deltamiss

I've been watching the camellias in my neighbor's back yard. She has a couple of prolific bloomers that I anxiously await every fall. The nights have cooled considerably now - perfect camellia weather!

Here she is...Camellia Sasanqua. Isn't she a beauty?



In the only-a-nut-would-think-they're-beautiful category are some mushrooms found in Melanie's front yard.

This clump caught my attention first.



But this one...THIS one grabbed me! A BLACK 'shroom! My first.



Back in the summer, the only rose on the property was cut to the ground - total accident and my fault for not pointing out that it was indeed a rose bush and not a weed. But he's coming back! Since I know absolutely nothing about roses, I don't know if Dr. Huey will bloom again or not.

Our nighttime temps are consistently in the 60° range now, but our daytime highs still try for the upper 80°s. I'll be glad when our highs are much lower.

The dogwoods always herald autumn around here, and ours have been turning for a couple of weeks now. Today the fruit is beckoning the birds.



Some of the potted plants are still blooming, but the flowers are getting smaller and smaller as the season wanes. The dahlia is tiny, but she fairly glows.



The sweet potato vine keeps blooming. There are two on it today...one almost hidden by the foliage.

I had just about decided to whack down the explosion of ageratum because it wasn't blooming. This week they decided to break out, but the flowers are very small compared to last year. Maybe I'll fertilize next year.,,or capture the seed and plant them in a sunnier spot in the spring.

I told you they were ugly. Maybe it's the band of white...maybe it's the chalky pink color...maybe it's the legginess...I just don't like them.

Patterns in nature are fascinating, aren't they? It's interesting how some patterns repeat in objects that are totally unlike each other, too.

Or is it just me? Do you see the similarities that I see?

Click on the arrow box in the lower right corner for full screen slide show.

I've been watching some clumps of what appeared to be daylilies at the side of my house, and this morning I was greeted by a wondrous sight.

They are in a grungy part of the yard next to the concrete wall. It's a shady to partly shady section of ground where moss and ivy grow side by side. Last year ageratum sprang up near there (and they're back!). This year, daylilies! I think I have the beginnings of a nice bed if I can get the area under control.

The most wonderful part? The daylilies have TRIPLE BLOOMS! I knew they existed but had no idea I had some in MY yard! This is the first year they've come up since I've been here.

When fall gets here, I'll transplant the lilies from the giant pot back there with them. Maybe even plant some hostas in the deepest shade. Shoot. If I wait long enough, a whole garden may appear around there. ;)

Another wild and wet thunderstorm just passed over. Wow! The thunder with this one was so LOUD and the lightening cracked so sharply, I'm surprised we didn't lose power.

Bokeh actually stayed under the deck until his hole filled with water. He came out when the rain abated a little and just stood in the yard. I swear, that dog is strange!

I have a cold. I thought it was allergies from all the dust that got stirred up in my room at school with all the packing, and that may have contributed. If I've sneezed once, I've sneezed a gazillion times since Friday, and now I think it's moving to my chest. :/

My days so far have been quite lazy, and it's just the first 'real' day of summer vacation. What will I be like in August? Yikes!

Back to the couch. I just sneezed another four times. *sigh*


Zoom used...note to self: get a tripod, doofette!

THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

gen_here found flat leaf parsley and sent it to me aaaaaaaalllll the way from OREGON! LOL!

The plant was carefully packed with wet paper towels around the roots (the towels were still wet!) and swathed in plastic wrap...a tad wilted, but otherwise intact.



I bought a pot on the way home and immediately set about planting her. It was thundering as I worked, and I thought for sure she'd get some soaking rain, but no, just some sprinkles for about fifteen seconds. The storm skirted the house. Nevertheless, she is in the pot and looking great. I've dubbed her 'Genevieve'!



Thank you so much, gen_here! I owe you one. :D

The herb garden is doing quite well this year. I still haven't found flat-leaf parsley, but I'm still looking. There are other herbs I'd like to grow...lavender and tarragon to name two. Herbs are easy and very forgiving plants. They must be to grow for me. ;)

Please ignore the pecan catkins. No matter how many times I clear them out of plants and pots, hundreds - nay, THOUSANDS - fall to take their places. :/

I've never had much luck growing dill, but in my never-ending quest to find flat leaf parsley, I succumbed once more to the feathery foliage this morning. Everything I've read about it indicates it should grow fairly well in the South, but methinks the humidity is a bit much for it. We'll see. I paired it in a pot with Greek oregano. If the dill doesn't make it, the oregano can have the whole pot. So now there are many herbs in my garden: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, mint, oregano, dill, chives and bee balm.

Finally Lowe's had some sweet potato vines. Peyton will be happy. Maybe we'll grow another spud. I put a pretty little coleus that caught my eye in the same pot. It's called Kingwood Torch, and it really is bright as fire and looks great against the chartreuse potato vine.

Last week I found the ceramic windchime on the ground...broken. So I picked up a little pot of Irish moss to tuck into the makeshift pot. I hope the moss lives in such a tiny vessel. Turning the broken side down should help the roots find their way into the ground.

( Pictures behind cut. )

Today's writer's block question: "What is the weirdest thing you've ever eaten? Would you eat it again?"

Hmmmm...that all depends on what one considers weird. Some people might consider pickled pig's feet weird, but they are ubiquitous in the South so we think nothing of finding them on the grocery store shelves. And yes, I like them and would eat them all the time if they weren't so bad for the old arteries.

Maybe I shouldn't admit to some of these. ;) Armadillo...possum...hoghead cheese...mountain oysters...chicken gizzards...I'd eat all of them again (and have many times) but I will never eat another Burger King Whopper as long as I live.