God's Paintbrush

In Autumn, it looks like God took a great big paintbrush and colored the trees and shrubs in glorious color. Here's what my late October garden looks like:

 A very colorful corner at Sunsplash Gardens (in the rocky garden area)

 The purple beautyberry (callicarpa) and burning bush

 Two of my four blueberry bushes - several different cultivars* - are turning color

*When I investigated the planting of blueberries, I read that one should plant more than one variety to enhance fruiting. Unfortunately, I didn't write down the cultivar names.

My blueberries have performed very well. And they are lovely come fall!

 A few mums and a faux jack-o-lantern

 My two pots of Supertunia 'Vista Bubblegum' on the deck have done well. They get lots of sun there.

 The roses continue to bloom - I believe this pretty one is Buck Rose 'Griff's Red.'

 A garden visitor (Praying Mantis). I find these creatures fascinating!

 Geranium 'Rozanne' is still full of bloom.

 Love the beautyberry!

And, just in case you're wondering about the project - the pergola is done, courtyard is in progress, and if you look closely you can see a trench and a hole here - it will be a stream with a waterfall and pond. This is work day 12 on the Big Transition. And quite a transition it is! We're loving it, and looking forward to completion, possibly (probably) this week.

Enjoy your week!

Busy, busy, busy!

Wow, has it ever been busy around here! Fall brings many gardening tasks in addition to the usual weeding, watering, etc.

We are 10 days into our construction project in the backyard, what I am calling the Big Transition. It actually began more than 10 days ago, but due to rain delays, actual days of the landscapers at work number 10.

Besides what the landscapers are doing, here are some of the things I have been doing:

~ Working the compost, and applying the compost
~ Gathering mulch, and applying mulch
~ Emptying the rain barrels - soon we will be putting them away for the winter
~ Moving plants - the project has changed a bit, requiring even more relocation of plants
AND that's just in my garden. Also, I took my mom grocery shopping (that takes 1/2 a day, as she lives 40 miles away), worked in the Enabling Garden (Master Gardener project garden), took Josey to the groomer - and tonight Ron and I and good friends Jeri and Bob are going to "Wino Wednesday" at Summerset Winery. Tomorrow night is our Master Gardener "Harvest Celebration," and the finale to Project Runway.  :)

Day 10: 10/22/2014

 The pergola is done. The landscapers (Peters Lawn and Landscaping) leveled this area, put down 16 tons of gravel, and are now adding sand, then pavers.

 To the side of the pergola, Ken works on the walkway.

 More fence has been removed, opening up the gardens - where the courtyard/pergola area is used to be my border gardens and to the right of the fence is the cottage garden. I'm excited about the new look with the area opened up!

 As seen from my deck - this is looking at the neighbor's yard, and the pasture behind it. So colorful!

 One of my piles of mulch - this is pine straw (pine needles) - and I raked it up with my own two hands! I am waiting to spread some of it, in areas where leaves will fall. I think it will be much better if the leaves are under the mulch, rather than cluttering the appearance of it if they are on top.

 A garden visitor

 This kitty has recently appeared in our yard. She is super friendly. I'll be taking her in to check for a microchip, and then to the shelter. She deserves a good home, inside -- and not to have to live behind our garden shed when it gets cold.

Have a great week, and I'll be back soon!

The Big Transition is still underway

We have landscapers working to create our own little piece of paradise in our backyard.  I thought you might be interested in watching them work, and seeing the progress.

Day 2: 10/8/2014

 Men at work

Fueled by Monster...and Mountain Dew....what is it with this younger generation, don't they like coffee????

I wonder what Donna of Cottage Days and Journeys would think of my still life.  lol

Here's what it looked like at the end of Day 2.


Day 3, 10/12/2014:

We have been experiencing rain delays, so are behind schedule.


Day 5:  10/16/2014

 9 tons of rock (gravel) later, and we have a wall!


Day 7: 10/18/2014

Progress! You can see now that there is a pergola in place, and a patio in progress. We should be done with the hardscaping/landscaping next week; re-working of the garden beds will be a Spring 2015 project.

I'll be showing the finished project next week (I hope).

The Color of Autumn

Summer is my favorite season, but Autumn is so glorious when the leaves begin to turn. Last Monday it rained all day long and we ended up with 2.1" of rain. We actually saw flooding of a medium-sized creek from the rainfall.

 Flooded Four Mile Creek on 10/13/2014

 I took this photo near the bike trail right by Four Mile Creek - color was just beginning to show.

 I took a photo walk yesterday, and captured a few brilliant trees. The pictures really don't do them justice.

 In my garden, I've begun mulching with pine needles. These mums are a little bit of color and bloom still present.

Looking over the backyard - you can see a few trees turning - and a bit of the construction project that is underway. More on that next week.

I hope you are enjoying colorful Autumn in your neck of the woods!

My Summer - Mosaic Monday

I love summer, and the summer of 2014 was a good one.

I enjoyed flowers...

Hemerocallis 'Todd Monroe'

also birds and butterflies:

and travel:

 Amish farm in Van Buren County, Iowa

 Lake Simcoe, Innisfil, Ontario, Canada

 Alpaca and lavender farm near Vinton, Iowa

Maid of the Mist, approaching the Horseshoe Falls


A very much abbreviated tale of my summer is told in the following mosaic:

Top left, Fireworks at Niagara Falls; top right, Monarch at the Discovery Garden; bottom right, Niagara Falls; bottom left, an heirloom sunflower in my garden

Although each photo is different, they are tied together by the reds, oranges, and yellows.

Ahhhhhh, Sweet Summer.....must you leave so soon?  

Linking to Mosaic Monday with Judith at Lavender Cottage