Monks Hood

Monks Hood
Originally uploaded by pjslomer

One of the last flowers to bloom.
The garden is in its last pre-winter stages. A few flowers hang on... the snapdragons, some white alyssum that reseeded itself between the patio pavers, a california poppy, a shasta daisy, a mum.
A few little final glimpses before the winter nap.

First Frost

This morning i woke up to a heavy frost. Most of my annuals were hit hard... except for a couple of the marigolds. They looked beautiful this morning with their crystaline glaze... not so beautiful this evening when i arrived home... I spent some time this evening pulling out what was left of the zinnias and cosmos.

I still haven't had a chance to move some of the plants around. I had hoped to do so last week but the weather was cold and rainy. Maybe this week it will happen.

Fall Cleanup... winter prep

September felt like October and now October feels like November!

Last weekend i took in the plants that i want to overwinter. The rosemary, oxalis, a few favorite geraniums, an ivy, a couple spike plants. I didn't bring in as many as in the past... and my chiropractor is happy.

Today I spent a lot of time winterizing... there are frost warnings tonight. I took in the birdbaths that will split if they freeze-i have a few others that i leave out all winter. A good portion of the statuary has been cleaned and brought in. The hose, that was only used once over the summer, was drained and brought in... and a winterizing protector was put over the faucet. I drained the rain barrel... saving some of the water into a tub for potential use over the weekend.

I've done a lot of trimming of dead flower branches. Took down the fence around the vegetable garden and left the deer a few pepper plants to nibble on. I think thats it for now... a nap is next on my list...