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Monday 17 August 2009

Snail's Pace to Autumn

I have been moving very much at a snail's pace lately .. illnesses have gotten the better of me.
I know other bloggers deal with similar conditions. Perhaps it is the summer heat and that passion to be in the garden that can bring us down so badly physically ..
How ironic is that ? .. I find such peace and satisfaction from my garden yet the physical work can torture my body .. yet I still drive it into the ground trying to do the work I see that needs doing .. yes, husband is wonderful for help .. but we all know "we" need to settle our garden issues ourselves ? ;-) .. it is rather funny in a way .. you have to see the humour, don't you ?
Again .. the variety of sweet potato vines and Diamond Frost Euphorbia are stoic in the state of neglect it falls into with me .. guilt pangs abound naturally, but I am so grateful they can come back from the brink of "Oh S*** !!!" I forgot to water you guys again ???? LOL
I find this bottom picture peaceful .. I'm not sure what it is that makes it so .. but it is : )
The Stag Horn Sumac, aka "pampered sumac" love of my life .. his horns are getting more beautiful each day. Soon the leaves will begin that fantastic colour transition which still amazes me every year, just like the first time I had ever seen them : )
The moon in the morning .... these two pictures are a few days apart .. can you see the difference ?
One has begun to tilt slightly on its side .. maybe it is tired ? needs a nap ?
Maybe it is me with the camera ? GOOD GRIEF !!
Just that red glow morning ... I am grateful for a reasonable horizon.
BUT ... I am waiting for those fantastic red sky mornings of Autumn and winter .. there .. I have said it out loud ... AUTUMN and WINTER .. I can hear hissing and spitting over the winter part?
Progress on the shared space ... Sweet Autumn clematis is trying her best, along with Henrii , Niobe and ornamental kiwi vine .. to green up the arbor gate .. the experimental plantings of Halcyon hosta roots from Costco .. the ostrich fern .. and a few odds and ends ... seem to be holding their own.
I still owe Martha from "Water Roots" a load of day lilies .. Martha, I swear they are yours .. I just need a little more time to recuperate .. guilt guilt ..LOL !!
Lastly .. my Autumn Toad Lily .. of which cultivar I have to search for the tag yet again .. but it is so TALL !! .. something over three feet I think .. I am waiting for the orchid like flowers to amaze me again .. and instigate my childish excitement of October coming soon .. I'm such a BIG KID !

I have to check Home Sense for Halloween things that might have come in .. we ( Martha, and Linda "Crafty Gardener") should really do that, and lunch, and gab away about our gardens !: )

18 comments:

F Cameron said...

Sorry that you've been dragged down by illnesses. Your garden photos are lovely and all looks well-tended, healthy and loved.

Take care,
Cameron

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Hiya Joy! Count me in for the lunch, Home Sense & gabbing about our gardens date. I've been at battle with my garden and I have war stories...LOL...

This heat wave has been a real pain in the butt. I cannot stand when it gets this hot and humid. I want to run around screaming in frustration!

I'm sorry it's been so tough with you; I hope you are feeling better soon!

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Joy, you are very interesting. I wonder about you and the Sumac....do you have a post from early days about your love of this plant? Here in the south I see them growing along the roadside and think, am I missing something? Perhaps I need to spend a little time reading back through your blog-- a let's get acquainted time. The euphorbia and the sweet potato vine look nice paired together.

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

I was just thinking that I had not read one of your posts in forever. I think my feeds maybe a little screwy. Love the sumac.

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

I have been messed up for the last three weeks with my back. It is better just not 100% So i do understand. I am also ready for some Fall weather!!!! Winter, um not yet!! I am back to work so not much time to play on the computer!!!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Cameron girl ! Thank you so much : ) I think we can be over critical of our work in the garden .. other people have a more logical outlook than our guilt-pang ones ? LOL

Martha Martha Martha Thank YOU : ) .. you are a warrior girl ! : ) I should have had you with me when I started this garden (it would have gone a lot faster ? LOL)
YES !! this heat makes things so much more difficult .. dragging the body around truly can be torture .. but cooler weather will spark us up again for that last push right ? ;-)
YES !! Home Sense and a gab-fest lunch are very much in order : )

Janet girl .. I am so looking forward to having the time to go through your blog and so many other garden blogs too ! .. that is what winter gifts us with .. the time to read and it is wonderful : ) I will have to try and retrieve a picture of my "baby" sumac when it was a "shrub" size .. this is not a common thing to see one trained the way I have .. but the draw back is little sumacs try to pop up every where .. so a lot of gardeners don't want that battle on their hands .. and I can't blame them .. but this one seduced me so I work hard to keep little sumacs at bay ? LOL

Hello Debbie girl ! Thank you !
I think Blotanical is getting so large and there is so much traffic on it that we all get a little screwed up trying to read our list of blogs let alone new blogs .. it can be a little overwhelming .. so no worries girl !

Oh Cindee .. I'm sorry to hear that .. back problems are so painful .. I have a few screws with a fusion in the lower discs .. I can sympathize with how you feel. OK .. for now I'll just concentrate on Autumn ? LOL
Hey .. your decorations last year were GREAT for Halloween ;-)

tina said...

I am with you Joy. My body aches and I am a bit in the doldrums too. Your post made me melancholy for fall too. Won't be long.

Gail said...

Dear Joy, I am so sorry to hear that you were ailing! You know I understand and send big (((hugs))) your way. Now I must get a staghorn sumac...to keep TES company. I hope she fairs well this winter and proves to be the sumac I will continue to love. Your garden always look wonderful to me...groomed, healthy, happy plants! I've noticed that we are beginning to have better sunsets. The big puffy clouds that tease us with the possibility of rain look wonderful all pink and golden as the sun sets....when you're out and about without your camera...other wise it's the same old same old sunset;) gail

Randy said...

Joy feel better soon. It's easy to wear yourself down in the garden. As much as I HATE_HATE_HATE winter, I guess we need the time to rest.--

Weeping Sore said...

Sorry you've been ill. It particularly sucks to be unable to care for your beloved garden when it needs you. This is the time for the garden to care for you.
Your staghorn sumac reminds me of my youth back east - I never see that here in the Southwest. That's always one of the best parts of visiting other garden blogs.

donna said...

Oh, Joy....wish you were feeling better. Your garden looks absolutely gorgeous and green and colorful and healthy. I'm a big fan of Diamond Frost, especially this time of year. It seems to thrive on neglect. Wishing you good health.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi there Tina girl .. I think we are ready for Autumn aren't we ? My Spring went way too fast and was way too busy .. then this heat wave wrapping up August is enough ! Bring on Fall !! .. Sorry about your aches .. they come quicker and harder for us each year .. big thumbs down on that one too ! : )

Gail .. you are so sweet, thank you ! .. I'm hoping things will improve soon .. fingers crossed : )
Stag Horn is what you would see in colonies along side the road .. mine is always trying to sprout extra "kids' every where it can try and sneak some in .. in the garden ;-) I am curious about how TES will do during our winters too .. I hope to see much more height next year .. I have a few more red leaves but that could be the shock of this heat wave recently .. poor thing ? LOL
Yes ! to beautiful sunrise and sunsets !! and .. AUTUMN leaves : )

Thank you Randy : ) I appreciate the good wishes .. and yes ! we do need some down time .. although yours will be a lot less severe ? than ours .. I think that is why we are so CRAZY in Spring .. but it makes us interesting ?? LOL

WS : ) Thank YOU ! .. I'm glad you can enjoy my sumac too : )
I love the idea of a south west garden too though .. it would be my virtual garden ? LOL
But I have to say .. I always look forward to the wonderful colours of Autumn here .. I hope to get some really good shots of that coming up in the next few months.
You can pull up a deck chair and enjoy the pampered sumac any time !

Thank you so much Donna. I appreciate the good wishes girl !
I didn't think I would be as crazy as I am over Diamond Frost .. and especially just on its own in a terra cotta pot .. it is beautiful and it surely does thrive on neglect is right ! .. its a keeper : )

Anonymous said...

So you did hear me hissing over here about winter? Do not let me hear you wishing away my beloved summer! Did you not read my recent post called Summer Song? I want it to stay and stay! I know fall is your favorite, and I do like it. But it's just a teaser for the much-hated winter, so that means I don't exactly welcome fall either.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Ohhhhhhhhh ! Robin ;-)
AAhhhhhhhh ! You would have to live here for a while in the summer time to suffer from the high heat/humidity thing to really understand why I can't wait for Autumn .. I do wish winters were shorter though .. so you have me on that point girl ! haha
I think not having a proper Spring really snagged the whole seasonal affect thing.
I will convince you to enjoy Autumn yet girl ! wink wink

Linda said...

Hi Joy, just saw your message at Blotanical too, been slow catching up with comments etc. Got a nasty bite/sting on my right hand last Friday and it swelled up huge! Much better now. I'm also spending lots of time with my grandson, giving daughter some rest time. I've only been to HomeSense once, and my friend took me, not sure I even know the way there. It is vary rare for me to go to Kingston .. I'm not a big city girl. School starts Sept. 1, first time ever to start before Labour Day. Yikes, only one week left now! (after this week) Where does the time go?

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Linda .. don't worry about it girl ! .. That does sound nasty .. I heard soaking a bite in warm water and baking soda is supposed to help .. or even a small poultice of baking soda/water is good. You are a great grandma for helping your daughter out : ) I have no idea where the time flies either Linda .. phew !! LOL

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I hope you are feeling better soon. I enjoyed the photos of your flowers and flower beds. I always like seeing the yard as well as the close ups of blooms and critters.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Thank you Sue ! I'm trying to feel better .. I hate not being in the garden .. you know how far it can leap ahead of you when you can't do the upkeep thing ? .. it bowls you over with work ! But it is my love so I try ? LOL