Late August 2019 Garden and Other Stuff

Where did summer go?  Less than a month until Autumn!  Autumn is my favorite month, even though spring is flowering bulbs, and summer is vegetable harvests and abundant flowers.

I like the cooler weather, the colors of the leaves (before moving to Oregon I never saw autumn changes,  I can only imagine what it's like on the east coast!), the way the sun is tilted in the sky.  I might like that the best, the light.

But, for now, it's summer.  It's hot.  It doesn't heat up early though, it fools me.  Probably because the sun isn't up as early.

Most of the sunflowers have sagged under the heat.  They look so sad.
There are a few small flowered ones that are branched.  I planted Red Sun (didn't get any), Russian Mammoth, and Moonshine (didn't get any).  While Moonshine IS branched, these are not the color of Moonshine. So, I have no idea what they are, unless Moonshine can sometimes revert back to ordinary coloration, in which case they shouldn't sell seeds that don't bear true!

The volunteer that came up outside the beds is the tallest of them all!  10' 3"!

Here are a few seed heads drying in the sun. I don't know where that white one came from!

 Ornamental gourds are taking off now that the "garden rat" is gone!  It's funny how last year the seeds from the same packet were all sort, not like these, and now I have all this sort.  Too bad they are not the colorful ones I thought they'd be.  These are pretty when small, but the stripes leave.  They do grow warts though, which is a plus!

 This pretty little plant came up in the Pool Bed.  I have no idea what it is, but it's very low to the ground in a small clump, with purple flowers, and square stems.  I Wintersowed a lot of seeds, some lost their identification, but according to my seed list I didn't plant anything like this.  My only idea was wild basil, but the leaves are wrong.  Maybe just a volunteer, but it's really pretty.

 That the catnip I grew from seed bought as "Pink Cat" isn't "Pink Cat" has turned out for the best.  I really like the deep purple in the Butterfly Garden.  This catnip is blooming this color in all the places I transplanted it.  The seed seller did not get back to me after I messaged him about them not being pink!  It has a much different smell from the other catnips.  Well, regular catnip smells like skunk, but the cats like it.  "Lemony" catnip smells very lemony.  I can't quite put my finger (nose) to it, this one smells familiar, and very, very good!

 A few shots of pollinators...

 My favorite calendulas are still flowering.  I removed all the tattered looking parts of the plant, the mildewed leaves, etc.  This one is from the Dollar Tree mixed seeds. 

 I never tire of the Pollinator Garden!  The blooms never slow!  A few varieties died, and others took their places.  Here are cosmos, black-eyed Susan, rocket larkspur, blanketflower (Dollar Tree!) and a peek of coreopsis I planted.

While the flowers are still blooming plenty, they are also putting out seeds.  

I spent some time the other morning gathering some.

morning glory

 narrow-leaf milkweed

 blanketflower

 four o'clock

 sulfur cosmos (I thought I was keeping up on the deadheading, but found some mature seedheads)

 The other two plants from Mountain Crest Gardens (mountaincrestgardens.com) 

have been planted.  

Eve's Pin in the cute cat pot from Goodwill.

 The String of Pearls in a little terra-cotta pot from Goodwill. 
The company recommends small pots for succulents.  They say to only leave 1/2" from the plant to the edge of the pot!  Succulent roots will grow, but the plant won't, if given too much room.  Nice to know!

 It is already putting out new growth, and I've only had it a week tomorrow!

In the Toss Garden the black-eyed Susans have mostly seen their day. 

 But, four o'clocks have appeared!

These are on the edge of the Toss Garden, but were transplanted from Wintersown jugs.  I am letting them drop their seeds, so they are "tossing!"

 Another Toss Garden beauty, the borage!  It's on it's third generation this year!

 Wonders never cease!  First the wisteria bloomed. Then the wisteria had a much larger, dark purple bloom.  Now the wisteria is setting seed pods!  It takes years for wisteria to bloom grown from seed, but I'll do it anyway!

I got some really nice deals at Goodwill lately!  I went to find a small pot for the String of Pearls (which I did find), and found these other three items.  2/3 can be considered "garden" related, as they are planters or vases!

"Skip" the dog waits by the luggage, a planter by Royal Copley.  More "cutesy" than my usual purchase, but take a look at his little face! It's almost like he was saying, "Please, take me home with you!"

 California pottery oval planter, marked 587.  I see several of these online, just like it, same color and all, marked BB8.  (shrug)

 The odd one out, not a garden item.  A Chadwick China (New Jersey) swan candlestick.  I saw this back on the 18th, carried it around, then put it back.  Of course, I thought about it, so today was happy, and surprised, to see it hadn't sold. 

Oh, there are plenty of tomatoes and cucumbers too!

There are several watermelon, one at least gives me hope of a success!  I haven't grown watermelon before, so am surprised how small the leaves are.

No big projects happening.  I finished pulling out my "uglies," of which the Butterfly Garden Shasta daisies were the last.  Too big for the space.  I gave them away on Craigslist.
 I'm not sure what will be done at the back fence where the new duplexes are almost completed.  The elevation was raised, so there's a couple of feet between the fence and where they are.  I'm not sure how they'll deal with that, but they can't leave it, their runoff will drain into our (neighbors along the back of their property) yards, and we already have issues with that after a heavy rain.
If they build a solid fence (I have chainlink) I have some ideas for the many (80+?) retaining wall blocks I got free.