Wordless Wednesday- Roses

All roses found at LA Arboretum

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Autumn Kinkitis

I don't have the best of the garden to share today, but there are signs of a transition into our kind of fall.  The garden had taken quite a beating the last few weeks between the heat waves and the painters.  And then, surprise, the painters are finished.  Nice little blue and white cottage. And it was so "chilly" outside, I had to wear my bathrobe in the garden this morning to survey the plants.

My tomato is still producing, despite the heat-damaged foliage.

My leafy begonia did not survive the heat. I hope they will produce new leaves from the bulb. I keep watering them.

The path the painters made through my bed to get at the side of the house. It will take some time for this to recover.

My rose bush suffers from heat-melted blossoms and painter sanding dust. I will have to hose off each plant in the garden to give the leaves a chance to breathe again.

One echinacea dried to a crisp by the heat, while its neighbor still blooms. Nature is mysterious. We never know which plant the strong sun will toast and which it will leave to flower.

There is some good news.  Despite the heat some plants have fourished.

Witness my peony rose. Four buds!!

Dragon-Winged Begonia

Rabbit-foot Fern

Staghorn Fern

 Jupiter's Beard

Salvia Chiapensis reblooming!!

If the cool temps remain, even for a week or two, other plants will start to recover, more blooms will appear and my fall garden will flourish.  With every loss comes new life. How happy that the garden shows me this truth in every season.

Now I've got to go to the garden center for a new hose. This one has permanent kinkitis. Who says I haven't been watering!

Beginning

Welcome to the first of many blogs. I think it'll be fun! I've written about my garden for years, but never in such a public way. So this is a beginning for me. I've been a gardener as far back as I can remember. My mother handed me my first spade and said, go to work. I planted Bachelor Buttons, still one of my favorite flowers. My secret garden has been an experiment with new plants and learning what will go best, where. It's never complete, but always in the making.

It's the end of August and the heat has taken it's toll on this southern California garden. It's the time for heat-loving plants. The tomatoes, sown in pots on my patio, are still producing, but wilt in the afternoon sun.




The passion flower vine is blooming profusely, as is the firecracker salvia, both plants for the hummingbirds of this garden. The roses that still bloom are short-lived, as the strong sun wilts and dries them quickly.


I've already ordered my fall vegetable seeds from Seeds of Change. I'm going to convert the sunniest beds into areas for vegetables. Most of my garden is shaded by a large live oak and nearby houses, so there is little garden area for most vegetables. I've spoken with my garden spirits (fairies, gnomes, as they are known by other names) and they feel I am right to try lettuce, chard, radish, cilantro and parsley in those spots.