cosmos

by

A Bit of This and Oh No, Not That

I’ve been catching up on garden chores involving autumn pruning, raking, and winterizing the garden furniture. When I covered the patio table and chairs, Tessa got very excited. She thinks I assembled a fort just for her.

The curb garden is awash in color, thanks to an early autumn planting just before we left for Italy. One oddity is a new crop of sunflower plants. I had hoped the squirrels would bury the seeds for a summer crop. I never dreamed that the sunflowers would produce a crop this time of year.

Cheerful pink cosmos continue to bloom and should last till the first frost. Lucky me! I thought they would’ve been spent by now. The tomato plant in the garden’s center is still producing, but the late-season produce lacks the sweet flavor of summer. Sweet peas have sent out lots of green shoots, and the freesia have multiplied once again. My first successfully grown zinnia is a day-brightener.

It’s nice to have the bees stop by the salvia and lavender. I cut sprigs of the scented herbs for the house. They do well in water and can be left to dry in place, equally fragrant and shapely.

I’ve added some seasonal color this year, planting red and white cyclamen along the garden near the sidewalk. Cyclamen were among my mum’s favorites.

I also have a few more to get in the ground in the back garden, including two richly colored pink varieties. I ran out of daylight, then it rained. We need every drop, so there are no complaints here. It’s cool enough now that the roots should remain moist until I get them into the ground. I need a bit of energy to complete this simple task and the willpower to stay away from the garden center for the balance of the year. It’s time for the garden and the gardener to rest.

I’m happy to have Mike home from his long business trip through South America. Unfortunately, he came home with COVID. We were both vaccinated last month, so he felt sure it was a bad cold. As he felt worse, he finally tested Sunday night. We’re sleeping in separate rooms now, wearing masks, etc. I remain healthy, and I dearly hope I stay this way.

We were due to host six for Thanksgiving this Thursday, so sadly, we’ve had to let that go. I have a case of the blues. Realizing that my oldest son would be home alone on Thursday hasn’t helped. I’ve decided to prepare a small meal of favorites for three, and two of us will eat outdoors while Mike joins from the house. The weather experts predict warm and dry, so it should be okay. My youngest son is celebrating with friends in Southern California, and my sister prefers staying put.


Holidays arrive loaded with memories and expectations that often fall short. Social media amplifies and distorts. I look forward to what Katrina Kenison calls “the gift of an ordinary day.”

by

A Garden Dressed in White

“The first of all single colors is white … We shall set down white for the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire; and black for total darkness.” — Leonardo Da Vinci

When I studied color theory, it surprised me to learn that white pigment is the absence of color whereas in light, white is the combination of all color. Scientifically speaking, white isn’t a color at all, but as ‘non-colors’ go it’s loaded with symbolism and meaning.

I also learned today that white or pale flowers are more strongly scented than their darker counterparts. Who knew!

Come join me for a walk through my mid-autumn garden. The ‘color’ of the day, isn’t a color at all.

flowering basil

Flowering basil

The rest of the vegetable garden went to sleep in October, but this pretty plant continues to thrive.

bacopa

Bacopa: This survived the summer heat and very little water

I gave this potted Bacopa very little water this summer. Now that it’s cooler and we’ve had a bit of rain, the plant revived.

camellia

Camellia along the back fence

This gorgeous, Camellia is one of my favorite splashes of white this time of year.

cosmos

A fading Cosmo, one of the lasts flowers in the curb garden

This Cosmo looks tired, but it is November. She’s been pumping out blooms for some time.

hydrangea

Hydrangea, grateful for some rain

Again, one of the last blooms on this plant.

sweet alyssum and begonia

Sweet Alyssum and Begonias on the patio

There are a few begonias in the back of this pot, but the summer belonged to my Sweet Alyssum. As it goes to sleep, a pretty white shower drifts below.

amemone

The last of the Anemone. They’ve been flowering since August

Saying Goodbye to King Tut

My sister’s beloved kitty died yesterday. He’s been a wonderful companion to her and will be sorely missed. He had the whitest coat, emerald-green eyes and the cutest little ears. He also had a sweet personality to match. Farewell KT.

KT Eating Kitty Greens

KT Eating Kitty Greens

Additional Reading:

Sensational Color: All about the color white.

Wikipedia: White

Color Matters: Basic Color Theory

by

Gardening, Labor and a Societal Ban on Wearing White

When I flipped my Old Farmer’s Almanac wall calendar to September, it greeted me with this quote:

Gardening is the only unquestionably useful job. – George Bernard Shaw

It certainly is a labor of love, at least for those of us that pursue gardening as a hobby and not a livelihood.  For those who truly labored long and hard before us, Labor Day is more significant.

We can thank Labor, also known as Unions, for the following:

1. Unions Gave Us The Weekend: By 1937, these labor actions created enough political momentum to pass the Fair Labor Standards Act, which helped create a federal framework for a shorter workweek that included room for leisure time. [reference, below]

Thank you for the time to putter in my garden and extra time to spend with my family, both the two-legged and four-legged ones.

tending the garden

Tending the garden

2. Unions Helped End Child Labor: “National Child Labor Committee” working together in the early 20th century to ban child labor. The very first American Federation of Labor (AFL) national convention passed “a resolution calling on states to ban children under 14 from all gainful employment” in 1881, and soon after states across the country adopted similar recommendations, leading up to the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act which regulated child labor on the federal level for the first time.

Thank you for helping me keep my children safe.  They have the freedom to tend school (please ignore the whining you hear from my open windows) and the freedom to be home with their family.  They’re learning life skills to prepare them for future work, without sacrificing healthy lungs, potential loss of limb and a shortened lifespan.

learning leadership

Learning about leadership (no child harmed in the taking of this picture)

3. Unions Won Widespread Employer-Based Health Coverage: “The rise of unions in the 1930′s and 1940′s led to the first great expansion of health care” for all Americans

We’re still working on this one, but with the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act, people like my sister with a chronic, pre-existing condition known as Multiple Sclerosis, can rest a bit easier.

DSC_0007-001.14. Unions Spearheaded The Fight For The Family And Medical Leave Act: Labor unions like the AFL-CIO federation led the fight for this 1993 law, which “requires state agencies and private employers with more than 50 employees to provide up to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave annually for workers to care for a newborn, newly adopted child, seriously ill family member or for the worker’s own illness.”

When I gave birth to my first child in 1997, I worked for an employer with fewer than 50 employees, so this benefit didn’t apply.  Still, it’s a big step forward.  I had to smile when I heard that Prince William will be the first to take advantage of a similar law in the UK. When my husband returned to work a mere two weeks after the birth of our first child, it was all I could do to keep from knocking him to the ground as he left home to spend 10 hours a day elsewhere.  I managed not to break the baby who is now 16 and taller than I am.

growing up

Growing up

On the sillier side of this important day, “In high society, Labor Day is (or was) considered the last day of the year when it is fashionable to wear white.”

With a pair of white felines and several pretty flowers still in bloom, we’ll be bending the ‘no white after labor day rule’ for some time.

mouse onthe sidewalk

Enjoying Labor Day

white flowers

Anemone Flowers

white cosmos

White Cosmos

References:

by

A Winning Combination

sunflower sideview

Sunflower

Earlier this year, I dug out a corner of the lawn and replaced it with a variety of flower seeds. The corner faces my kitchen window and sits at the curb, allowing maximum viewing enjoyment.

I started with assorted new and leftover seed packets, then added seeds saved from last summer.  Growing from seed is risky business around here, thanks to a healthy population of squirrels. If the seeds manage to stay under wraps long enough for germination, they face the next hurdle: noshing snails.  Those mollusks love tender shoots.  What’s a gardener to do?

Lacking a greenhouse of my own, I hit upon the idea of ‘tenting’ the corner with a cover I spotted in a garden catalog.  Boy, was I feeling smug.  I planted my seeds, then erected the barricade.  I staked the corners, then added rocks for safe measure.  I checked each day and sure enough the barricade remained sound.

Every other day, I unzipped the cover to water the seeds, then stood back, waiting for them to grow.  Nothing seemed to be sprouting.  I checked with our local nursery, and received sound advice: if the seeds don’t remain moist at the time of germination, they never be viable.  In the past I either started seeds indoors or sowed directly without benefit of a cover.  My attempt to thwart the squirrels ending up thwarting the germination as well.

I went back to the nursery and bought a few bedding plants instead, so I could get a jump-start on the garden.  I bought half a dozen sunflowers, some Alyssum and a couple of small bedding plants.  I added a bright pink Cosmo to the center of the triangle and called it a garden.

Then lo and behold, the seeds began to grow!  Just as the sunflowers were reaching their full height, lacy green foliage emerged below.  Soon blues and pinks joined the yellows.  Bachelor Buttons commingled with Cosmos.  Forget-me-nots were next on the scene producing a brilliant dark purple flower.  My garden corner is now what the garden centers like to call ‘a riot of color.’

Come join me for a walk on the bright side…

magenta cosmos

Bright Pink Cosmos (bedding plant)

golden sunflower

Yellow Sunflower (bedding plant)

bachelor button purple

Emerging Bachelor Button (from seed)

bachelor button blue bending

Bachelor Button (from seed)

bachelor button pink

Soft Pink Bachelor Button (from seed)

Forget-me-not

Forget-me-not (from seed)

garden triangle collage

by

Blooming Thursday: Seeds for the Holidays

 

 

cosmos going to seed

Cosmos going to seed

The idea came to me in late July. I started collecting Cosmo seeds to give as gifts for the holidays. This prolific annual grew in abundance throughout the summer.  It was such a pleasure watching the plant bloom and bloom.  I want to share that with others.

Cosmos are easy to grow and spectacular to behold.They grow in planters or directly in the ground, and thrive with little fuss. It’s a cheerful gift for the middle of winter: the promise of spring blooms.

I’ve been mulling over design ideas, and finally hit on the perfect one.  I created a five-panel accordion card using Creative Memories software. Starting with a basic design, I added photos to the front panels, leaving a placeholder on the last panel for the packet of seeds. I included planting instructions and additional photos on the reverse side of the panels.

Cosmos Seed Cards - Front Panel

Cosmos Seed Card – Front Panel

Cosmos Seed Cards - Back Panel

Cosmos Seed Card – Back Panel

I bought a packet of 50, 3.5 inch square glassine envelopes for the seeds.  The back panel is 4 inches square. They are the perfect.size.

I can’t wait to order the sample card to be sure all the details came together. In the meantime I’m making envelopes for the cards using last year’s garden calendar.  I’m having so much fun.

Are you giving gifts from the garden this year?

Resources:

My Beloved Cosmos:

 

by

Looking up at the Cosmos

 

Looking up at the cosmos this evening was a treat. I fell in love this summer with these magnificent flowers.  Like any new love, I’ve enjoyed the novelty and discovery of uncharted territory.

Writing about cosmos for this blog and snapping dozens of photos along the way has enriched my garden experience. I’ve captured small changes I might have otherwise missed in pictures and prose.  Such simple pleasures.

All week I’ve wanted to gather a few seeds, but the heat has been oppressive. This evening, after an hour of tending to the less glamorous garden chores, I sat cross-legged in front of the cosmos and took a moment to enjoy the view.  Then, using a soft toothbrush, I swept up the seeds gathering on the pumpkin leaves below.  I’ll package some of the seeds for holiday gifts and the rest will be carefully stored in my Seed Keeper for next year.  I’ve spotted several black and white songbirds lately, so I’ve left plenty of seeds behind for them too.

Seeds safely stowed, I rolled on my back and took a few photos from the ground looking up.  For a moment in time I was a girl again, lying barefoot on the grass, eyes skyward.  Time for a bit of daydreaming until reality intrudes.

Cosmos looking up

Cosmos Looking Up

Cosmo seeds

Cosmo Seeds

Cosmo seeds

Cosmo seeds at the Beach

Related articles

 

by

Stairway to Heaven: The Ants Go Marching One by One

Ants love sugar.  They’re also incredibly resourceful.  The mystery, however, is how they knew that a single Cosmo grew to just the right height this week, allowing them direct access to the heavenly meal above, out of reach just the day before.

hummingbird feeder and Cosmo

Cosmo Meets Hummingbird Feeder

My husband fills the hummingbird feeders every few days, while I tend to the flowers below.  The planter has assorted annuals, each just a few inches tall.  The hummingbird feeder hangs a reasonable distance overhead.  A self-seeded Cosmo popped up a few weeks ago, and quickly grew parallel to the feeder.  Within a day, the ants marched up the side of the flower-pot, on to the leaves, up the stem and across the bottom of the feeder.  Victory!  Well…if you’re an ant.

Ants climb the Cosmo

Cosmo Stem: Bridge to Sugary Heaven

What else could I do but grab the camera and start taking pictures?

Have you ever tried photographing moving ants?  It’s not easy.  My patience, however paid off.  As I stood to the side of the feeder, trying to get a good shot of the single Cosmo, I heard the hummers chit-chatting nearby.  Pressing myself against the side of the house I stood stock still, camera poised.  My shutter finger at the ready, a ruby-throated beauty came into view.  What a joyful few seconds as I clicked away, sparkling red feathers catching the sunlight as the hummer sipped a meal.

Hummingbird at Feeder

Hummingbird at Feeder

Perhaps I should extend an olive branch to those opportunistic ants.  Without them, I would have missed the beautiful show.

You can see all twelve hummingbird photos, by clicking on my Animoto Video Slide Show.

by

Floral Friday

Photographer Tamara Pruessner curates a feature on Google+ called Floral Friday. Fellow photographers and nature lovers post individual photos with the tag #FloralFriday, and as each one posts, they appear in a running thread. I’m amazed at the flow of creativity.

I’m not a professional photographer, but I do enjoy snapping pics in my garden, so I’ve joined in a time or two.

Cosmos

Cosmos

Bee in the Catnip

Bee Pollinating Catnip

If you have a Google + account, be sure to check it out. I think you’ll enjoy the sense of community, the beautiful flowers, and the effort to bring something positive in to this sometimes-dark and confusing world.

by

Blooming Thursday: Blushing Pinks

Growing up a redhead my mom never let me wear pink.  A ginger herself, she advised that pink was not our color.  She was right of course, but when you’re told not to wear something, you can think of nothing else.  Am I right?

Pink is definitely one of those colors that can easily be overdone, but not in the garden.  This has been my summer of pink.  The volunteer cosmos continue to splash color across the pumpkin patch.  The pink potted Hydrangea doubled in size and bloom production.  I added a few pink Vinca to one of the patio planters and rounded things out with a polka dot plant (Hypoestes phyllostachya), grown for its beautiful pink and green leaves.

Power to the Pink!

Pink Hydrangea with a Drop of Morning Dew

Pink Hydrangea with a Drop of Morning Dew

Kitty shows off his cute little pink ears

Kitty shows off his cute little pink ears

pink flowers

After my “week of bugs” this flower is starting to look just like one.

Pink Cosmos

Strong winds this week have the Cosmos  leaning sideways

What’s blooming in your world this Thursday?

by

Blooming Thursday: Dwarfed by the Cosmos

I’d like to give a shout-out to the bird, or perhaps it was the wind, for planting the cosmos.  These pink and yellow beauties are my new garden darling, the flower I didn’t know I loved.  They were part of a mixed flower seed packet from last season.  We had several flowers bloom over many months, but nothing as spectacular as this.  Around the corner from their original home, a leafy green plant emerged.  I let it grow along with the pumpkins and now this flowering lovely is taller than I am.  I’m 5’10” so that is saying a lot.

Here’s a little photo journal of life among the cosmos:

Dwarfed by the Cosmos

Sisters

Ruffles

Seeds!

The flower cycle