Little surprises.

Every day, there's something new in the garden. If you were here, I'd spend an hour talking about the plants in the perennial bed. Another hour could be spent touring the backyard. The sweet tea would be cold and dark, just like Nell's. Mine probably has a little more sugar than hers.

The first tomatoes. These are Roma. Wintersown in early March.



A red blooming Four O'clock. I remember, years ago, when a power/light pole stood in the backyard just about where Mr. Lincoln lives now. I sowed these seeds and two tiny plants grew and struggled to bloom in the hard compacted clay beneath the pole. When the pole came out, the four o'clocks remained.



These yellow dayliles were offered in exchange for something I rooted or divided last summer. She didn't know for sure what they would be, but she was willing to part with them.



The same lady gave me this one.



Hilda brought me a clump of upright pointing elephant ears last year. They have curvy edges and can grow into huge clumps. At the Bojangle's restaurant here in town, they've got some in full sun that grow to more than 6' tall every summer. Mine were about half that last year.



The black stemmed elephant ear I planted in late winter has finally made an appearance. The black leafed ones rotted. They were soft when I planted them. I didn't expect to see them.



A brown/orange rudbeckia is blooming. These usually show up in the fall. Maybe this is one that overwintered. On a business trip in 2008, I stopped by a roadside plant stand in Delaware. I brought back a single plant called Autumn Colors. From those seeds, I've increased the varieties of blooms in the garden, with a little help from the bees.



Asters, purchased for 15 cents last fall, are blooming already. I spotted a white one this morning. This is the hot pink one. It's taller and less meatballish than the plants I purchased on clearance. I figured as much. I could cut these back I guess, but I won't. I have plenty that will be blooming in the fall.



Spirea, wintersown in 2008/9. I'll probably need to move this plant next spring. It should be in the shrub border. For some reason, I thought it was caryopteris. Obviously, it's a true spirea. It's nearly 3' tall.



Helenium is blooming too. I think this was labeled "Helen's Gold", but I could be misremembering.



Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia has made me rethink all the nasty comments I made about it to others last year. It was the color of dried blood. I wasn't impressed. Year two is much more Cherry. It can stay.



Second generation seeds were collected from Cherry Brandy last fall. They're blooming now. I think I'll keep them as well.





It's 72 degrees. I've finally decided to call a repairman for the HVAC system. It needs freon. I can't do that myself. I have a feeling, this is going to be expensive. When it's 94 degrees on Saturday, I'll be glad I spent the money. So will the cat.

Three inches of rain

That's what some reports are saying fell during the wee hours of the morning. I don't know for sure, but the yard looks pretty beat up. The basement water feature is larger. I need to pick up a box fan today. I'll be pushing water towards the drain in the floor all morning.

In the garden, plants have flopped all over the place.





The tomatoes should have been staked a week ago. I'll be doing that as soon as the ground dries out enough to hold a stake. Each plant will be tied to a stake. It's too late to try any other method. I just hope I don't break them. I need to prune suckers too.



The gully refilled last night. From the looks of it, it overflowed.



The pussywillow cuttings I stuck into the moist soil this spring seem to enjoy the extra moisture.



Same with the cannas.



And the elephant ears are finally coming up.



Some rudbeckia made it without flopping.



Including a new brown/orange variety.



And I have squash blooms. There's one on just about all the plants. The sun is trying to poke through the clouds now, so hopefully the bees will come out to play.



It's 72 degrees. 80% chance of rain this afternoon with more thunderstorms likely. I guess there's no drought after all.

How I Spent My Fall Vacation.

Carla came over this morning. She dug some holes. I helped when I could. We planted...

Double pink rose of sharon. The Magnolia will be moved this fall once the dead oak tree is cut up. There's a house I can see from my bedroom window, with a security light.



Lord Baltimore hardy hibiscus.



Cherry Brandy hardy hibiscus. This of the same name as the rudbeckia actually has red blooms and nice purple foliage in full sun.



Hilda's upright elephant ears. I'm getting confused as to the botanical name.



A trio of Salvia greggi, Furman's Red.



I gave her my mandevilla in the hanging basket. She gave me a gallon sized ziplock full of ripe figs from her yard. She borrowed the truck. I watered everything in. I set up the sprinkler in some areas. I hand watered other items. In the meantime, I had removed the tomatoes and planted two kinds of cabbage, Stonehead and bok choy.



After Carla came back with the truck, I set out 15 heucheras purchased for $0.25 a piece. Clearance racks are evil. I have 5 more, already have a plan for them, just couldn't get it done today.



The leg is screaming at me. Walking up and down the slopes of the backyard, bending over, moving things, etc have taken their toll on me. I plan to spend the rest of the afternoon sorting seeds from chaff or napping. I think we know which one I will choose. I strained and rinsed the tomato seeds this morning. They've been spread out to dry on the windowsill.

The pile at the end of the driveway is smaller than before. We also planted out the final Confederate rose and I put 4 4-inch mums in the hanging basket by the front door. I didn't actually get the basket to the front porch, so it's hanging on the hook the mandevilla used all summer.



This morning, while having my second cup of coffee, I took this picture. The "orange" rose really likes this location. The cosmos were sown sometime in July. I really shouldn't have done that.



When everything was done, I set the whirligig sprinkler in the cabbage patch. I sat down in my chair across the way and watched. Hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, all sorts of flying critters swooped in and out to catch a bit of moisture. Someone nearby was using a weedeater. C-130s from the Air Force base circled the town sometimes passing over the house. Bird hopped from limb to limb. I saw a hummingbird take a sip from the Red Texas Star on the right, just to the left of the Rose of Sharon.

Click to embiggen.

It's 77 degrees, sunny, and nice. 63 was the overnight low.

Fall is coming.

Last year I had one pineapple sage plant. I took cuttings and rooted them throughout the winter. By spring, I had 15. Ten plants survived to be transplanted into the bed I made at the end of the driveway. They've bloomed sporadically all summer, but the real show is just starting. In a few more weeks, they'll be covered with red flowers that draw hummingbirds like moths to a flame.



I was planning to make this a post about Hilda. She's an older lady that works at the store with me. She brings me things from time to time. I've given her brug cuttings, rooted hibiscus plants, and several other odds and ends. This past week she brought me upright elephant ears. I don't know the name, but Wendy's has some in their drive-thru bed. At least that's what she told me. I don't eat at Wendy's that often. She also brought me two voodoo lily bulbs earlier in the year. They're doing fine in a small pot at the end of the driveway. She gave me the cuttings for my 10 hydrangea plants. Still doing well, they need to be planted soon.



I really miss my morning coffee in the yard. Think I'll take my second cup out to the front steps this morning.



It's 66 degrees and sunny. We got a little rain last night, but barely enough to measure in the rain gauge. At the store, it rain for about 15 minutes, a hard steady downpour. Two miles away here at the house, not even half that. More rain in the forecast Sunday through Tuesday. Hope it comes. High today should reach into the upper 80s. We'll start cooling off later in the week. I couldn't live at AmLo farms where they've been in the triple digits for weeks. Or in AZ with Daisy where it was 113 a couple days ago.

Overall, it's been a pleasant summer. Our highest temperature was 97. We've only had a week or two where we were in the upper 90s. If we had gotten a little more rain, I would have been happier. But I have no control over that.

Unrelated, I've given up on Kongmansia. The first cuttings I received last winter died from a spider mite infestation. The one I purchased in April has been treated several times and still has spider mites. The foliage is dying. New growth turns brown in a matter of days. I will not see blooms on this plant this year. If it bothers to come back from the root next spring, good on it. If not, oh well. I'm done trying to force things to grow in my yard that need that much attention and chemicals. Other brugs do well with little to no extra care.