It's a foggy morning in late November and we went out to the garden with our cameras and captured some beautiful images. You really have to click and enlarge to appreciate. (And yes, there are still a few roses blooming on the arbor!)
Close-ups
Sunday sunrise
November 22, and I'm sad that the autumn leaves are already gone. But it does mean that we have a clear view to the eastern horizon and this morning the sun is a huge red ball in the sky (and as always, this photo doesn't come close to capturing the beauty of it. But I keep trying!)
Time to bring the outdoors in
We had our first snow flurries November 15 and brought the last of the flower pots inside for the winter. Hopefully I can keep them going until spring. But even if they don't survive the winter, it's nice to have a few bright spots of color in the kitchen window as it grows darker and browner outside day by day.
Indian Summer
Beautiful early November days. They can't last much longer but we are savoring them while they do. Here are two views of one of my favorite trees in the yard - a bald cypress.
October's last gasp
There are still a few things blooming in our garden on October 26, including a few perfect roses on the arbor! But we spent about an hour outside tonight cleaning out pots, draining and rolling up the garden hoses and pulling a few final weeds. In a few weeks we'll roll up the outdoor rugs on the deck and call it a season. It's been a lovely one!
Three magical minutes
I glanced out the kitchen window tonight just as the sun was going down. The view took my breath away! The sunset had lit the trees on the east side of our street on fire. They "blazed" for a few magical moments while we snapped pictures and tried in vain to capture with a camera what only God can paint on the canvas of His creation. Amazing!
Autumn Views
October 21 and autumn is here in full force. Already the wind has stripped the Autumn Blaze in the backyard, and my beautiful coleus pots are history, thanks to too many chilly nights. But there are plenty of other trees in the neighborhood dressed in their autumn finery, and the carpet roses still provide splashes of color. Here are the breathtaking views from our windows.
Autumn leaves
The third day of October and the trees look like they've been dipped in the first hues of autumn.
Brrrr!
It's October and the air is starting to feel like it! By the looks of the forecast we'll have to say goodbye to our coleus before long. They don't like those low night temperatures. I hate to lose the potted flowers each year, but my basket of mums will help ease the loss. Autumn has its own beauty and we look forward to the lovely russet and gold and orange of fall.
A hint of autumn
Prairie grasses along the fence are beginning to head out, which always feels like fall to me. We have Indian grass, Big Bluestem, Little Blue, Side Oats Gramma and Switchgrass. New last year is the beautiful Dallas Blues (left) that has a gorgeous purple-blue cast to it.
Butterflies and bumblebees and bugs, oh my!
The Blue Mist Spirea is the most amazing shade of blue now, and teeming with butterflies and bees. Dozens, if not hundreds. (Click to enlarge the photo and see for yourself!) You can hear the buzz from several feet away. Yet when I water and fill the birdbath, the bees pay no attention ... too busy sucking that sweet nectar apparently. 
Jury is still out on Gazanias
I have mixed emotions about the Gazania Spendens we planted in pots this year. When the sun is bright and they are open they are stunning, but with our deck on the west side of the house, we mostly enjoy time out there in the morning and evening when the Gazanias are sleeping. And sadly, the foliage of these daisy-like flowers looks a bit too much like dandelion leaves for my taste.
UPDATE:
Now that mornings and evenings are cooler and we're able to spend more time outside, I've decided I really like Gazanias! They're bright and cheery.
Liatris finally blooms, September 2009!
A friend gave us this Liatris plant from his pasture two or three years ago. It bloomed this month, early in September, for the very first time! Pretty purple flowers wave above feathery stems, demonstrating the plant's nickname, gayfeather. It looks perfect nestled among the False Sunflowers.
Blue Mist Spirea gives a show
August is winding down, but the garden is still wild with color. The Blue Mist Spirea is one of our favorites in the spot we call the Arbor Garden. This plant attracts butterflies and bees like crazy and the blue flowers add a new touch of color to our mostly-shades-of-red-and-yellow garden. In past years the blooms haven't come on until mid-September to early October, but we're not complaining about it being early!
A day for front-porch sittin'
It's rare that it rains in August, but when it's as gentle and pretty a rain as this one was, we have the perfect front-porch, front-row seats. And our holey-rock water feature is entertainment enough.
Help with the garden chores!
Our little grandsons were here for a few days and they were a BIG help in the garden. Well... maybe a few things got pruned that didn't really need pruning, and maybe a few Dahlberg daisies got squished with tiny toes, but this is who the garden was made for and we had a blast! It's awfully quiet out here now that they've gone home.
A pinch here, a pinch there
My mother-in-law had a pot of some gorgeous variety of sedum and I brought a couple snips home hoping to get them started in our rock garden. I tried to get them to root in water first, but finally gave up and just stuck the cuttings in the dirt in a bare spot on the hill. A few weeks later, late July, voila!
I couldn't believe how they had spread! The waxy bright green leaves and magenta blooms mix nicely with the Speedwell and the other sedum varieties growing on the hill. And I love the way it has spread onto the rock border. What I don't love is that moments after I took this photo (after a half-hour weeding session, no less!) I noticed that pesky jagged-edged weed (see inset) peeking out from under the sedum. This weed is our most hated among weeds: dock. I can't believe I'm even allowing it face time on this blog. Just know that it died a violent death by my own hand! ; )
The lay of the land
A few long range views of the back yard. It's not until we walk along the fence (in search of weeds) and look back at the house that I realize how big our yard is. We've had some wonderfully pleasant days recently, with highs only in the 80s and record cool nights in the upper 50s and 60s...very unusual for mid-July!
Dahlberg Daisies are back
One little pot of these plucky Dahlberg Daisies has kept us in flowers for at least three years now. They apparently seed themselves, and each spring since we bought our first pot full, they've popped up between the flagstone pavers. We don't like weeds growing between the stones, but these are too pretty to take out. Each clump grows from one root and now that we know how prolific they are, once they quit blooming they're "outta here"...well, at least until next year.
Cart full of Coleus
Did I mention how pleased I am with the way our pots of Coleus have turned out? (Okay, I know I did, but they just keep getting better!) I think this colorful mix looks especially beautiful spilling over the garden cart my dad built for us as a housewarming gift four years ago. The plants seem to be thriving here in front of the house with morning sun and late afternoon shade.
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