An extra hour...

Happy Daylight Savings Day!

My phone rang at 7am this morning. Caller ID: Mom. From California.

She'd totally forgotten to 'fall back' on the clock.  So, what the heck was she

doing up at 5am...?!

Heading out for her daily pre-dawn walk.  Good thing I'd been up for hours, reading.  Yep, besides our love of gardening, Mom and I have insomnia in common.

My absence here has not been deliberate.  I've tried numerous times to post but uploading photos with Blogger has been a pain!  Any friends out there retired their

Blogger account for something faster, better? 

There's so many more options now, besides Wordpress.  I will need to do a little research...

One thing I will not complain about is the beautiful indian summer

we've had these past weeks in NJ.  Summer blooms are still hanging in there.  I mean, look at this pot of geraniums, still setting buds into November!

Vibrant hues of fall foliage have been quite spectacular, as well!

How will you spend your extra hour of daylight?  Hopefully, I will finish my bulb planting, mulch, and tuck the garden in for the season.

If I could just stay awake til sunset....

The Hoseless Summer

Mother Nature has been watering my garden every other day it seems.  I have NOT had to drag the hose from one end of the yard to the other....a chore that can take two hours.

So that's great news, right?!  Except all this excess rain has kept me from weeding the beds regularly, which is not so great.  It's a jungle out there!

And, bugs abound!  Beetles, flies, gnats, and the oh-so-dreaded mosquitoes!  Even the overflowing pond has seen a hub-bub of activities with visitors big (stray cat Cookie), 

and small. I counted 6 dragonflies this afternoon!

The unusual weather has even confused my favorite perennial.  Early varieties like Eenie Meenie are just now blooming and later ones such as Autumn Minaret are already setting scapes!

Though it's been nice capturing raindrops on velvety petals...like this Dominic, 

I"m ready for a stretch of dry days, when I can really enjoy these beauties that lasts but a day.  So pretty but a bit faded is Always Afternoon.

A tall clump with petite blooms is Miss Amelia. 

Have you noticed many butterflies yet in your garden?  I have only see these skippers. 

Unfortunately, I will be away this coming week so will miss the grand show on this amazing Dallas Star clump.

Next post will showcase the beautiful daylily gardens I toured last weekend in the Delware area.  I'll leave you with a teaser...enjoy!

A day in the life...

...of an Alien?






Ok, maybe it was just more like 10 minutes in the life of...

Wordless Wednesday...

Wordless Wednesday...

Wordless Wednesday...

Doesn't this giant cicada give you the warm fuzzies?

Wordless Wednesday...

...alright, maybe just a few words.
Anyone ever seen a yellow spider before?

How about a smiling spider?!
He was tiny but really, really cool!

Bold and Beautiful!

We've been thinking how sad it is that Summer is gone but look around and it's so evident that Fall has so much to offer and we are instantly cheered...I know I am! Sure, mums are the mainstay of my Fall garden but there is so much more being offered! Think grasses, aster, ornamental kale, berries, pansies....the list goes on and on!

Speaking of mums, these have been blooming for over a month but now with 'Montauk Daisies' keeping them company, they just pop! At almost 3ft(!), bright and cheerful Melapodiums never looked so good...and they are all volunteers! Can't beat free plants! "Enough pics of Bandit....it's my turn!" Yep, that's what Lacey said! Lovely swallowtails still hanging about... Ever notice how many different shades of red there are in one cluster of 'Autumn Joy' sedum? YAY for dahlias! Many more buds left to open....I hope! But last bloom on 'Day Breaker' rose....*sad sigh* This guy cheered me up with a game of Peek-A-Boo!

"Anemonemone"...quoting Disney's Nemo...love that movie! Wild goldenrod...the bane of my fall allergies! But, I'll suffer gladly, for the blooms are beautiful in arrangements.

Lovely bold berries of the pyracanthus

And speaking of bold...here comes the 4-legged kind! A wet forecast today but that's alright. Em and I are hitting the Mall for a Homecoming dress then some hand and feet pampering at the Spa ;) Here's to a fun weekend everyone!

P.S. In case you missed it, I did announce the WINNER from the Macro Mystery game at the end of that post. Thanks again for playing ;)