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....

Wordless Wednesday...

Friends of the garden

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!

Among the Azaleas

There is nothing prettier than a woodland path, adorned with azaleas,
from above and below...is there?

And, strolling beneath the canopy of filtered sunlight can somehow feel ethereal.
At least for me.

If you're not yet a collector of this beautiful spring-blooming shrub, there are many varieties to choose from...based on plant habits, sizes and color.

Though, do you sometimes confuse an anzalea
for a rhododendron?

Me, too!  Next time, count the stamens.  Azaleas tend to have only 5 or 6,

while most rhodys have 10 stamens.

The leathery, broader leaves of the later...
also a good giveaway.

Can't decide on which to plant?  Collect both,
in every color! But, be patient... 

They are slow growers.  And, like a fine wine,

these gorgeous shrubs only get better and better with time.

Is it Fall....?!

Waking up with that nip in the air this morning sure felt like it!  Covering my petunias and tender annuals was a very smart move.

But, really, it IS only mid May.  I think we've been spoiled with the nice run of

warm temps and rain these past few weeks...

so life in the garden progressed that much sooner this year.  At least for me, here in central New Jersey.

Here I am at Longwood Gardens in mid April, and bulbs are already at peak bloom!

Being at the ready-set-go bell allowed me shots of a crowd-free landscape.

Of course I had to scramble here and there with a quick snap, snap, snap.

Breathtaking!  A whole grove of massive cherry trees!

I didn't mind that this couple beat me to this garden...

they sure added a touch of romance to this scene.

This image is kinda cool...

only because I used the wrong lens hood..lol!

Have you ever SEEN so many tulips in bloom?!

A feast for the senses that's for sure.

Wonder where my next excursion will take us...tune in to find out!

Thanks for stopping by, friends.