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Monday 13 August 2018

Tall Tales & Naughty Ideas

Late summer has drifted in .. plants are exchanging "shifts" in the garden, and signals that Autumn will be threading it's way through, are more evident.
One sure sign for me is "Miscanthis Giganteus" .. it is a stunner.
I sometimes wonder though, "did I plant it in the right location ?" by the shed door?
It can be tricky navigating close to it with those sharp grass leaves .. so I do some selective trimming.
But  ... wow .... talk about a hide and seek type of plant to play with ?
A compact grass that is rather cute to mix and match with is pennisetum alopecuroides Piglet
It is trying to hold it's own here against a persistent Ostrich fern group.
Another grass .. I have a few, but love adding more ... is one I can't locate the name for, rats !
It is a wonderful contrast grass with tight seed like flower heads that wave in the breeze.
The prime subject here though is the TALL late blooming Japanese anemone.
The grass heads are almost like  bokeh in this shot .. I like the affect.
An anemone for late summer, Elfin Swan, is a gorgeous, smaller version, in bright white for shadier sections of the garden.
Lush dark green foliage covered in buds
Joe Pye is proud of it's height .. drawing in so many pollinators as it opens itself up to the world.
Speaking of opening up ... the last of my oriental lilies has finished but it was a nice bright surprise this year .. Venezuela, was a new one and I am not quite sure of it, but pretty all the same.
Another new plant is hydrangea macrophylla "Early Blue" and I have to say it is actually adapting to what ever element it needs (acidic) in the soil and turning blue, bit by bit.
I am not a fan of mopheads, this was an impulse buy .. but I have to say it is a blooming machine !
I have to mention my first, and oldest hydrangea (they seem to have such a long life span!)
Little Lamb has been with me since the beginning of this garden.
One more TALL .. and then the tale.
I have two very tall thalictrum .. this one I would call tiny bubbles but it is probably eleven feet tall almost dwarfing my eight foot fence ... hundreds of bubbles that become tiny flowers.
The Royal Purple Smoke Bush helps to support it thank heavens !
OK .. I started with "tall" and now for the naughty ..
Have you ever thought about getting a tatoo ? .. I know .. totally off topic, who knew ?
Garden PA and I decided we would like to try a small one each .. BUT ... just a semi permanent one to see how it would look .. bawk bawk .. yes we are a little chicken to fully commit .
This is a fun way of trying it out, from a site called "inkbox" .."for now, not forever" is their motto.
So .. which one do you think I am choosing ? LOL

10 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I think you are getting that cute little cat as a tattoo. ha... who would have ever thought it. No tats for me. My son has them. I just don't like the idea of hurting myself for any sort of beauty. You are brave to put that giant grass in your garden. It looks like corn to me. Corn can really cut you too. I like that white hydrangea. Do you trim it too?

Casa Mariposa said...

I don't have a tattoo but if I ever got one it would be a big pair of red lips right on my ass. I love every single thing in your garden! The shot with the grass and the anemone is killer. I have Piglet grass in my new garden, too. It's an emigre from my other garden. :o)

Carrie said...

Get the cat one done for real - go on be a rebel!! i doesn't hurt either so no excuses :)
Goodness grasses everywhere and each more is gorgeous and ethereal and oh goodness you ought to win awards for your garden. everything you plant, I love except lilies (allergic. our front garden is small so it's mainly big mop headed hydrangeas in a very dark pink with box balls around them. Simple, repetitive and easy to look after - there's a way to make almost anything work for you.
hugs xxx

Alistair said...

Tall and lanky is the Thalictrum, I love, it could it be (Hewitts double) Go on, get the full tattoo, it can always be placed, shall we say, discreetly!

Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening said...

I enjoyed your assortment of late summer blooms and fun ending to your post! Happy Gardening!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello Lisa girl : )
Yes isn't this a great big fat surprise that I would do this ? .. but then again this is just semi permanent .. but having it on right now .. looking at it .. I REALLY LIKE IT !
Yes .. the giant grass has been an odd thing for me .. a neighbor down the street has it in her front garden and I have coveted ever since we had moved here .. so a few years ago I just had to have it ..when it gets really tall it is like a sign that Fall isn't so far behind .. kind of a comfort plant to me ? I know .. I am strange ! haha
Yes .. as per my email .. I did a hard cut back on all my hydrangea last Fall (yes .. not the right time of year) but WOW ! they all came back and flowered better than they have in years!

Tammy girl I think that kind of tattoo would be PERFECT for you ! hahaha
Thank you so much about that shot .. this little Sony camera can capture things in a different way than my 2 DSLR .. I thought it was great too.
I think it is great to have those touches from your other garden .. there are happy memories from it that will make you smile : )

Hey there Carrie : ) Thank you ! ..
I have the little cat on my ankle and it is SWEET ! I am a REBEL!!!
I understand about the lily issue for you and I have my moments (especially with the lily beetle, that I wonder about having them myself !)
Yes .. simple repetition is a key to making things easier to look after .. I am a fan of that : )

Hello Alistair ... A friend and I have had back and forth "conversations" on the exact cultivar of the tallest of my thalictrum .. it is rochebrunianum .. it gets exactly the conditions it needs and is zone 4 tolerant , I am zone 5b .. so it has been coming back year after year .. it is amazing to see such a tall flowering , delicate leaved plant like this and it makes me smile big time : )
LOL .. yes tattoos can be "placed" discretely but then the tattoo artist has to see that discrete place to put it in ? LOL

Hello Lee .. thanks for dropping by .. glad you got a smile out of the post .. I just couldn't help myself ? LOL

Kathleen Paneitz said...

It's still looking gorgeous in your garden Joy! Late summer has set in here too. It's been so blasted hot this year, for the first time ever, I'm ready for Fall! I added two small grasses this spring that look a bit like yours but they're called 'Dwarf Hameln?' They are just now sending up those cute plumes. Amazing you still have a lily! It's beautiful & the color refreshing. I have been cleaning out my garage & not working in the garden. A gargantuan task but one that needed to be done! Also thinking of attending the 'Highland Games' the first part of Sept ~ but only if it's not too hot!!!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Helloooooo there Kathleen girl : )
Yes ! I have had Hamelin before and it is a pretty grass .. I can't remember what happened to them (probably me moving them way too many times ? LOL)
Those were my latest lilies and I am not sure I really like them .. I find I have favored the "rose lily" type I have in white because there is no scent/pollen so the lily beetles have ignored them .. they were quite bad this year .. yuck !
Isn't it crappy when our activities are dictated by that horrible heat ? .. i missed our antique fair because it was just too darn hot .. I hope you make it to the games Kathleen .. I know you will enjoy them !

Jason said...

I might have to give 'Elfin Swan' a try. And 'Venezuela' is also very opinion. As for tattoos, I have no opinion, though I am grateful that neither of my kids has one.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Jason ... I am also grateful my son doesn't have any tattoos, but by our being grateful that in itself is sort of an opinion .. yet some how I have become more of a rebel in my old age ? LOL .. these are temporary fun and I am enjoying it !
Yes Elfin Swan is a nice compact anemone ... I am not totally wowed ? by Venezuela though .. so not sure if it is staying in my garden.