September has been very pleasant with cooler temperatures and some rain to keep all the plants surviving.
Stats
Gardening Zone: 7a
September High Temperature: 98 degrees F
September Low Temperature: 50 degrees F
Precipitation: 2.68 inches
Wildlife
The hummingbirds are still migrating through these parts and are voraciously feeding on the nectar of pineapple sage, buddleia, cypress vine and other plants as well as visiting the feeders.
Although the pet cats are not truly considered wildlife, they are a part of the garden for some part of the day.
Sasha seems to luxuriate in the crape myrtle petals.
And my husband and I bought these two chaise loungers for ourselves, but the cats seem to have claimed them.
This is something I never noticed in the Eastern Fence Lizard--the blue on the underbelly.
Many times I come across sleepy bees on the sidewalk or in a flower. This one was sitting in the middle of the patio. I gently moved him to a sunny spot and before long he was on his way.
This is the time of year when the garden is full of spider webs.
In the Garden
In the summer I had planted some gerbera daisies in planters on the front step. I was very happy they thrived and flourished.
For several years, I planted mandevilla in the front yard, but they never bloomed. This year I bought one of the larger ones and planted it by the front lamp. It has been blooming and blooming.
The echinacea seedheads are just as beautiful as the flowers.
The Limelight hydrangea gets more and more beautiful as the season progresses--starting out as white, changing to green, and ending with flushes of pink.
I have pulled out some of the tomato plants and all of the squash to make room for lettuce and other fall vegetables.
Some of the Swiss chard has been in the garden since last fall, but I added a few more since they are so good in soups.
Completed Chores
cleared out some summer vegetables to make room for fall vegetables
pruned Carolina jessamine vines
sowed lettuce
planted containers with chrysanthemums, sweet potato vine, and pansies
added compost to vegetable garden beds
planted fall vegetables in garden beds
harvested herbs
Chores for October
harvest herbs for drying and freezing
sow more lettuce
clean and put away front fountain
remove remaining tomatoes, peppers, and okra from garden beds
clear away remaining annuals in planters
clear away mandevilla and cypress vines
trim boxwoods
Inspirations
I am looking forward to the colors of autumn as nature begins to paint the edges of leaves here and there.
Helen of The Patient Gardener hosts End of Month View. This monthly meme is where garden bloggers share their garden views for the end of the month.
Also, Town Mouse Country Mouse hosts First Views. This monthly meme offers an opportunity for garden bloggers to share their garden first views for the month.
The Gardening Blog hosts Garden Bloggers Harvest Day on the 5th of every month. See what others are harvesting all over the world.
The Gardening Blog hosts Garden Bloggers Harvest Day on the 5th of every month. See what others are harvesting all over the world.
© copyright 2012 Michelle A. Potter
Lovely pictures! How sweet cats! Such a handsome lizard and I love those humming birds which we don't have here in Finland.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sadun blogi. The cats are sweet and make me laugh quite a bit. The hummingbirds migrate south, usually to Central America, and are gone by the end of October. I will miss them, but it gives me something to look forward to.
DeleteOutstanding hummingbird photo.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jason. They are not easy to photograph.
DeleteLovely snapshot of everything in your garden this last month, wildlife, pets, spider's webs, flowers and veggies, fantastic! Your last photo of the beautiful autumn colour reminds us that there are jobs to be done before frost arrives!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pauline. I do love all of those aspects of the garden. I am certainly glad it is not one-dimensional.
DeleteWonderful photographs, wonderful plants. I am greeting
ReplyDeleteThank you, ZielonaMila. I appreciate that.
DeleteChyba nie dla siebie, ale dla kotków kupiliście leżaki, jest im tam wyjątkowo dobrze. W Twoim ogrodzie jest jeszcze pięknie. Pozdrawiam.
ReplyDeleteI do not think for themselves, but for cats bought chairs, there is the extremely well. In your garden is still beautiful. Yours.
I think you are right, Giga. They have certainly claimed them. Thank you!
DeleteVery nice shots from around your place. Look at the kitties. I could just hug them and squeeze them. How do you resist?:) Our cats like to reclaim many things.....and like any cat fan, we let them:)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rohrerbot. I don't resist. I hug and squeeze them all the time. :) Of course, they have the run of the house and claim many a piece of furniture. Thank you for that lovely comment!
DeleteMichelle as you have cats so you know them did you really think the cats would not assume the loungers were put there for them not for you, Sasha looks beautiful among the petals, I love the colours of your garden both in plant and creature, that chard is striking, I bought some seed recently, Frances
ReplyDeleteLOL! Frances, the cats always make us laugh. Thank you...and enjoy your chard.
DeleteI always get in a quandary at this time of year - all the container annuals are still flowering madly but I need to get my bulbs in - what to do? It seems such a shame to get rid of all the flowers that are bravely soldiering on. Your garden is still looking lovely - mine is slowly winding down and decaying now.
ReplyDeleteI experience that, too, Elaine. I hate to get rid of them while the weather is still somewhat fair, but it is worse when I leave them to frost. Then, they are a mess. Thank you and enjoy your autumn.
DeleteHow wonderful!!!! I especially love the kitties in the loungers. But of course they claimed ownership. They are cats!! (we have two Bengals who own every ourdoor and indoor chair cushion they want)
ReplyDeleteSo funny! That seems to be cats MO...take over. Mostly, we don't mind sharing. Bengals are so lovely, too.
DeleteThose lounge chairs look comfy! Smart cats. :o) What light conditions are your gerberas in? Full sun? Did they need a lot of water/fertilizer? Yours really look incredible!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tammy. This is the first year I have had success with them. In the past, I planted them in a garden bed, but they never did well. This year, I planted them in pots. I experimented a bit with placement and found that they prefer a mixture of shade and sun. The ones on the front porch received a few hours of sun each day but were mostly in the shade. They love water, but do not like to have their roots sit in water. I watered them well every morning and that seemed to do the trick. I fertilized them with a watered down fertilizer every two weeks. Now that I know the secret, I will definitely plant them again.
DeleteI enjoyed your lovely photos! You cats seem to know how to find the most comfy spots! The lizard is interesting. Does he belong to you, or is that a photo of a wild one?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Deb. They are very skilled at finding just the right spots. That is a wild lizard perched on the vegetable garden fence. I hope he helps with the insect pests. :)
DeleteSo many beautiful colours in your fall garden :) I especially love your cats and own a Siamese myself. Your mandevilla is so gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rosemary. They sure are the stars in our home. And I remember seeing a photo on your blog of your special Siamese. They are so affectionate, aren't they?
DeleteThe front door area looks so pretty. Plus, those kitties look mighty comfy.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Donna. The front porch turned out nicely this summer. I might just do the same next year. And the cats seem to always find those special spots.
DeleteThis post is such a treat for the eyes I don't know where to begin! Your kitties are absolutely precious. And I love the red brick on your front porch! I'm going to pin that photo on Pinterest as inspiration for sprucing up our front porch.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Cindy. I am honored that my humble front porch is an inspiration. And yes, the cats are our little angels. They get lots and lots of attention.
DeleteYour garden is blooming like in summer! I love the Limelight, its colors are very pretty. The picture of your front yard is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nadezda. There are still a few things blooming, but we have had some cold weather. So, things are beginning to fade.
DeleteI love the strong pure reds you've chosen for your front garden. especially the mandevilla, which is a plant I don't know and have never seen here. Does it survive the winter. Christina
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christina. No, the mandevilla is a tropical plant that will not survive our winters. I wish it did...
DeleteSo many beautiful shots of what's going on in your garden SB including those of the house owners, are they blue point Burmese.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Alistair. They are Siamese, one is blue point and the other is chocolate point.
DeleteYour cats are beautiful as well as clever! You've been so busy - I'm still trying to complete my August jobs and it's now October!! Aargghh!!!
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling. I always seem to be behind. And the time passes so quickly.
DeleteWhat beautiful photos. And how kind of you to buy those loungers for the cats. You can see that they really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Thank you, Crystal. They do appreciate them very much! And we do get some time on them.
DeleteI've never seen the blue belly of the Eastern Tent Lizard either, great capture! The photo of your cats lounging is hilarious! Our dogs tend to think the outside benches are for their use too! I wonder where they get these ideas? All your blooms and veggies look fabulous! I notice the sleepy bees in my garden too. I guess everyone likes to take a nap! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the Eastern Tent Lizard on the vegetable garden fence, I saw this bright blue in the sunlight. It was so beautiful. Isn't it funny how our beloved pets think that all of those comfy places are for them? I love finding the sleeping bees. Because they are sort of groggy, I can coax them on my finger (gloved) and they do it willingly as I move them to a warmer and safer place.
DeleteI love the end of month view - such a nice wrap-up with beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ginny. I am so glad you enjoyed your visit.
DeleteGreat photo of the spider web. Your fountain is lovely. The birds must love it. I've been trying to think of how to incorporate a water feature, but I'm still looking.
ReplyDeleteThanks! It took me a while to find a fountain that fit in that space. We hooked it up to a timer, and it is a joy. Good luck on your search.
DeleteLove the look of those chaise longues, no surprise that the cats did too! That is a fabulous photo of the acer leaves.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Janet. They do love laying on the loungers.
DeleteThe kitties look so stylish and comfortable. So nice of you to buy them new beds. ;-)
ReplyDeleteMichael
LOL! I think that is exactly what they said.
Deletedear Michelle, such a clear and organized monthly summary, and your photos are quite divine. My favourite is the last one, of the autumn leaves, I love it. So many great memes - Helen's, Town Mouse's, GBBD and so many more, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the possibilities.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind compliment. There are quite a lot of memes which makes it so much fun. Enjoy!
DeleteWhat gorgeous photos! I love the one of Echinacea. I'm pleased you highlighted its beauty - it is such a shame when Echinacea are cut down and tidied too soon. I agree with you about chard - we didn't sow any this year and we've missed it. Your cats are clearly very, very clever.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind comment. I, too, love all the stages of echinacea. They are very pretty plants. Chard has become one of my favorite veggies because I can almost grow it year round. The cats are indeed clever...and sweet.
DeleteHow wonderful that hummers and butterflies are in your garden...your cats have the right idea...I love all the spider webs in fall!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Donna. I love all the spider webs, too. So many wonderful things to look forward to in fall.
DeleteLove that your cat is hanging out with a ceramic kitty in the first photo. Just like cats to take up all the lounging space.
ReplyDeleteLOL! They are certainly going to find the most comfortable spot in and around the house.
DeleteJust wonderful! I'm especially impressed by the many photos of different critters. The bee is so much fun! Thanks for visiting.
ReplyDeleteThank you, and I am so glad you enjoyed the garden. Thank you for hosting.
DeleteOh, where do I start! The kitties are so cute--how great that you captured them in those spots. Lovely shots of the Swiss Chard and the Japanese Maple. I keep thinking Swiss Chard would make a great addition to a floral bouquet, but I need to try it. Lovely post!
ReplyDeleteBeth, that sounds like a really interesting idea--to include chard in a floral bouquet. I can just see it, and it looks beautiful!
DeleteI am envious of your completed chores list; I am woefully behind.. Love the saturation of color in your photos. The light in my garden is so different and I love seeing how the light works in other gardens!
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about how each garden must not only be different, but have different lighting. That is an interesting observation.
DeleteWow, all your photos are vivid, beautiful and sophisticated. They intensify the happy feelings.
ReplyDeleteWhat a very kind comment, Kalantikan! Thank you!
DeleteWhat gorgeous photos! I love your banner, too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, gardeningnirvana.
DeleteLovely photos, so bright and crisp, Such a lovely round up of your month!
ReplyDeleteGaz Alternative Eden
Thank you, Gaz. I enjoy looking at the garden in terms of what has been done and what needs to be done.
DeleteLettuce is my main veggie crop - I find I am in the garden every day collecting salad leaves, and with this I can see what else is happening! Love Swiss Chard too! Thank you for your post!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barbie. You have such nice greens in your garden. Now, I have chard and lettuce and kale.
DeleteHello to all your little friends - cats, lizard, birds, and to your absolutely lovely plants/flowers! Thanks for sharing the photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Asha Ram. They all send a hello back.
DeleteI nominated you for an award, the Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award.. You are an inspiration to many! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Virginia. I am truly honored!
DeleteFor the first time on your blog and I like it very much. You also have still lots in flower and the cats on the chairs, I have a dog in my chair. I'm really fascinated by the picture of the hummingbird. That's for instance the reason I like to read blogs from all over the world, to see wildlife we don't have and flowers and vegetables we cannot grow in our garden. I shall follow you.
ReplyDeleteI share your love of viewing gardens from all over the world. Thank you for visiting.
DeleteYour photos are gorgeous - what strong autumnal color. We are having some amazing spider webs. Today a bit of rain, and a big fat spider in the center of her jeweled orb! Your cats look extremely comfy I must say on those chaises!
ReplyDeleteThank you...we are also having some amazing spider webs. I love that part of autumn almost as much as the color.
DeleteWonderfull pics as always i love the one wtih the cat ... lovely
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gra. The cats seem to not only steel the loungers but steel the show. :)
DeleteBeautiful richness of the colours here especially in contrast to the pitch black background colour scheme you've chosen. Especially like the butterfly shot. Almost like being next to it for real.
ReplyDelete