Weeds

I've been lazy about weeding the garden lately, mostly because a lot of the weeds flower and the butterflies have been having a ball on them.  Today, however, I pulled many away from the "tree" that houses Elizabeth and Anne  (begonia) and Joni (mini yellow rose) because I moved Joni to a higher level, I think she needs the sun more.  She's still blooming, such a pretty little thing.

I lit my first autumnal fire, that was neat, although it wasn't dark.  I just couldn't wait.  More to come!  It's still very warm here so standing close to a fire isn't pleasant other than the view and the scent.

I'm looking at my datura and wondering if they are going to bloom for me next year.  They have been growing many months now with only leaves, and something is eating them.  I've used insecticide on it but still something is eating it.  We'll see when next spring gets here.  I have some repotting to do next week, one of my plants is getting too big for her pot.  Problem is I have a right depth pot but not right width. We'll see, there must be something round here that can be repurposed.

2012 Fall Survivors

Fall Harvest

The jalapenos are merrily nubbing so are the banana peppers.  Joni is blooming still, though she has ants, not sure what to do about them.  Blackcurrant swirl datura still alive but droopy due to overwater from the rain, everything else doing well.  I have a variegated ivy that is trailing I badly need to fix the trails into pots and begin plants anew with them, they are about 4' long, three trails of them.  I need soil though and pots.  My  Nephthytis   is rootbound I have a pot to put it in just not up to it right now.  I don't want to expend my energy on the garden today when the kitchen is so close to done.  I am though going to get my camera and take it out for pictures.  So on that more later, I'll post em.

Serious Renovations

I'm getting ready to seriously renovate the garden area.  I want a serene, lush, flowered place to go and read, listen to music, or just sit and drink in the air.  Shaded, of course.  I love my garden area but it's time to make it more usable, more attractive, more peaceful . . . more ME!  So I'll get started on that when the weather cools, that way when spring comes all I need is plants!  I have such wonderful ideas but must get organized and plan!  So off I go to get inspired!

Still Kickin'

Just went out to water the garden.  It's rained today, but not heavily and I can't trust that it will.  There are a couple of banana peppers that have gone red, but I've not harvested them yet, one more is green and the jalapeno has buds so there will be more jalapeno before frost.  That's good I have plans for the jalapeno.  The banana pepper as well if I can get the ingredients before they are too ripe.  Several plants I've given names to are thriving:

Mina, my confederate rose
Lucy, my duranta
Joni, my yellow mini rose
Belinda, my bletilla orchid
Emily, my bottlebrush.

I need to tend Emily this fall, perhaps when she sheds her leaves for winter.  I need to mulch her surviving part, and I need to cut off her dead branches so she may branch out anew in the spring.

Neville, my Norfolk pine has fallen again, I need to get more soil onto him but you know what?  I'm going to dig up some dark earth and scratchings and put him in that.  Perhaps the weight will keep him from toppling so badly!

Over all, this summer has been less cruel.  I've not lost a single plant!  Penny, my prayer plant, isn't doing well but isn't dead, I need to see what to do for her.  Chloe, my closet plant, is faring well.  I feel Emily will have a brother soon to come.  His name will be Arthur and he will protect his sister loyally!  I must figure out now what to do with my little plant family when frost comes.  I'll not lose another garden to the cold clutches of winter I simply won't!  But I'll figure something out, I know there is a solution!

Rain Didn't Help

Went out to check on the garden, glad I did.  The rain we got didn't help much.  Had a pepper plant half dead, Lucy was drooping, everything else looked ok.  My damned jalapeno is blooming, can you believe that??? I'll have jalapenos by October!  That's good because I have a use for them :)  Some other peppers are reddening as well, banana peppers.  But I got everything watered and life is good.  I'll snap some piccys tomorrow sometime, I have things to do first.