Cooler.

It's 79 degrees at 10:15am. It's been weeks since we've seen temperatures this low at this time of day. The high should only reach the low mid-80s today. Rain is in the forecast. The clouds are thick.

Morning glories.







Round two on the red hibiscus in the shrub island.

I miss my shadow

It's another dreary, cloudy day here in NC. Overnight, it rained again. It wasn't much, but the ground that was soggy is now fully wet. Walking across the lawn leaves depressions. On the other hand, we're less than a month away from reversing the tilt into winter. Solstice will be here before we know it. The last of the fall color in the backyard is gone. The only remnants are the leaves covering everything that stands still.



Not everything is so bleak. Morning glories in the wild are still blooming. This one has entangled itself with the elaeagnus.



The orange rose is still blooming too.



These buds probably won't open with frost in the forecast for Friday night.



Up the street, Calycanthus floridus is still green and golden. I have several of these planted in the shrub island that I wintersowed last year. The largest one is about a foot tall.



Sweet gums are still dark red. I should try to locate some seed pods for the gully when I go home tomorrow for Thanksgiving. They grow all over the place at my parents' house.



Speaking of the parents', my mom wants two Leyland Cypresses for her yard. I planted these along the fence earlier in the spring. They need to be moved, so I'm taking them to her. Tomorrow is also her birthday. I bet she thinks I forgot.



Miss Huff (probably not) is lonely without Yvonne's salvia. With so many unripened seeds on the Salvia, I cut it down this morning and brought the flowers into the basement to dry. I won't trade seeds from this batch, in case they aren't viable.



Cold weather is on the way. I need to find a day to get out back and collect more firewood. There's plenty to be had. I just need to split it with the gas powered log splitter. Waiting for a cold day. Things that slither could still be moving under all that greenery.



For all of 5 seconds, the sun tried to peek through the heavy clouds. Then it disappeared. If the forecast is right, we should see some sunlight before it sets tonight.

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.

Chilly.

No wonder the dogwoods on Pee Dee Ave are turning red. The berries are ripe on a few. I see a maple in the backyard is beginning to turn yellow too. It's early.

9:55am - In the basement, 10 items were ready for potting up.





I have three rooted white hibiscus.



Five Turn of the Century Hibiscus, a snowball viburnum, and one giant white pussywillow completed the tray.



Jim's alstroemeria is growing in one pot.



And on the chimney, a new morning glory has bloomed. Don't know where it came from. Don't care. I like it.



Five shasta daisies were transplanted from the no longer white bed to the crape myrtle bed. I also scattered more seeds of verbena bonariensis and Echinacea tennesseensis.

It's 61 degrees. I didn't get bitten by a single mosquito.

More odds and ends

I didn't sleep well last night. My usual day of running myself tired didn't happen. Sure, painting is a chore, and one that I don't really care for all that much (Sorry, Cat). But I didn't exhaust myself like I normally do on a given day. I tossed and turned until about 1am. I was awake again at 5. Going to be a long day at the store. Temperatures should be in the mid 80s. Any chance of rain has disappeared. It did rain a little overnight. Must have been a passing shower. Humidity stands at 93% this morning.

In the yard, the Heavenly Blue morning glory on the trellis is blooming. The Cardinal climber isn't putting on a great show. A few blooms every day is all I've seen. A hummingbird almost took my ear off this morning as I walked under it. Territory, I know.



The volunteer morning glory on the chimney is still not blooming.



At the base of the chimney, the knockouts, salvia (Blue bedder & Mystic Spires), and veronica are performing well. Next year should be better. Somewhere in this bed, I planted clumps of Spider Lilies. They should be appearing soon.



More blue bedder salvia is in the perennial bed. I need to start looking for seeds.



The biggest disappointment all season: Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia. Just plain ugly. The picture doesn't do it justice. It's a washed out orange color with a dried blood center. Not an attractive flower. I'll save seeds, but plant it out back.



This was supposed to be milkweed. Any ideas?



Finally, the Ecuador Whites are almost done. A new bloom opens about every other day. The real show ended a few days ago. The next flush of blooms are about 1/4" long. If they're going to see the next full moon at the end of the month, they'd better hurry.



Time to shower and shave. Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go. I'm taking two rooted figs and one Turn of the Century hibiscus with me. Customers have agreed to trade a few things like daylilies for them. Aren't gardeners great?

almost forgot... I sprayed a gallon of glysophate around the gully where I want to do something next year. English ivy and vinca major run rampant back there. Baby trees of heaven (hell) are sprouting all over. Other wayward shrubs and trees are growing quickly too thanks to the sunlight they get now that the oak tree is gone. Mom and Dad will be coming up in a couple weeks to help. Dad has a 36" bow saw that should reach all the way around even the largest parts of the tree. Can't wait to see what that area looks like with the tree removed. The wood will be stacked between the two trees where the hammock hangs. Too many skeeters to enjoy it this time of year anyway.

Three. No, Thirty-four.

34 brug blooms are open this morning throughout the yard. The Ecuador whites have put on a stunning display. Last night the whole house smelled of brugs and daturas. I wish now that I had planted them where they could be enjoyed on a more personal level. Next year, of course.

The orange brug in the perennial bed has 3 blooms. One other has one. No yellow brugs have bloomed yet. Not even sure where that one is now.



Along the back of the house, there are 4 Ecuador White. The smallest one has a couple of blooms. The photo came out blurry and I'm too lazy to take another.











In the perennial bed, the Heavenly Blue morning glory on the arbor is finally blooming. Still no blooms on the chimney trellis.



Today's high, 95. 30% chance of rain/storms this evening. Clear, sunny, and 72 this morning. Humidity is already climbing.

Look Ma, No blooms!

The morning glory on the trellis has reached the top. It still hasn't bloomed.



An orange brug (I hope it's orange) is loaded and will probably bloom with the full moon coming in a couple weeks.



The variegated lantana finally has a single bloom. You would think after 2 months of hot, dry conditions it would be covered with flowers. Not so in my yard.



Carrie's Rudbeckia triloba is finally starting to crack. This is one I'm very interested in collecting seeds from.



The "orange" rose is blooming again. Still pink.



It's 70 degrees, cloudy, and a little muggy. Rain is in the forecast for this evening and overnight. More rain on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Feels like fall

The calendar says it's July 19. The thermometer thinks it's October. It's 61 degrees. Overnight, we dipped into the middle upper 50s. I woke up this morning with all the covers drawn tight against my chin. The cat was curled up against my legs.

Outside, the four o'clocks are still open, seemingly unaware that it's morning. Their scent is faint, but lingering. A single datura bloom nearby adds to the mix. Still damp from the rain Friday night, the soil has a fresh clean scent too.



The morning glories near the gully are taking advantage of the cooler temperatures too.



It's Sunday.



83 for the high today. Humidity is at 69% and will be falling all day. By 4pm, we should be in the lower 40% range. Yes, in July. In North Carolina.

Refreshing

We finally got some rain. Between early Thursday morning and late last night, we probably got 1/2" or more. It's not much, but everything feels refreshed. Even normally rude customers were nicer at the store. Hopefully this will end our dry spell. More rain is in the forecast for this weekend.

When I got home from work last night, I did what I always do. I went into my bedroom and grabbed some clothes for a shower. The scent hit me as soon as I walked through the door. I could smell they were blooming. They're not exactly the white I had envisioned, but they'll do.





A few datura blooms are still visible this morning.



Okra in the potager.



The mandevilla I grew from a cutting this winter is blooming. It's late.



The morning glory on the chimney is really taking off.



I'm off today. No real plans. It's cloudy and cool at 66 degrees. That's good napping weather.