Sunday, August 30, 2015

The End of August Garden

The end of August is always the biggest hurrah of the garden season.  Everything is so full and lush, one needs a machete just to make it down the wooden staircase to my shed.  My yard is severely overgrown, after years of neglect.  Some days I think I'm going to 'redo it all' and rip it all apart and start from scratch, and other days I think "Nah, I like what Mother Nature has done to the place.'  It's primarily a yard full of wildflowers and weeds now, but it still has it's own magical beauty:  especially in the fall when all the Golden Rod is in bloom.

You can buy the Golden Rod plant at any nursery, but you also see it growing along the road this time of the year.  I planted mine, and it reseeded into this!  A Sea of Yellow!  A nuisance plant, but oh so pretty when it is in it's glory.


  The only part of yard I regularly maintain now is my upper garden.  It seems to be all I can handle, and all I really want to do as I have developed other interests since buying this property.  I don't have a problem at all letting my yard go 'au natural'.   The butterflies, bees, and birds seem to appreciate it…as well as the deer and other nuisance animals!


 The Phlox is in full bloom right now too.  While walking my yard to take pictures, I was surprised at how much phlox had reseeded and was in bloom in my yard.   There was almost as much Phlox as there was Golden Rod.  It seems a little late for the Phlox to be blooming, but I think I can thank the deer for that.  They went through my yard and ate almost all my Phlox buds, resulting in the plants branching out and blooming later.


 I planted the annual Cleome for the first time this year and I was absolutely thrilled with the result.  They didn't grow as tall as I expected, just a few feet, but they branched and filled out nicely, providing color all summer long.  The deer also left them alone for the most part because of the prickly texture.  I'm hoping they will re-seed, as Cleome is known to do this, but if they don't, I will be purchasing more next year.


 Once the slugs backed off the Marigolds (thanks to slug bait and warmer/dryer weather), they also did well in my garden.  Deer don't eat marigolds because of the pungent smell, so this plant also worked out well for me in my top garden.  Note to self:  Next spring, more Marigolds and Cleome, no petunias!


Here is a close up of the Golden Rod plant.  A lot of people are allergic to this plant.  If your one of those people, you would not want to visit my house right now. :)


 This is the view walking down the staircase towards the shed.  The Golden Rod bend over into the staircase, you literally have to push them aside to get through.


 All this Phlox was not planted on my septic mound garden.  It reseeded itself here.  Pretty heh?


 A view from the end of the septic mound garden looking at the Maple tree ring of Hosta and stone, all the Golden Rod, and the Phlox.


 A fall blooming Hydrangea.  I have two of these large bushes, and I just love them.  Their flowers change to a pretty pink color as they age.


 I have a lot of the 'weed' Queen Ann's Lace in my garden.  It's just too pretty to pull!


 This was a spring blooming Hydrangea that turns green in the fall.  I love it when flowers don't just fade away but change through the seasons, don't you?


 I planted Joe Pye Weed in my garden and it too re-seeded everywhere.  Lesson learned:  if a plant's name has the name 'weed' in it, it probably is.  :)


 Black Eyed Susans have the longest bloom time of any plant.  They start blooming at the end of July and they don't stop till winter!   Such a great plant!


The view of my garden as seen from my living room window.


A grassy garden path with wildflowers on either side of it.


 This is a view of my top garden as seen from the roof of my house.  It has a small pond, is terraced with three levels, and is also where I keep all my bird feeders.  The path on the far right leads right to the front porch.  Because this garden is so close to my house, and I can see all the flowers from my kitchen window, this is one garden I do maintain.  The rest of the yard lies on the bottom of a steep hill, and is therefore not that necessary to keep pristine, and can grow wild.


I love my tall red Salvia that I plant up against the front of my house.  This plant really likes this spot, and always does well here.  Anything else I've ever planted here has never done as well.  Gardening to me is all about making mistakes.  If you plant something somewhere and it isn't growing well, try moving it to another location, or plant something different.  If a fertilizer doesn't do much, try a different one, or better yet, go organic and use compost!  I'm always learning what works and doesn't work in my garden by trial and error.  And every year is different, producing  issues and problems you didn't have the year before.


 A view looking down at the septic mound from the top garden.


 In the picture below you can see the old wooden staircase that leads to my garden shed.  See how the branches of the Golden Rod bend into it?


The view from the top of the staircase and you descend down the steps.


And I leave you with the side view of the staircase garden as seen from the roof of our home.


And that concludes the end of my summer garden posts.  I don't expect much else to bloom.  Everything will start to fade away little by little.  But I will keep taking pictures for you, as long as I can.  When the leaves start to change, there will be new color and new interest.   I even find the garden quite interesting in the winter as well.  And if I ever reach a point where I am struggling with what to photograph in my own garden for a weekly post, well, I'll just share pictures of other people's gardens or discuss garden topics.  So the Sunday Garden Posts will continue all year, but with some adaptations.  I will probably bring in Home and Seasonal decor as well!

Have a great day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE.

12 comments:

  1. Your garden is beautiful! I love your red shed. Do you use it as a shed? Or for something else? I was just thinking what a wonderful little studio it would make.

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  2. Amy, your yard is such a beautiful sanctuary. I am sure that is where you get much of your wonderful inspiration! Thanks for sharing...
    Susan

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  3. Your garden is beautiful no matter what the season is! Loving the wildflower meadow! Who cares if some of them are weeds... they look beautiful!

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  4. Wow!! Your garden is lovely. I have to say I am one of those people who is allergic to Golden Rod and Queen Anne's Lace. However, I do love the look. What a beautiful yard you have.

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  5. Wow, your yard and garden is beautiful!! I love it. I am always amazed by people who know so much about gardening. I seem to kill everything...

    Amy Ann
    Straight A Style

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  6. Gardening is such a big job and it looks to me like you are doing a great job with yours, its beautiful!
    Nora
    www.jacketsociety.com

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  7. Going natural looks good on you! Love all the colors and that the critters get to enjoy it all. Looking forward to seeing your garden change with the seasons. Thanks for sharing your wonderful post on The Maple Hill Hop!

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  8. What a great tour, thanks! I'm loving all your wonderful color.

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  9. Wow! Your garden is absolutely fantastic!

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  10. A lovely garden with lots of flowers lingering fro Autumn.
    Thank you for taking part in Floral Friday Fotos, I look forward to your next contribution.

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