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Tuesday 22 September 2009

Comfort of the afternoon sun in the garden

I rarely ever work in the garden till late afternoon .. this special light (I can't do it justice even with my trusty camera) that is so special .. it is hard to describe .. soft and glowing and beautiful .. that day was a perfect Indian Summer day .. we are supposed to have a few more. So I am trying desperately to dedicate garden time during those last few precious, just warm enough, days.
High lights and low lights .. plants and ornaments look amazing to me.
Walker's Low nepeta took a few hard cut backs and still came back smiling in a perfect globe like shape .. so pretty ! Southern Bush -Honeysuckle has been a real treat to watch with its surprising colours contrasting against the blue green of the cat mint.
I think it will compliment Husker Red penstemon in the coming years .. Hamlin ornamental grass punctuates quite a contrast in texture .. I think it looks wonderful too !
That afternoon light was so pretty in the freshly cleaned bird bath .. I have to say freshly cleaned because I'm afraid I let that job go by quite a while .. guilt pangs caught up with me big time ? Yes .. I know .. birds drink out of puddles too ;-)
Husband work the very dry hard ground to dig out my "Spring Bulb Circle" project.
Elly if you are reading this post .. this is what I was describing .. a circle dedicated to Spring bulbs, then over planted with annuals to cover the dying foliage of the bulbs .. I'm really looking forward to this for next Spring .. something of a treasure in the keeping ?
Take my word for it .. even though it looks like a small circle .. the ground was like cement .. no rain for so long and "hose girl" didn't do her job .. even though husband volunteered .. I felt it was my responsibility yet I let it slide ... jeez !!
The stones to the right .. is the example of what I am looking for with the invisible landscaping guys to perform .. or did they say it was best to have a higher edge ? .. must look up notes !!
YES .. my dragonflies are still in the garden .. this little one is not as colourful as some .. but look at the beauty of those transparent wings .. amazing !
A touch of Halloween ... on top of the fridge .. but everyone has to go there some time .. so they have to see it ... right ? ;-)
My amazing Toad lily .. I chopped it back severely thinking it had done its job .. that I was giving it a rest now to relax for the upcoming cold weather.
NOPE !! ... it formed so many new buds that are breaking daily I was totally shocked and delighted : )

21 comments:

Darlene said...

As always I LOVE seeing your gorgeous gardens!! LOVE your Halloween pretties on your fridge. I have some fall pretties on my blog today. I will add in the Halloween on October 1st!!!

Gail said...

This time of year the afternoon light is indescribable. I've been crashing about in the underbrush swatting at mosquitoes to get a shot of the grasses in that setting golden light...Didn't happen. Your shots are fantastic and I love that Toad Lily has rebloomed! Your husband is fantastic! That ground looks like concrete!

gail

RURAL said...

You have a beautiful garden, I can see why you spend so much time tending to it. And yes, you did capture the beautiful golden light.

I can't wait to see more Autumn colors as they change.

Jen

Rose said...

Looks like getting back in the garden has helped you feel like your old self, Joy! I know there are times when I've felt lousy, yet went out to work in the garden for awhile and forgot I was sick...for the time being anyway:) It is the best therapy ever.

I like the idea of a circle of bulbs overplanted with annuals, and what a sweetie Husband was to dig up all that hard ground!

Linda Lunda said...

WOW! Love it al!
Your garden looks so amazing!
Linda

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Darlene girl ! Thank you but it is in "flux" I have to really bother the landscaping people to get a response and WORK lined up ?
I have to come over and see what you are up to ? LOL
It is supposed to be a rainy day today .. hubby has golf booked of course .. but maybe we might be lucky and it won't ?

Gail girl , Thank you !! .. Doesn't it make you crazy when you work so hard at trying to capture what our eyes see with our camera .. I find light values really difficult to nail but can't give up trying ?
That Toad lily really surprised me : )

Hello there Jen .. thank you, but it is in turmoil right now .. I have a very different plan in store for it .. now the hard part is nailing the company to do the work ? LOL
YES ! Autumn colours .. I am so looking forward to seeing some of that beauty : )

YES Rose !!! That is so true .. a bit of garden therapy "dumps" the negative feelings out of your system for a while and clears your head and maybe tops up your soul a bit ? .. I am really looking forward to seeing how this circle works out too ! : )

Hello Linda .. thank you : )

Frances said...

Thanks for the long shots, Joy, we like to see the whole garden. The light does look amazing, the shadow play with the grasses and plants is magical. Just like Hallowe'en! :-)
Frances

Carrie said...

What a fab post, so much to see in your garden I LOVE it. The photos are great, I know exactly the light you are talking about and it is darn hard to capture with ta camera. We planted loads of bulbs at the weekend, I love that the most - planting little bulbs of hope and happiness. Still going to Belfast on Friday so I'll tryy and find something Halloween-y xx

Barry said...

Joy:
I use your name as the emotion I feel when looking at this post - sheer joy that our Joy is back to doing what she enjoys most! And just in time to enjoy the last throes of garden colour!

Pat said...

Toad lily blooming...what's with that? Dying foliage from bulbs drives me crazy. Hostas work well for me...bulb foliage starts dying and hostas pop up to cover the dead stuff.
You have a wonderful landscaper.
Glad you had a bright and cheery day.
TB last show...not the cliffhanger I was hoping for.

our friend Ben said...

Great idea for the bulb garden, Joy! It makes me think of the Native American concept of the Medicine Wheel. This new bulb/annual garden may be just the "medicine" you need!!! Looking at the cabinet over your fridge reminds me of the cabinet over MY fridge, which reminds me... Who on earth thought of putting cabinets way up there in the first place?!! Sheesh.---Silence

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Lovely pics Joy of golden autumn days in your beautiful garden.

What a great idea to create a spring bulb circle and let hubby do all the hard work. ;-) That spring circle will certainly be something to look forward to next spring!

BTW glad you liked my post today, us catlovers should stick together, don't you think? ;-)

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi Frances .. I am SO in the mood for Halloweeny days and evenings .. we are having a short burst of hot humid air here and it is terrible .. yuck ! Bring on those crisp sunny days and wonderful nights of a true Autumn time : )

Carrie .. I mailed your Halloween card today .. now I am wondering how long it will take to get there ? haha .. I can't vouch for Canada Post completely but I'm sure before Halloween ?
Yes !! that light is amazing .. and I am just waiting on my last order of bulbs before I plant my new circle bed .. they are just that ! little packets of hope : )

Puppy ! are you having this weird hot humid weather just now ? it is awful .. I can't drag myself into the garden while it is like this .. hope to get there tomorrow though .. so much more to do as you know !! aarrgghhh !! haha

Patsi girl ! that is a great idea .. I'm writing that down in my note book so I will not forget (I have forgotten more things than I write down .. jeez !) Yup .. I understand what you mean about TB .. that was a little too predictable ? ;-)

Silence ..you just struck me with that comparison ! maybe subconsciously I was thinking that all a long ? Now I'm thinking of over planting with lots of herbs to hide the dying bulb foliage .. Thank YOU girl !! .. Yup .. who thinks of those HIGH cabinets anyways ?? LOL

Yolanda , thank you girl : ) and YES ! cat lovers are a different breed of people ? LOL .. I'm happy to have this Spring circle to look forward to .. I wonder what took me so long to think of it ? ;-)

WiseAcre said...

Ya should have waited for the rain. It's pouring out now and that circle would have been easier to dig tomorrow.

I always plan ahead.
That way I don't have to do anything now.

Barbee' said...

Your Toad lily is amazing, and you are correct, that ground in the circle does look like concrete! Good luck.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Dear Mr. WiseA**
You are totally RIGHT (I won't say that twice remember !).. it just poured here too .. and that circle is nice and "moist" now .. I admire your sense of planning sir !
;-)

Hi Barbee .. my Toad lily has surprised me too ! and yes .. that was a bit of concrete moving for hubby .. he did good though !

Jill-O said...

My garden always looks rather jungley this time of year. Yours looks so clean and tidy and pretty.
Note to self: must clean birdbath.

Anonymous said...

Joy~~ The driftwood adds a nice touch.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Jill girl , believe me when I say I have some really ugly spots in my garden .. they just don't get photographed ? LOL
Ah yes .. the birdbath issue .. it took me a while to get that mission done .. I just can't seem to stick to a schedule ? ;-)

Hello Grace ! YES : ) the driftwood are gifts from husband as he took his boat fishing on the many lakes we have here .. I love it too : )

Cat said...

Love your witchie-poo!

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hello there Cat girl ! Long time no see ? LOL .. I want to put more Halloween up here but it is hard to find banners without ads .. I'm working on it !