little drink or spray of water so they
would not dry clear up.
Keewee at Keewee's Garden wrote a posting on Geraniums
and Light Bulbs about how her overwintered plants in her
basement had forgotten all about her.
After reading it I thought I had better make another check
to see how my own were getting along now in my basement.

Well the plants know it is Spring and time to wake up and
get about the job of growing again. Just like our potatoes
know and start to sprouting so do the flowers. Even in the
dark hole of a basement they had started to grow.
They have very pale faces now because of lack of light and
sunshine but that doesn't stop them from trying to
welcome Springtime.
Tessa over at Blunders with Shoots, Blossoms n' Roots
wrote a posting on "How Do They Know" when
a couple of hours after she had set her sweet peas out that
the vine tendrils were already wrapping around the trellis.
How do they know it is time to start sprouting again.
Where are their clocks,where are their little eyes?
I do not have an answer but " The Plants Just Know"




So it is time now to pinch them back and think about getting
them some light and fertilizer.

Even the geraniums that were hung by their roots know it is
time to start growing again and are ready to be potted up.
Note to self: the hanging geraniums look to be doing better
than the potted ones. They are heartier looking.
So some how "The Plants Just Know".

Storm Clouds Rolling In

Wednesday evening after a beautiful day in the upper
sixties, we had a storm roll in with high winds.
So soon after our previous Ice storm it brought down
those additional trees and limbs that were damaged by
the weight of the ice.
Without electricity and phones once again I started watching
the wind blow in the storm clouds and rain. It was fascinating
watching the different cloud shapes and colors.
Some looked menacing and others like dirty cotton candy,
but all were beautiful in their own way.





Dirty brown clouds started coming in towards my home.
They looked very intimidating and foreboding.





On the other side of the hill dark skies foretold what was
in store for us, but at the same time the sun was shining
under the clouds and lighting the tops of the bare tree tops
giving a sense of hope amid the storm.





After the dirty brown clouds rolled through there came
clouds of cotton candy or cotton ball shaped clouds.

And at last they past over and blue skies lay behind
them.

Note: After posting this article I noticed it was Friday the 13th.
I am not superstitious and the storm clouds posting is not in
anyway whatsoever to do with the day or date. ; )