Late Summer

Six on Saturday is a weekly gardeners' hashtag hosted by Mr P.  To join the fun, check out the action both on his blog & on Twitter.

Even the pigeons know Mizzy BunnyButt's a terrible hunter.

Though temps haven't gone below 9C this week, neighbourhood trees've begun to turn, which starts me worrying about pumpkins making it to Halloween.

However, there're a few other things of interest in the garden this week.








1.  Sacred bamboo.

Despite the 9C lows, one morning the sacred bamboo was covered with an off-white patina.  Close inspection showed it to be not frost, but a heavy dew.

I was delighted to see flower buds.  Its first year with us, I assumed it wouldn't bloom at all.  Hopefully they'll open before there's frost.  Next year, berries.


2.  Tough guy Actaea.

This guy's perplexed me.  When the shady border turned out to be not-so-shady, this was the only plant that didn't go crispy, including 2 other actaeas.  So it got left behind during the mid-season move to the shady front garden.

And it's done fine.


3.  Bird feeder plant.

Both this plant (below) & the gangly grass behind the actaea (above) came out of the bird feeder, & got spared by my curiosity.  While the one above served its purpose, never to be repeated, I like the one below, much like the miniature ragwort growing under the bird feeder (shown in the first photo) that I mow around.

Now that the seeds are changing colour, I'm even more enamoured.


4.  Blanket flower.

When I broke out my seed cache this spring, there were some 6 year old blanket flower seeds amongst them, so what the heck, right?  Only one germinated but it was healthy enough to get ignored.

Until the woodwardia moved from the not-so-shady border to the front garden with the rest of the shade lovers.  Woody was in an elephant planter but, as there are hordes of marauding students around here, I didn't want to risk the elephant out front.

Taking over from Woody, the blanket flower has some big shoes to fill, but looks like it'll manage.


5.  Random canna.

I planted way too many plants with the canna lilies this year, so everything's had to find their own little space.

This one's a gymnast.  Love all those curlicues.


6.  Oregano update.

A few weeks ago, I saw Oregano Amethyst Falls during a search for another plant, & bought 2 (as well as the original lusted-for plant).  The oregano started blooming on arrival & though it hasn't hit full stride yet, o what a beginning.

The first flowers were lighter, & now are this deep pink.  The hops-ish bits of the flower (to use the scientific term) seem to grow out of each other, getting a longer & longer chain that gets more & more pink as it grows.

Against that gray/green foliage, it's something else.  And promises to be even more so.

Pigeons're gone, Mizzy BB. Come inside for some Dreamies.

That's this week's selection.


As always, thanks for stopping by.