It's getting to be slimmer pickings in the garden now, and the plants are few and far between. The temperature dropped to 30 degrees last night and daytime highs have been in the 50's. I noticed that the alyssum tumbling into the pond is still there (above). For some reason I always seem to overlook it. It has been a steady, reliable bloomer in the garden all summer long and into the fall now. I have never really been much for annuals in the garden but this one is definately going to have a place in mine from now on.
I got a big pot of Hen and Chicks earlier this summer to break apart and plant in the succulent bird feeder. I tucked the ultimate mother into a corner between the bricks around the pond area and a rock stepping stone. It has been multiplying happily all summer and I am pleased to report that it seems to be happy where it is.
The creeping phlox has gotten well established in several places and seems to be at home. The whole 'scree garden' concept seems to be taking root and growing now, no pun intended.
The Black-Eyed Susan has been giving consistent splashes of color in the back of the garden all summer long. It's also been self-seeding prolifically so I will have to be giving away some young plants next spring.
And finally, the Blanket Flower has also been plugging along all summer. Now that there are fewer flowers it is still decorating the bird feeder bed with seed pods. I think that I'll be moving some of this into the scree garden next spring.
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7 comments:
The alyssum looks lovely hanging over the water like that. Our temps seems to be similar to yours (we even had a bit of snow this weekend (melted))and our alyssum as well as a few stubborn roses and a clematis bloom or two are still around, even though everything else has pretty much shut down for winter.
Glad to hear that your Hens and Chicks are happy. i grow some on the stones of my raised garden beds and they seem to love it there.
Lovely photos. I'm getting later and later with GTS--I volunteer sometimes on Sundays, so I can't do my normal GTS blog rounds. You are lucky to be able to grow Hens and Chicks. They literally melt here in the summer, and I don't have room for any more houseplants, so I have to limit my succulents to really tough stuff!
Aiyana
I love your picture of the alyssum, just spilling over into your pond. Lovely.
Years and years ago I grew Hens and Chicks with hubby's son (great, easy kid project). I always forget about them. I will have to find a good spot next spring and put some in. I *probably* can't kill those.
I love looking at your garden, wish I had the time and the energy to do a quarter of what you do. It's just so lovely.
Cheers, Kiy
Tricia - I'm glad to hear that you have a few blooms left hanging on.
Aiyana - I have been fascinated with hen and chicks since I was little. We even had some growing outside in Minnesota.
Kiy - I wish I had the time to do things with my daughter that you do with Emi. I wish I had more hours in the day. :) I just got lucky and got most of it planted while I was pregnant. :)
You have some of my favorite flowers blooming...The Susans, Blanket Flower and phlox...who wouldn't love them...They do look good in your garden! Don't you just love sweet alyssum! Gail
Hi Lythrum, your garden seems alive and well, even as most of us are also seeing less and less blooming. I admire the alyssum playing coy with the water. The idea of a scree garden is very appealing and could work here I think. We already have an old gravel driveway that was turned into a garden. A tough environment for most plants, but those desert southwest ones are growing. Maybe I should add more gravel instead of trying to improve the soil. Thanks for inspiration.
Frances
I saw an article about scree gardens in a gardening magazine and got really interested in it. I have gravel pathways with stepping stones in my garden and I've been tucking plants along the edges to see what they do. So far the alyssum and the phlox have been the main stars. I got some Mexican oregano that is really taking off, as well as some sea thrift that didn't do so well. I figure I'll keep trying different things and see what lives. :)
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