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In anticipation of the expected 45 m.p.h. winds we were out early this morning battening down the hatches.
Chairs
and hanging baskets were grounded;
trugs, like this blue one on the chair at the west end of the Phantom Path were upended;
I lifted this flowering gladiolus’s broken stem and wedged it between another and the bamboo support. It was rather ragged but deserved a lift.
This Small White butterfly hadn’t heard the weather forecast.
Dahlias, of course, are in season;
verbena bonarensis goes on for ever;
salvias and snapdragons still thrive,
as do some begonias.
Hips, like those of Rosa Glauca, glow, glistening.
Kniphofias are having a second flush,
as are roses, including Crown Princess Margareta, although most are showing signs of age.
Most of the beds are still vibrant.
We have many ferns. A Japanese Painted Lady sits in the centre of these.
Jackie spent some time planting bulbs,
and dived into the Kitchen Bed
to emerge like a triumphant angler with a lengthy bramble.
Sid has now joined Aaron in AP Maintenance. Today they switched to the afternoon. By then the wind had really got up and the rain began to fall, leaving its mark on Jackie’s lens when she took some of ,these photographs. In less than two hours
Sid mowed the grass;
Aaron transformed the eucalyptus, seen here blowing in the wind,
to this;
the pair removed an extraneous buddleia, thus revealing the trunk of a Cordyline Australis which they stripped of dead lower foliage;
smoothed out the gravel on the back drive, and took away all their cuttings and the contents of one of our orange bags.
The boughs of the trees, for example the weeping birch, were whipped by the wind, and, by the time the maintenance crew had left, the rain was hammering down.
Shelly and Ron visited this afternoon. Ron investigated our drainage system; I printed the pictures from Ron’s party for them; and Shelly brought some of her own freshly picked runner beans which Jackie and I ate for dinner, along with chicken marinaded in Nando’s tasty mango and lime sauce, mashed potato, and carrot and swede mash. Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Fleurie.
I’m glad I’m not the only one fighting a war against rambles! And I haven’t won it either.
We never will :). Thanks very much, John
Such lovely colors!
Thanks a lot, Leslie
Aaron is a wizard with the pruning.
He’ is, Oglach. Thank you
Crown Princess Margareta, now Queen of Denmark, is definitely looking a bit tatty – the rose is not bad. I have never heard the word “trug” before in my life – what an excellent word!
Thanks a lot, Bruce. Trugs should really be made of wickerwork
I love your weeping birch in b/w
Thanks very much, Pleasant. A joint effort – Jackie took the photo and I changed it to B/W
The weeping willow is my favourite tree. I didn’t know there was a weeping birch. Very lovely
Enchanting story!
Thanks very much, Rekha
Beautiful photos and evidence of the maintenance to keep your garden looking so beautiful.
I hope the storm isn’t too bad. We have family and friends in Florida who are facing the hurricane.
Many thanks, Merril. I hope your family and friends will be safe
Thank you, Derrick.
Such an extensive and enthralling tour through your glorious garden today, so hope the winds are kind and sparing.
Thanks very much, Ivor
I wonder if the wind gets to your place and says ‘Bah, humbug – these people take all the fun out of my blowing!’ It seems like ll the world has gone out in sympathy with the peoples of the Caribbean and southern US. It’s windy and wet here today too.
Thanks, Pauline. Still windy here. Due to desist later today and return with a vengeance tomorrow.
Looks like it is the season of storms on Planet Earth. Your garden enjoys enviable patronage however. It seems all spruced up like a bride for the tryst.
Very many thanks for your usual eloquent comment, Uma
Your gardens still look so colorful going into autumn. Jackie and Aaron have worked hard!
It is the season of storms. All eyes on Florida here as the hurricane approaches.
Many thanks, Lavinia. I hope not too much damage is done.
I have never seen anyone prune a Eucalyptus before!
Apparently we have to prune our eucalyptus occasionally because they thrive on the occasional fire, that of course is not a natural phenomenon here, but I was assured that it would ‘go crazy’ next year now that it has been pruned. It was looking a bit tatty, and had a lot of dead branches. As a specimen tree in our garden it needs to look half decent, don’t think I would bother if it was one of many!
I see. They do self prune so dead branches are normal (they’re not called widow makers for nothing). Fires are not natural in Sydney gardens either 🙂 However it is probably not used to the cold.
Thanks, Mary. Jackie has replied
Keep safe Derrick and your gorgeous plants too.
Thanks very much Arlene. Ours are mild storms compared to others
Looks like a day well spent. Company was good, even if the weather was poor. 🙂
Many thanks, Quercus
Busy bees; one and all! It appears everyone fulfilled their goals for the day and then some. Phantom Path. I do enjoy the names you and Jackie give to various parts of your garden. Keep safe. ?
Many thanks, Rose
Brilliant pictures of your amazing garden. Enjoyed every frame and word.
Many thanks, Pamela
A lovely photo of the purple flower and white butterfly! Simply beautiful!
Many thanks, Lynn. The flower is a Japanese anemone
So pretty! The two colors are so pretty Derrick!
Wonderful photos of your garden. The Japanese anemone is so beautiful, Derrick.
Many thanks, Amy
Wow, it’s good to be prepared. You live in a wonderful place, so many beautiful plants! I bet they attract all kinds of wildlife, especially in spring and summer.
They do, Kathrin. We are very lucky. Than you very much.
Like a good ‘angler’, did Jackie keep mom on where she found that long stretch of bramble? We love our Japanese painted lady ferns and have several in front of a picture window. They had such a nice touch to our front garden. Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the walk thru your garden and I’m looking forward to more of it, as it transitions through the coming seasons.
Very many thanks, Steve, I think you can see I knew where the angler was 🙂
Good work and nature keeps us on our toes…
Thanks very much, Cynthia
Clearing, cutting back and pruning are such rewarding fall tasks! The plants always benefit.
Thanks very much, Diane
Always enjoy the walk through your garden…thank you!
Thank you very much, Rob
What a wonderful way to spend one’s time, amongst the flowers! your garden is such a pleasure.
Thank you very much LL/PS
Ik ben blij dat Aaron & Sid de boel een heel, klein, beetje in de hand houden, want soms denk ik wel: Les is more Jackie.
Meer dan de helft van al die hutsefruts, aan tuinhuisjes en aan schuttingen bijvoorbeeld, kan gewoon weg. Het staat gewoon op en naast elkaar … Oké, zij kocht het toen destijds in 2015, het stond toen zo gezellig: Afblijven!
Ik zelf ben ook een ontzettende rommelkont … ‘De ketel verwijt de pot dat hij zwart ziet’ … , zoiets … Amsterdam, 29 – 8 – 2020 * http://www.friedabblog.wordpress.com *
Thank you very much, Frieda