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Wednesday 30 September 2009

The circle finally closes ?

Today was a cold and rainy day .. nothing like last year's Autumn .. I have very little hope of getting great foliage pictures with the trees .. most likely they will be blown off with the wind and rain and there goes the whole Autumn party for me ?
BUT .. by golly I got the "bulb circle" 95% done ... two problems .. the daffs didn't show up yet, meaning yet another circle to create ? and I just know the squirrel mafia are going to mess with my mind and start digging my babies up .. I threw some peanuts out as it was before I even put a bulb in !
Yet I do digress ? .. while husband is down stairs clicking FOREVER on the gas pilot light for the fireplace to turn on .. if you see a BIG puff of smoke with a bigger bang .. that is us .. TOAST .. and no marshmallows in sight ? what the heck ??
Nondescript white asters looking semi cute with little garden lamp ......
Mr. Smiley (cousin to Cindee's adopted Mr. Smiley living in California .. not remembering the cold Canuck house he originated from .. reminds me I have to bring Mista G in from the COLD)
Anywhoooo ... Toad lily .. ya gotta' love these tough as hobnailed boots guys .. and I have never seen a hob nailed boot mind you.
I have no idea why they are doing so well this year .. it is a complete surprise to me too !
Do I look a gift horse in the mouth ? NOPE !


Purple Dome asters .. funny little things that look like a different colour through the stages of them opening .. and no matter how much I pinch them back during the summer, they always seem TALL to me ;-)
A gratuitous shot of mums while sneaking PINKY in ? .. note to self .. don't adjust colour values of pictures in afternoon sun in kitchen ? I think I made a mess of it all, but will bravely soldier on here with misbegotten post !
I love how the "shared space" is shaping up .. I would love to have a maze of tall ornamental grasses but there is only so much room to maneuver .. it isn't tamper proof though .. I'm bound to get at it and overcrowd something yet again ?
I call this "Black on Black" ... they are the blackest cone flowers of all that I have .. I think they are SO COOL !! being of a "Halloween" frame of mind .. of what is left of my mind that is.
I have to mention the smell of dill seed in this area was heaven : )
Note to self "self .. make sure to have LOADS of dill in garden next year !"
Next is what I call "Green on Green" .. OK .. just go with the flow here people .. but it is kind of nice isn't it .. different textures .. variations of green .. Walker's Low nepeta forms a wonderful tight ball for the second time this season .. hum ? could be the third time actually !
Last but never least is my BEAUTIFUL Sunrise Morden rose ..
I hacked it back many times this summer due to aphids and other problems .. and she smiles at me in her final blooms this season ...

Now how gorgeous is she ? !!! Hey Debbie M. this buds for you girl : )

23 comments:

Plowing Through Life (Martha) said...

Joy, your pictures are beautiful! Even in this miserable weather you manage to pull off some nice garden photos!

And it's so funny, because I also got my bulbs in the ground this afternoon (between rainy periods)! I didn't want to wait another day. I was so worried that the temperature would dive to below zero before I got a chance to plant them. While I was out there planting them, I wished I'd bought more! It was so nice working with the soil. I'm going to really miss it...our winters are so damn long!

I think your spring flower circle is going to look beautiful next year. And yes, squirrels can be a pain in the butt! Is there some way you can keep them away from the bulbs? Can you cover that area with something? Maybe some type of screening?

CiNdEe's GaRdEn said...

Wow Autumn has arrived there for sure! It looks fabulous!!! I love your asters! Mine are not looking so good and the mums are not blooming yet. Last year I planted a lot of them and not all survived but at least the ones that survived have buds! Soon it will be Fall here maybe? Its been cooler the last couple of days!!!!
Mr. Smiley is really tired of the heat here.

Gail said...

I feel the pressure to accomplish tasks! What happened to September! Joy, I hope the cold winds stop blowing and you have a good leaf show this fall....I hope we all do! I have a native aster that when I stand it up, it loves to lean over, is taller then me! Your M Sunrise rose is beautiful. gail

Yvonne @ Country Gardener said...

Nice work. Your garden looks pretty smashing for this time of year. No bulb-planting for us. Too many chipmunks, but thankfully we have lots of daffs in the ground that they won't touch.

Cat said...

I love your black flowers!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Martha girl ! Isn't that a hoot we both did bulbs yesterday ? haha
Thank you : ) .. I was laughing to myself because of the rain sprinkles and me praying the real rain would not happen until I was finished? phew!
Try not to worry about the winter .. I find the more I think about it .. well it seems worse than it really is .. by February I will be climbing the cabin walls I'm sure ;-)
I'm going to sprinkle the area with "Montreal Steak Spice" .. it works better than a product called Critter Ridder and is cheaper ! haha

Cindee girl I am so glad for you that it is getting cooler : )
I think Mista G thinks this is our winter now ? hahaha
I have a feeling our Autumn this year is going to suck big time .. you can get a drift of the weather by now and it is not looking good ;(

My goodness Gail ! Congratulations on 3 awards girl! Quite a change from last year when you didn't want to be stuck into this award thing ? LOL
I totally agree with "what the heck happened to September ??" Today is the 1st of October and I'm in total DUH ? mode ;-)
Your aster most be amazing, those natives will stand up for themselves ? LOL

Thank you so much Yvonne !
Your garden is my dream garden girl .. I would love to see it in person some day .. but in the mean time the pictures you show are just stunning and I love seeing them : ) I'm a little worried about the squirrel mafia here .. but I have a little collection of daffs coming so I have to dig another hole ! LOL

Cat ! ... know how did I just KNOW you would love those black cone flowers ?? LOL

Helen said...

Joy,
Your garden looks incredible. Those hydrangeas truly are showstoppers for fall, eh? For "making a mess of it" drop by my blog later today and you'll see what mess really looks like.

Well done on the Blotanicals, girl!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Helen girl .. thank you ! I don't think October is going to be a good month for leaves and pictures this year .. rain and wind are really dominating .. yuck !!
I'm coming over to see that mess girl ! LOL

our friend Ben said...

I love your little white aster, Joy! And the shared space looks amazing. Fantastic job!!! Can't wait to see the bulb circle come spring. And gotta love the black coneflowers---just in time for you-know-what...

Rose said...

Now where did you find that black coneflower, Joy?:) LOL, I think you are definitely getting into the Halloween spirit. The shared space is really looking good, and I'm amazed at all those blooms in your front garden as you round the corner. Oh dear, if I look at "Pinky" one more time, I'm going to have to get dressed--after coffee, of course-- and just head to the garden center to buy one! Did I mention that last year I tried to find one about this time of the year, but they were all out? Do you know what it sounds like for a grown woman to go up to different sales assistants and ask, "Do you have Pinky-Winky?" :)

Barry said...

Joy:
Glad to hear you got the circle done ... well excepting the daffs that is. I planted a few Galanthus, a few more Nectaroscordum (squirrels that all Allium relations I hope!)a cool variegated Cammasia and some blue Anemone.... will have to wait and see what pops up next Spring.

I am still amazed everytime I see photos of your 'shared space'..... my God girl, you are nowhere near overplanting....... that space is roughly the size of my Shaded Walk in a nutshell! When you sit 130 plants, then we can talk about overplanting.... overcrowding..... over extending..... ok, you get my drift!

Nancy Bond said...

Joyful, those black coneflowers are stunning! You must be so excited now that October is here, though I'm sure I don't know where September went! Love the Halloweeny colours on your template, too. HAPPY OCTOBER! Your plants look wonderful; hoping you get some fall colour, too. Not much here, yet. - Nancy @ Soliloquy (blogger is gagging on open ID today...)

Ellie Mae's Cottage said...

Love the asters! Hopefully the weather will get better... it's still early. The flower circle is going to look awesome next spring. I can't wait to see it! -Jackie

Anonymous said...

Beautiful flowers and images. I just felt this sense of peace and calmness as I viewed them.

Giddy said...

We're headed up north tomorrow where the trees are supposed to be 50-70% at peak color. Hopefully, I'll get a few good photos before the yucky weather sets in and ruins Mother Nature's spectacular show.

Barbee' said...

Joy, everything is still pretty at your place. I like the same on same with textures and patterns showing. I once read that planting allium bulbs around and among the tulips might prevent squirrels digging in. I don't know if it really works; guess it depends on how smart your squirrels are.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

"ben' .. I can't wait to see what is going to happen with the bulb circle either .. between me crowding everyone in and the squirrel mafia .. it will all be rather eye popping ? LOL
YES !! Black cone flowers for my favorite time of year BIG *SMILE*

Rose girl .. I will always picture? hear? that now in my head every time I look at "Pinky" .. you asking in tones of panic ? confusion? desperation and all sorts of people LOOKING at YOU ? LOL .. it is all too funny and we really should get down to the bottom of WHO called this hydrangea THAT name ?? hahaha

Puppy .. we will both be waiting to see how these plantings turn out come Spring .. could be dicey ? ;-)
Hey .. my mind is leaping forward to when all those Halcyon hosta and ostrich plume ferns MATURE and crowd in that space .. I leave the truly crowded nature to you oh master of the "Shaded Walk" backward bowing out now !! hehehe

Nancy .. this first day of October is cold and cloudy .. more rain coming but husband said more likely snow with how cold it seems.
I'm afraid the hopes of capturing some great fall colours will be dashed with what weather we see now .. jeez ! I don't know where September went even when I was wishing for October all the time ? How the heck do these things happen ?

Hi Jackie : ) thanks for dropping by ! .. girl I will be in complete shock if my bulb circle does what I hope it will .. I try to under estimate what will happen so I don't fall into the pit of disappointment too hard ? LOL

Meredith, thank you : ) that is so sweet .. I can use that calmness myself most days : )

Sandy I have my fingers crossed you can get some spectacular pictures ! .. there may be a break in our weather on Saturday but I don't want to bank on it .. I may have to recycle last year's pictures this year if this keeps up !!

Barbee girl thank you ! I am hoping that all the allium I have planted will keep the squirrel mafia away .. plus the Montreal Steak spice I used to sprinkle on top of the dirt .. unless the squirrels have taken up garlic and onion on their menu .. my bulbs might make it ?? LOL

Jan said...

Joy, I love your 'mass planting' project! Those bulbs are going to knock our socks off next spring, when you post photos of the blooms! I still have many plants in the same pot they came in, from earlier in the summer...just waiting to be put into the ground. I need to kick myself in the you know what!

Jill-O said...

I have a major squirrel problems in my yard. I've used screens over the planting area (just don't forget to remove them in the spring when the flowers start sprouting) and my favorite trick is to mound a thick layer of leaf mulch over the bulb area. The squirrels dig down but their holes are shallow, so they stop before actually reaching the bulbs.

Town Mouse said...

I put small (3-4inch) squares of chicken wire over the bulbs. Seems to discourage the squirrels, and the plants find a way out.

Great photos! Everything still looks so vibrant.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Jan girl ! how are you ? ... hey, this whole past season seemed to slip away from me right from the start .. the deck and shed project ate up all of my thinking and energy .. the garden suffered for it too .. so you are not alone girl !
The treat of having this bulb circle to look forward to is a present to myself ? LOL

Jill girl .. I think I may resort to doing something like that too if I see the squirrel mafia start digging .. I think Montreal Steak spice is a good first step offensive .. so I might just get away with that ! ;-)

Thank you Town Mouse ! I'm going to find some of that screening to have on hand if I see the little you know whats digging there .. fingers crossed the spice will discourage them enough first !

Deborah at Kilbourne Grove said...

Joy, I have planted nepeta three times in Owen Sound, everytime the neighbourhood hoodlums (cats) find it, roll on it, many, many times, unitil it just gives up the ghost and dies. I see yours does not have this problem. Any suggestions?
The bulb circle looks like it will be great, looking forward to pictures in the spring.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Deborah .. I have cat thugs in this neighborhood too .. what I am about to suggest may sound a little crazy but it works. Montreal Steak Spice .. we buy it in the BIG container at Costco .. normally I use it in cooking .. haha .. BUT .. if I sprinkle it around in an area where a cat made trouble for me .. they don't go back. Plus .. I don't have a problem with Walker's Low or the standard nepeta .. there is a separate plant that is catagorized as "cat nip" not mint like the nepetas .. and it is that one that the cats are supposed to go for .. I haven't grown it yet but plan to next year in a pot for my girls to get silly on ? LOL
I hope my bulb circle works !!