It's A Garden Party - Still Getting Ready For Winter

This feature, originally known as Saturday Farmer's Market, was created by Heather at Capricious Reader, and then hosted by Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

Gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up

until your back gets used to it.

                                                                                                                    ~ Author Unknown.

This quote is usually the first one that comes to my mind each spring. However, this fall has seen more crises and necessary grunt work than most springs.

This is the awful mess I've made of my front garden. I told you about it last week.

The displaced Lavender plants look gangly and misshapen, the yard, ugly in its weed cloth shroud.

I'm sure my neighbors are beside themselves with joy.

If you can imagine the entire yard between plants covered in pea gravel and the plants lushly filled in and blooming . . .

This pinwheel used to be a beautiful and fruitful Pomegranate tree.

It was the first of our fruit trees to give fruit, and the jam I made from it was incredible.

Shall we have a moment of silence . . .

This is the larger of my two Plum trees. You can't see the damage in this picture, but it is in severe stress.

The neighbor's sprinkler system is still leaking and the soil around my trees pegs my moisture meter.

I informed the neighbors, and they informed their landlord. I informed the folks in charge of water issues and they said that they would take care of it.

It's beginning to look like I might lose all my trees before this is dealt with.


On the bright side, to the left is the Bougainvillea that I was sure hadn't survived the winter frost. It was a brown stick until summer was well under way, but it caught up nicely.

Next to it is a flowering Grass that I planted last spring. It, too, has been growing enthusiastically.

Past the cooler you can see the Banana plants. If we don't have bad frosts, I might have actual bananas.

Here's another view of the Banana plants. If nothing else they are good shade and insulation.

If you look closely you can see our babies behind the gate.

On the right is Petunia, our four year old Boxer. And on the left is the newest member of the family, a rescue from the high kill shelter in our area.

He is a Chocolate Sheprador named Rocket! And the '!' is an important part of his name.





Pieces of the Black Walnut tree that we had to take out about ten years ago have helped to warm and ground the garden. This is a small bench & spot for my tea cup, backed by the Florabundas.

Here are a couple more views of the Roses.

 

This is the bench as seen from the back side.

Floribundas & Grandifloras

Grandifloras & Floribundas

To Autumn
- William Blake

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stain’d
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof; there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,
And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

“The narrow bud opens her beauties to
The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins;
Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and
Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve,
Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing,
And feather’d clouds strew flowers round her head.

“The spirits of the air live in the smells
Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round
The gardens, or sits singing in the trees.”
Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat,
Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak
Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load.