Good Morning.

I've got two days off. My plans include getting out of bed. Done, and magnificently so. I'm having coffee and will probably take a nap this afternoon. Who wouldn't prefer to stay in bed when this is your view?



The light this morning was perfect. It's overcast, but soon will be clearing.



I love the way this miscanthus glows.



In the morning shade, coreopsis keeps on blooming.



Don't wake the spiders.



It's 72 degrees. A heavy dew coats everything. Still no rain.

Goodness.

These things I appreciate.

The long view down the driveway. Still no zucchini.



Tassels.



On a 7' tall Miscanthus.



Coreopsis Full Moon. Been blooming constantly since June.



The Amaranthus that echoes the color of my shutters and doors.



A pink pampas grass that I planted in early spring. I hadn't paid it much attention until now.



More butterflies on the Tithonia.



Hummingbirds are half a dozen strong in the mornings near the street. It's 82 degrees. I'm ready for fall. Mother Nature is not. Another week in the mid 90s in store. No rain.

White.

In spring, white is a refreshing color in the garden. In summer, it offers a bit of a reprieve from the heat. More will arrive soon in the form of Four O'clocks, datura, and daisies. For now, small snipets can be found here and there.

Lantana.



Confederate jasmine and the chimney trellis.



The foliage of Miscanthus "Cosmopolitan".



Nandina's flowers. These will turn into the red berries that persist through the winter.



In the shade, Dusty Miller looks white instead of silver.



Nigella.



The first Shasta Daisies are starting to open. They're scattered here and there through the yard.



Blackberries.



Ligustrum. Similar to the sickening sweet smell of Chinese Privet.



Echinacea "White Swan"



It's 57 degrees. The high today should reach the mid 80s again. More sun. Rain in the forecast for the weekend.

A Travel Day.

Today I'll be heading to Robert's to help him with some projects in his yard. We're going to plant some shrubs, decide on some planting bed layouts, and I'll give him some suggestions for future plantings. In my own yard, spring is advancing rapidly.

The irises are growing almost daily.



Gold Flame Spirea is putting out new foliage.



Variegated Miscanthus is returning.



Ligustrum Howardii has tons of new growth. These were purchased from the clearance rack last fall with a few leaves and lots of sticks.



Even the Japanese Maple is leafing out.



The first of the returning hostas has emerged.



It's 39 degrees. We should see a high again in the upper 70s. Tomorrow, I'll spend most of my day weeding the perennial bed and planting out as many containers as I can manage.

Foliage

Nell's right, I have plenty of foliage. Some of the more interesting ones in my yard include:

Nandinas



Dusty Miller and Heuchera



Miscanthus Cosmopolitan



A hardy fern



The old camellia that has sort of forgiven me



Daffodils (with blooms ready to break)



It's 39 and windy. It's still cold out even in the sun. Thursday may be nice at 50 degrees.

Today, I noticed things.

I tend to spend a lot of time with my face near the ground regardless of the season. It's easy to overlook a lot of things that get lost in spring, summer, and fall just out of sight from the safe areas of the yard. I took a walk last year in the wild and gully. I did the same thing again today. They're always there, sometimes covered by fresh spring growth, shaded by oak leaves high up in the treetops, or ignored completely due to things that crawl and slither.

A bird deposited nandina so red it's nearly black in the sun.



A leatherleaf mahonia on the other side of the dead oak tree.



Another one in the gully.



Oranges still trying to ripen before the wind and rain (possibly snow) take them down.



I wonder who was living here when this one fell? The rotted stump is where I planted shastas, bamboo, and forget me nots in the perennial bed.



Next year's Rose of Sharon seedlings.



A very cold camellia.



A fancy leafed English ivy that's nearly overtaken this maple.



Catbriar (smilax) with berries that the birds love to spread.



It will offer the lucky pair that takes refuge in the house I built for them some protection from the neighborhood cats.



The intricate patterns of strangling vines.



Long ago, this pine was the victim of a lightning strike.



The bark tells me it won't be long before it falls to the ground. I wonder if I'll notice.



The seeds of Miscanthus "Cosmopolitan" against the blue sky.



Finally, something new, that I didn't plant, poking out of the leaves in the former white bed corner.



I just wanted to take a closer look at some things today. I've spent so much time planning the big picture lately. It's 45 degrees and sunny.

Tomorrow I got back to work until Saturday. I'm going to miss being outside, in my own yard.

Pineapple salvia

Earlier in the summer, I had considered not growing this next year. Now that it's blooming, I cannot imagine not having it. At the end of the driveway, it gives the hummers something to fight about.





The Miscanthus cosmopolitan is blooming at 4' tall. The tag said it should reach a height of 8-10'. Maybe next year.



Another bluish/white morning glory has bloomed. These must be the ones I got from Trevor. The same flower appeared on the chimney. I think I planted one there.



Castor bean seed pods were collected. I've laid them out in the basement to dry.



More rain in the forecast today. It's very cloudy, dark, hazy, and muggy at 66 degrees. Thinking about heading off to Lowe's to pick up the plywood for the kitchen countertops. I'm hoping to get those cut and the sink reinstalled by Sunday evening.

There's so much trash from remodeling projects. There's a huge pile of cardboard in the living room from the boxes the cabinets were shipped in. Looks like the beginnings of a new flowerbed or three.