Ginny's garden

Waking from a nap?

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:23:00 +0000

My garden thinks Spring is coming soon. I would say that it's waking up, but I don't think it ever fully went to sleep - it's just been napping due to the mild winter we're having. I hope we aren't in for a big freezing surprise - after all, we have a history of February and March snowstorms.

March 1980

February 2010

The Professor Sargeant camellia (seen in the picture above) is in full bloom. It says winter to me, as it always blooms through the winter months. But the other blooms and emerging foliage I saw Saturday say Spring is coming. They encourage me to think past the dreary days.

Vinca blooming in a container

Crocus emerging

Hyacinths blooming

Daffodils budding

Hellebore bud nestled in new foliage

And the sight of this little fellow always cheers me up. Goldfinches aren't year round inhabitants this far east, so I only see them in the late winter months. Their coats aren't as bright gold as they are in the summer, but they're still sunny!

Have you forgotten me?

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:02:00 +0000

I have been away from my blog so long, you've probably forgotten me. Blogging crept to the bottom of my priority list just before Thanksgiving, though I continued to read as many posts of yours as I could. We put the garden to bed in late November - composting, mulching, dividing, transplanting. Many of the potted plants made their way indoors. The lack of daylight in the early morning and evening put a stop to my habit of taking pictures before work or just after returning home. And so my garden blogging has been in hibernation. I wish I could show you with photos that the Professor Sargent Camellia is blooming, the birds are busy at the feeders, and the holly and nandina berries are bright when I look out my windows. Soon I'll be out taking pictures again. But first I'll have to say good-bye to the Christmas season - just one more day to enjoy it.

Tomorrow, Epiphany, will bring the season to an end and I will have to tackle putting it all away - a task that always makes me blue. But rather than think on that, I'm going to re-live a little of the season, beginning with Thanksgiving, and share it with you.

I love Thanksgiving - the joy of family, good food, togetherness, and gratitude. There were 19 of us gathered at our house this year, including 8 children age 6 and younger. It was a beautiful day with lots of outdoor activity, including a pre-feast Turkey "Wog" through the neighborhood. The walk we took AFTER the meal was not nearly so brisk.

Soon after Thanksgiving we dove into preparations for Christmas, including two sessions of cookie-baking with the grandchildren and having their help in decorating my angel tree.

I have always loved angel ornaments and had collected so many that they deserved a tree of their own. But the fresh tree we put up is also decorated with ornaments we've collected and been given over the 40 years of our marriage. Each ornament reminds us of a person, a place, or a time that we love.

The weekend before Christmas each year we travel to one of those places we love (Charleston) to be with people we love (my husband's brothers and sister and their families). This year the weather was balmy - balmy enough for a nice run - a treat after the long drive.

I use my phone as a GPS to measure and time my route.

And then a beer at the Rooftop Bar with a great view.

Another tradition we love is hosting an open house for friends and neighbors.

This year we took a few pictures before our guests arrived.

It has been a full and busy season full of precious moments, including the moment I opened this gift from my husband on Christmas morning

He had a little book made for me, telling the story in pictures of our sweet Bear, who loved Christmas.

I hope all of you had a joyous holiday season and are off to a happy start in the new year!

Words for Wednesday and seeing with my intellect

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 02:15:00 +0000

It's Wednesday and time to join Donna at Garden Walk, Garden Talk with a Word 4 Wednesday post. This week's words are Texture and Pattern and Donna's post is full of great garden

design information with fantastic photos to illustrate that information.

I won't pretend that I know enough about design to advise you on using texture and pattern in your garden - but I will show you some of the texture and pattern that I love (and not just in my garden!)

Seeing, in the finest and broadest sense, means using your senses, your intellect, and your emotions. It means encountering your subject matter with your whole being. It means looking beyond the labels of things and discovering the remarkable world around you.

- Freeman Patterson

I see most often with my senses and my emotions.

Thinking about texture and pattern helps me to use my intellect as well.

Pattern and texture in the bark along with the texture of the squirrel's coat

Sand and sea oats, the foam of the breaking waves

The fine texture of the clematis bloom and the patterns of the shadows on the fence

The pattern of the pier pilings reflected in the water

The sun illuminating the pattern in the dogwood leaves

The sun reflecting off the early morning dew on the grass

The tissue thin texture of the petals and the velvety leaves of the rose

Spiderwebs - amazing in every way

Camellia blooms - soft and romantic

I know I will always see my garden and the natural world around me with my emotions first and my intellect last. But I'll be noticing pattern and texture and taking note of the emotions they evoke.

A Foggy Fall Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:52:00 +0000

"For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life - the light and the air which vary continually. For me, it is only the surrounding atmosphere which gives subjects their true value."

- Claude Monet

This morning the surrounding atmosphere was foggy, changing the light and making the hues of the dogwoods, sassafras, Japanese maples, Virginia creeper, and hydrangea especially vivid.

The tree in the left corner is a Bradford Pear. It's just beginning to turn.

Dogwood, willow oak, chestnut oak

Sassafras, Carolina Jessamine, and Virginia Creeper on the fence.

Dogwood, Japanese Maple, Sassafras

Another variety of Japanese Maple - much more colorful!

The blooms on this hydrangea are prettier now than they were in the Spring.

Chestnut oak leaves on winter rye grass

Dogwood and juniper

Sassafras

Gallardia

Coreopsis

Not a very good color combination, but who knew that the hanging basket would still be blooming
when the Virginia Creeper turned?

Such a contrast to the red of the other Japanese Maple.

The fall color changes by the day, sometimes by the hour. Soon the dogwoods will be bare and the chestnut oaks will be fully turned. And too soon we'll be settling in to the winter months, brightening those early days with the bright colors of the holiday season.

I'm linking up with The Fall Color Project 2011, hosted by Dave at Growing the Home Garden. Be sure to stop by to see more fall color from all over the United States.

A place to feed the soul

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:26:00 +0000

I was back at the family house on the lake this weekend - the second weekend in a row -

and the fall color seemed to be at its peak.

The morning light lit up the trees and the water.

This is the only time of year that diamonds appear to floating on the surface of the lake,

and it can be mesmerizing.

The leaves from the surrounding trees float by, just under the surface of the water,

and they, too, reflect the sun's rays.

We sat in the sun for much of the afternoon, enjoying the warmth and the peacefulness. The lake was quiet, without the summer noise of boats and jet skis - though our neighbor in the cove brought out his jet ski just to charge the battery. His constant companion always insists on going along for the ride.

As the sun set we enjoyed wine and candlelight on the porch.

Later we watched as the planes lifted off from the airport across the lake.

This place feeds my soul, especially at this time of year.

Do you have a place that feeds your soul?

Resign yourself to the influences

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:22:00 +0000

"Live each season as it passes; breath the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit,

and resign yourself to the influences of each."

— Henry David Thoreau

I love the influences of this season. . .

Just two of the many beautifully carved pumpkins at the Fearrington Village Pumpkinfest.

Hope you have resigned yourself to the influences of Fall :)

"Begin the hours of this day slow"

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:37:00 +0000

Gardening and blogging time have been in short supply over the last few weeks. My fall garden "to-do" list is still very long! There isn't enough daylight at the end of my work days and the weekends have been full. As we approach the end of October, night falls earlier and earlier each day. Soon I will drive off to work just as the sun is rising and drive home in the dark. I'll miss the late fall afternoons with the sun shining through the trees and casting long shadows on the grass.

My quick morning walk through the garden to take in the color of the fall bloomers is

precious when the daylight hours are short.

And when I encounter a visiting Monarch, as I did this morning, it becomes even more precious.

O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.

from "October" by Robert Frost

Carolyn at This Grandmother's Garden has invited gardeners to join her in walking in the Autumn air and sharing what they see. I'm linking up with her today - please click over and enjoy the Autumn beauty.

Mum's the Word

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:46:00 +0000

Wildflower Wednesday - Hardy Ageratum

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:17:00 +0000

This is a first for me - the first time I have participated in Gail's Wildflower Wednesday at Clay and Limestone. I have always loved reading Gail's posts and the posts of other bloggers who link up with her on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Click on over and read about the benefits of planting native wildflowers in your garden!
One of my first garden loves was this native hardy ageratum - Eupatorium coelestinum - that was growing wild (of course) under the trees in our back yard when we moved in back in 2003.

in the budding stage

It was love at first sight - so I dug some up and moved them to other sunnier areas. Since then they've spread to - well, everywhere!

Still in the budding stage - when in full bloom this will be a sea of blue.

But they are easy to pull up - in fact, I thin them drastically each Spring as the foliage emerges because they're susceptible to powdery mildew when growing too close together.

Hardy Ageratum is in the same family as Joe Pye Weed, attracts butterflies, tolerates poor soil, and is a good cut flower. It's hardy in Zones 6-10 and is native to Eastern North Carolina.

The tight buds won't fully open until next month (the two photos above were taken in 2010), but I love the budding stage.

"None can have a healthy love for flowers

unless he loves the wild ones."

- Forbes Watson

Growing old with grace

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:14:00 +0000

Yet, getting old is a natural process where things are slowing down, and you'll

begin to see that the sparkle in your heart and the twinkle in your eyes

make you beautiful in a way that's not achievable in youth.

(from great inspirational quotes)

Nature is my inspiration for growing old with grace.

Wordless Wednesday - Wings to fly

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:46:00 +0000

The second photo in this series is my entry for this month's Gardening Gone Wild Picture This Photo Contest. The theme is "Late Summer Garden."

Moving in a holy dance

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:02:00 +0000

The seed hides the seedling, in the seedling hides the tree

In the holy tree hides all the seeds of forests yet to be

Gift of food, gift of shelter, blessed presence on this earth

She will lay her broken body down to bring new seeds to earth.

One great circle of life, living circle of love

Plants and trees, seas and rivers

and the blessed sky above.

Creatures great, creatures small

form the web that weaves us all

In the circle of life.

We are moving in a holy dance of life and death and birth.

from "Circle of Life" by Marty Haugen

a beautiful hymn that you can hear here.

The circumference of the circle of life seems small at this stage of my life, and especially in this season - perhaps my favorite season. A brilliantly colored leaf stood out on the grass today, reminding me that soon the trees will be brilliant in the late afternoon sun behind my fence. Already the sassafras is turning.

But there is new life in the garden even as the trees remind us so beautifully that

their branches will soon be bare.

The tri-color sedum is at its finest, and prettier this year than in years past.

Mums are full and promising a riot of blooms.

Hardy ageratum has budded and will soon color the garden blue.

And the asters that bloomed in Spring are back with their cheery yellow centers.

And the creatures that remind me most of this circle of life - the butterflies - are most abundant now. Twice this week a tiger swallowtail danced in the air around me, and I was happy to resist the

temptation to rush for the camera. Yesterday, on a walk through the neighborhood, I saw a giant swallowtail and took these pictures with my phone camera.

It is, indeed, a holy dance.

Wordless Wednesday - Late August Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 00:45:00 +0000

Agastache Heatwave

Agastache Heatwave, Tri-color Sedum, Hot lips Salvia

Irene and the mess she left behind

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Irene made her way north, leaving us with 5.25 inches of rain and a big mess. Though we have many big and small limbs down and some other minor damage, others around us were not so fortunate. There are many downed trees around us, including two just next door.

Only one of the trees is visible in this photo taken from my 2nd floor balcony.

Here you can see both trees across the road.

There was another large pine down at the other end of the street, and numerous hardwoods and other trees down in my neighborhood and all over town.

For more photos see our local newspaper photo gallery.

We are thankful that Irene weakened before she arrived. I can imagine how devastating it would have been had she made landfall as a category 2 or 3 storm as originally predicted. Having been through two major hurricanes before - Fran and Floyd - after which we were without power for 10 days or more, we know that it could have been much, much worse. But for those who have trees on their houses or whose property is flooded, it doesn't matter - this is devastating, and my heart goes out to them.
In my garden there's a lot of cleaning up to do.

These are dead ivy vines that had continued to cling to the pine.

Notice the trellis?

Uprooted sassafrass

But here's the good news - the caterpillars were still on the parsley (what's left of it, anyway)!

And I saw three butterflies today - I was only able to capture this with with the camera, but it made me happy.

Spending the day with Irene

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:07:00 +0000

Irene has been hanging around all day, and amazingly I've only been without power for a few hours. The wind has been gusting in the 60 mph range and the rain has been relentless. Tomorrow, when the sun is shining, I'll go out to access the damage and begin cleaning up the debris. Right now I'm counting my blessings, happy to have power and no trees down in my yard or on my house.
I have a group of resident birds who frequent a feeder that hangs from my side porch. I love watching them from my kitchen window. Last night I had to put the bird feeders away because of the anticipated wind and this morning the birds were confused. They'd fly to the porch from their perches in the nearby chestnut oak, expecting to find the feeder. Their eyesight must not be very good, for they only realized that it wasn't there when they reached where it normally hangs. Then they'd fly a u-turn, back to the tree. I watched this over and over again and decided I had to do something. First I put a plate of seed out on the floor of the porch, but it was quickly floating in water. Then I put the seed in a colander, only to realize that the birds would have difficulty getting to it. So I took a grill skillet, turned it upside down, and put seed on it. The birds were happy. They lingered on the porch, where they were somewhat protected from the rain. And the skillet was heavy enough and low enough not to blow away.

This morning, when the wind wasn't quite as strong as it has been this afternoon, I took some video from the door of my second floor balcony. Watching these tall trees sway is pretty mesmerizing. (click the photo and the video will load.)

Though Irene will be saying good-bye to me later tonight, she'll be traveling up the coast, placing others and their property in great danger. I pray for safety for all of those in her path.

Waiting for Irene

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 01:57:00 +0000

I had planned to post a Skywatch Friday post this week, using some of the photos I shot at the beach over the weekend - the glorious morning sky over the water. But I'll hold on to those because a hurricane is bearing down on us here.

That's us there near 2 p.m. on Saturday, on the western edge of the circle. The governor has declared that we're in a state of emergency.
We've been through two devastating hurricanes - Fran and Floyd - and we know what hurricanes can do - but no one really knows what to expect, just what to prepare for.
Realizing that the heavy rain and wind would beat down any blooms in my garden, I went out this afternoon and cut some to bring inside - zinnias and roses, some salvia, a few marigold blooms.
And this morning I took a few random photos.

Morning Light in the front of the house

zinnias

Luna Blush Hibiscus

I'll take more photos after the storm and hope that the only difference will be debris on the ground. If we're lucky we'll be counting our blessings that all of the tall pines around our house stood strong. When the previous two hurricanes came through, we lived in another neighborhood - one in which the streets were lined with tall massive willow oaks. Many of those oaks fell on houses and across streets. In our current neighborhood there are tall pines - trees that can snap and slice right through a house if the wind is strong enough. We pray that won't happen with this storm. We expect power outages - we were without power for a week to 10 days before, and we're prepared for that to happen again.
We're going to "batten down the hatches" - bring in the bird feeders, take down the hanging baskets, store the deck furniture - and pray.

Wordless Wednesday - Transition

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:31:00 +0000

cornus kousa, flowering dogwood

Camellia sasanqua, Northern Lights

Nandina

tricolor sedum

hardy garden mum

GBBD - Come have a seat in the blooms

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 02:07:00 +0000

Self-seeding impatiens.

It's the 15th of the month and time for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. A walk through my garden with the camera this afternoon was more rewarding than I expected. At this time of year it seems that everything is worn and frayed and many of the blooms are spent. But there are a few plants that are at their peak now.

Drifts of lantana in the front bed have always been a magnet for butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. The butterflies have been few this year, but while taking this photo a hummingbird flew all around me as if he was asking me to move. If only I'd been able to capture him in the photo!

August is also bloom time for liriope, sometimes called "monkey grass" or "lilyturf" It can be invasive, spreading by runners, but I love it all the same - and it's very pretty when it blooms.

bordering the sidewalk to the side porch

In front of Homestead Purple Verbena, also a reliable August bloomer

Some of the beauties from early in the summer are still hanging in there, displaying a bloom or two.

This is the lone bloom on the Luna Blush hibiscus.

The Meadow Beauty, a native wildflower, isn't blooming as profusely as it was, but there are still plenty of delicate blooms around the birdbath.

Several varieties of coreopsis have been faithful all summer.

There are a few newcomers to the garden that have proven reliable through the August heat.

Kerria Japonica

Multiblue Clematis

If you stroll around my garden you'll see these and other blooms - zinnias, knock-out roses, hot lips salvia, blue speedwell, May Nights salvia, Becky Towe Phlox, red yarrow, dianthus, and more. But if you want to be surrounded by blooms, you'll want to have a seat in one of those Adirondack chairs.
Click on over to May Dreams Gardens and see what's bloom in other gardens around the world.

Wordless Wednesday - Good morning turtle dove

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 01:11:00 +0000

"Supremely, meticulously created"

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:33:00 +0000

"The creation is not a study, a roughed-in sketch; it is supremely, meticulously created … even on the perfectly ordinary and clearly visible level, creation carries on with an intricacy unfathomable and apparently uncalled for."

- Annie Dillard, from Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek

Sunflowers and zinnias, hot summer faithfuls, are sometimes viewed as ordinary and commonplace. Yet, like all creation they are "supremely, meticulously created".

The heat is not the only thing taking my breath away

when I'm in the garden on these hot summer days.

I am in awe.

Posing for the camera

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 01:08:00 +0000

I nearly melted Saturday as I tried to get some much needed weeding done -

but it was worth it to be in the garden when this black swallowtail visited the lantana.

Sunday was a good day - rain (hooray!), naps, and the birds posing for me.

I hope the weekend in your garden was restful and refreshing!

True Worship

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:54:00 +0000

Be a gardener.
Dig a ditch,
toil and sweat,
and turn the earth upside down
and seek the deepness
and water the plants in time.
Continue this labor
and make sweet floods to run
and noble and abundant fruits
to spring.
Take this food and drink
and carry it to God
as your true worship.

Julian of Norwich

Rain is grace

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:44:00 +0000

Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.

John Updike

The rain that fell yesterday and last night did indeed feel like grace - every drop of it.

I think the plants would agree.

Blue Angel

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:56:00 +0000

I make and collect angels (read about that here), but this living angel is a first.

I found it on the discount shelf at Lowe's.

Blue Angel Columbine

Aguilegia flabellata 'Blue Angel'

I planted it in May without any expectations of blooms this year, but a few week's ago I was delighted to see these pretty violet blooms appear.

Blue Angel Columbine blooms spring to summer and likes morning sunlight. It's water needs are low once established and it has a nice compact mounding growth habit.

I don't know where the name "Blue Angel" came from.

I suspect it has nothing to do with this Roy Orbison song.

Wordless Wednesday - it's all in the light

noreply@blogger.com (Ginny) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:12:00 +0000