'Meander1' is gaga over muhly grass, and we're gaga over her photos!
"Hi, Michaele Anderson (aka meander1) here. We are having such a beautiful fall in east TN and I am in love with so many of my garden areas. I thought I’d share a few favorite scenes that make me happy that I’m an addicted gardener. I had fun freshening up some containers with pansies, violas and some chartreusy carex ‘everillo.’ And anyone who knows me is well aware that I am gaga over my pink muhly grass."
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Comments
beautiful as always,, I am loving my muhly grass thanks to your glowing reports. it has been a beautiful fall here in east Tennessee and i'm glad to see your color there at home. always something cool to see in your garden
Thanks, Jeff...you know that I am loving that you love your muhly grass. I am so hoping it winters well for you and comes back thicker than ever next year.
Thanks for sharing
Beautiful! Love that Pink Muhly grass also. Which variety of the coneflower is in the forefront? Love that stone building in the background of the 3rd photo! Your containers look great as well!
Thank you, Margaret. The conflowers showing most prominently in the photo are two of the Cheyenne Spirit variety. They seem to vary in color and you never know until they flower what you've got. This year I experimented with cutting many of my coneflowers back before their first bloom and my "reward" was lots of robust Sept./Oct. flowering. I kind of like the result esp. because the colors are more intense in the cooler weather.
Cutting back your coneflowers? Do you cut the blooming stalk down to the base of the plant? Sounds like cool experiment.
Yep, I was a veritable Edward Scissorhands earlier this year with coneflower flower stalks that were tipped with nice buds. I don't know what got into me...to mix my metaphors...think of the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland..."off with their heads"! However, I now have the answer to my question of what would happen if I did it...plentiful fall blooms!
I love your metaphors. I'm going to adopt some Edward Scissorhands mentality next year, for sure. And I feel great knowing that you are 'rooting' for me! chuckle.
It looks to me like your garden is designed for fall with the rustic wood benches ,stone house & containers. all blending with the fall colors. . I hope my muhly grass comes back next year as beautiful as yours. I am going to try to duplicate the benches. I love it.
Thanks, Joe...it always surprises me how much color and texture there is in the fall...everything is so appealing...even the fading flowers and brown seedheads. Ha, maybe it's the fact that (for me), the southern humidity is finally gone. It's so much more pleasant to work away outside without that darned debilitating humidity. Good luck with the muhly. My biggest tip is not to cut it back too early in the spring. My fingers get itchy to tidy but I leave the bulk of it until late Mar.
Your photos are always so lovely. One of these days I'll have to make a trip "over the hill" to see your space in person. Muhly is so pretty right now. I've had trouble growing it in a couple of client gardens. I think, because of our soil and the fact that it appears to need perfect drainage, we would do better growing it on a hill. But your photo makes me want to try it again. Loving the 'Everillo'!
Yes, we are both fans of the 'Everillo', aren't we, Jay? Yours in your new woods planting section will probably hold the deeper chartreuse tones but maybe mine on the succulent display table will stay vibrant through the winter. I think your conclusion about muhly's preference for great drainage is spot on. Where mine reseeds is where drainage is excellent. Please know that you are always welcome for a walk about if you find yourself in the Knoxville area.
A beautiful Fall mornin' to you, Michaele! Your gardens are so lovely every season, even in the winter! How could they not with their great bones and all of your little, thoughtful touches of whimsy?
The seasonal addition of the Carex 'Everillo' to your containers is brilliant, the color really pops everything surrounding it... esp. w/ the Heuchera.
Aside from your dreamy Muhly grass, I'm also crazy about your Echincea. I have a really hard time keeping it going over the winter in my gardens, but I'm trying Cheyenne Spirit this year... I'm crazy about their colors and I've been told it overwinters well in Denver. If it does, I'm adding lots more next year. Fingers crossed!
Hi, Sheila...a Happy Morning back at you. Yes, do give 'Cheyenne Spirit' a try. It has returned for me and hasn't reverted to pink so that's a good thing. I have a problem with that coneflower distorting virus (can't remember its name) and I hate it...wish the talented hybridizers would come up with a variety that isn't susceptible to it.
Thank you for your compliments. I fell in love with the heuchera 'Fire Alarm' and even if it just ends up a cool season annual in my containers, I'm glad I treated myself to a few.
It's Aster yellows virus, although it is a phytoplasma and not a virus. My garden got infected, too. It spreads by leafhoppers, so I've been trying to yank out infected plants when I see them. I've wondered if the phytoplasma goes into the seeds, but haven't found an answer. I often see infected plants for sale at nurseries and think it is really ignorant or irresponsible to sell infected plants.
Grrr, Aster yellows virus...what an odd name...I wonder how it came to have that official title. I wonder if by doing the cutting back like I did to get the fall bloom, I miss the most active leaf hopper time. I, also, have dug out and put in the burn pile any deformed coneflowers that I notice. You are so right that nurseries should be more on guard.
Hi Michaele! Wow, what a way to wake up with my coffee today! These are all so sweet pictures! Very creative and still full of color! I think my favorite is... number four with the rock building and the hydrangea. Beautiful shot! And I sure cant leave out the muhly grass! Wonderful, colorful and playful! So good to see you this morning! Thanks so for sharing!
Hi, Jeanne. Yes, picture #4 has a real fall feeling to it. That's an oakleaf hydrangea that seeded itself there and I have to admit, Mother Nature sited it perfectly. I can't take credit. It's a little lanky because there is a lot of shade from tall deodar cedars but it's a very serene spot in the garden.
Just lovely. I also love that pink grass. Your repurposed potting bench is lovely. I really like the design with that upper added shelf. The coneflowers are a nice vibrant addition. I'll take note of the pre bloom pruning as I just got some Cheyenne varieties end of summer sales. And then, the stone house. I would live there. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for noticing so many details. The repurposed potting bench was actually built by my husband as a deliberate outdoor display "table" ...that's why there is the upper shelving. In the summer, the pots are all filled with sedums and succulents. This is the first fall, that I have made the deliberate effort to put some jazzy fall/winter interest plants in the containers.
Yes, do play around with early summer pruning of the conflowers. I'm going to continue doing it because I so like the fresh pops of color for this time of year.
Meander1, I love these photos. You have an exquisite sense of color. Have you sent GPOD photos showing other seasons? Please direct me to them if so. Does the clematis manage to climb the chunky bark by itself, or do I spot some twine visible to provide a ladder?
Hi Amy - Just type Michaele's name in the search box at the top of the page. You will find loads of beautiful photos that she has graced us with previously.
Good eye, Amy...yes, I have lines of twine on the dead pine trunk to encourage upward growth. I was so tickled that this clematis has given such a colorful second flush because it was gorgeous in the spring also. I do the twine trick a lot because it makes it easy in the spring to cut all the clematis back and then restring with fresh twine. Thank you for your enthusiastic compliments. I have been a fan of this site for several years now and have shared pictures previously. If you google "michaele anderson fine gardening" and additionally, "michaele anderson gardenygoodness", you will find more photos.
Hi Michaele. Wonderful peeks into your garden as usual. Muhly grass may certainly be Fall's true showgirl. I love seeing it and fortunately here the NCDOT has used it large swaths at certain areas along the highway near my home. It's a painful reminder though that has Christine continuously asking (well, demanding) we include it in our garden. So I think I am considering a small berm along the front of the garden where it meets the cul-de-sac (though I'm technically not supposed to...whatever), but here it will drain well and grab that sometimes elusive sun in my mostly wooded lot. That being said, I will not be showing this post to Christine as I don't want my painful reminder.
Which cultivar is the Clematis alongside the pine trunk?
Thanks for sharing.
Awesome idea about creating a gentle berm in your front , David, for a muhly display. Ha, and, of course, you could slip in a few more beautiful Japanese maples and it'd be a win/win all the way around! Must be a beautiful sight to see the generous swaths put in by the NCDOT...although backlit by the sun, muhly could almost be a dangerous distraction from paying attention to the road.
I think the variety of clematis is 'Huvi' ...like I mentioned to someone else, I have been so tickled to have such a generous fall rebloom from it. This is only its second season so it's branching is a little sparse.
Ha, you are so right...there is one section on the highway that is quite a distraction when the late day sun hits it...very easy to forget the road and that I am driving. Fortunately no disasters yet.
And of course I am liable to integrate a dwarf Japanese maple among the grasses. Really just can't help myself.
And thank you for the name on the clematis. I believe that is the same one we have, but it was sold to us just as a "hybrid" - no name. We often get that very neat mottling in the petals as well, it seems like alternating years. It was one of the features apparent when we bought it and the nursery assistant girl actually seemed to be trying to talk us out of the purchase at the time saying we should not necessarily expect that feature to continually come back (I think she kinda wanted the plant herself). She obviously didn't know who she was talking to. It doesn't take much for me to swoon over clematis. I would have bought it if said "plain ol' clematis."
Thanks
There are so many tempting clematis out there, aren't there? I am still kicking myself for not snapping up one that I drooled over at Lowes this past June. It was called 'Sapphire Indigo' and I stupidly thought I'd go home, research it, and then return in a few days to buy it. Well, you know how this story ends...yep, none left and I was bummed. Lesson learned...if something is a tad unusual and there aren't that many of them, buy it !
Fun to read about your shopping experience getting the 'Huvi' ...thanks for sharing.
Not to make it worse, Michaele, but you need to get 'Sapphire Indigo'...you'll be glad you did.
Grr, I know you are right, right, right...why did I not do the "pick up and plop in cart " move the moment I spotted it. It was such a healthy looking specimen and was filled with unopened flower buds. You can tell I keep reliving my terrible mistake!
Yes, it's me, Michaele, popping up out of the blue but I figured I'd share the "why" of what had me revisit this thread conversation. I was sitting here at my laptop stumped over the name of blue small flowered clematis from Lowe's that I let slip through my grasp last year. I thought to myself, "hmm, didn't I whine about my lack of action to David in a gpod thread and actually type out the name of said clematis?". Ha, so...yes, I did...and, hence, here I am! Sometimes, when I get a recollection worm that has burrowed into my brain, I have to pick and prod at it until I exorcise its demon and feel that calming release of remembering. Thought it might bring a smile of empathy so that's why I'm sharing.
Spring seems early here in east TN and I am so hoping no cruel drop in temps ruins the dogwood blooms that are on the verge of making things magical. I'm sure it's gorgeous where you are and you are a planting fiend.
Oh, by the way, if you want any muhly grass seeds, it's that time when I am harvesting what I call the muhly mess (seeds and bloom debris). You can message me through Facebook if you want to give me your mailing address. I think just putting michaele anderson friendsville tn in the facebook search should pull me up.
Hi Michaele, Sorry for the late response...very big work weekend in the garden. I am beat, but pleased with the work and progress. Spring is on a rapid pace here too. Each day seems to mimic a week. Hope the frost is not much of an issue this evening.
I do take away a little pleasure in sharing that frustrating forgetfulness that sometimes occurs when trying to recall a name. Thank goodness for the plant tags we make, at least until they fade, which made be reflective of what is happening in my own head...yikes!....hahaha.
Did you ever come across Clematis "Sapphire Indigo" again?
Would love some seeds. I do not do Facebook, but shoot me an email at allowed.noise(at)gmail.com, and we'll pick up from there.
Hi, back at you, David. Just giving you a heads up here that I am going to go try your email address and see if I can avoid being tossed in the spam folder.
I always look for ideas that I can use in my own garden or in the gardens at work. I love your photos because they always give me lots of great ideas. I'd love to visit your garden some time.
I smile as I type this, Chris, but I am always thinking of new little garden projects. I like tweaking things or giving things a recycled life...all my creative energy goes into the garden. I have gone on record here on gpod that the inside of my house is practically a museum...once a picture is hung, that is where it stays! Whereas outdoors, ha, I'm a whirling dervish of change and projects!
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful garden, Michaele. It's such a pleasure to see active gardens when here in Maine everything is pretty much gone by. I confess I'm not a huge container fan, but yours are so inspiring I may change! I especially love the square-ish one in the fifth photo with the great bird pitcher (a Painted Bunting, maybe?) - at first I thought it was hypertufa, but on closer inspection it looks like wood. Love the lichen! And like others I thank you for your Echinacea tip, and agree that the Cheyenne varieties are a good mix - and they're available as seed, too. Happy Fall from the North!
Thank you, Ginny...yes, the square planter you mentioned is a pseudo old fashioned grape cart. My husband made an additional matching box to attach to it so the whole thing deeper and I can plant more stuff in it. I keep it out all year although I take the ceramic pitcher in since the freeze thaw of winter could cause it to crack. The eastern part of TN I live in (Knoxville area) does have definite winter but it doesn't start a early as you experience up in Maine. We usually have a very long autumn which I love. Thanks for the bird ID of the painted bunting...that's what I'll say it is!
You're both right on the Bird ID and the artist was pretty faithful in reproducing their pallet through their brushes!! Tis the Male which is represented. The females are much more drab (camouflaged, and practical) as they do the job of sitting on the nest for weeks at a time. Arguably our most kaleidoscopic bird specie here in North America! We have them visit our feeders from time to time here, as well as their distant cousins, the Indigo buntings!
Thanks for the confirmation, Jesse (and the great photo). Here in Maine we get only the Indigo Bunting, and those rarely - but what a treat as they're gorgeous too.
I wasn't aware of the limited range of this bird until I did a little research this afternoon. I formerly thought it ranged over the whole Eastern part of North America during our summers. Not so, it seems, which explains why others haven't seen it in their gardens.
For those interested, I'll include a link which shows where it is typically found, as well as a picture of the female, and the migration routes Biologists are studying.
http://www.animalmigration.org/bunting/
Very interesting article and it looks like all of TN is completely out of contention for a chance at sighting of one of these gorgeous birds. Lucky you...your neck of the woods is prime territory.
That's a temperate-climate bird! Looks downright tropical to me. Gorgeous. I wonder if we could cross-breed them with sparrows to get some color in those little buggers? :)
I didn't realize you were into GMO's!! ;-0
They, like many, DO migrate back and forth!! We actually saw more in the SE quadrant of our state, but our place there is bordered by a National Forest. The environment is similar here in the NE quadrant, but the real estate is much more agricultural.
I've also been told that Buntings, both Painted and Indigo are prime victims of the Cow Birds, and that pest's almost parasitic behaviours. I hope y'all don't have them up in your neck of the woods!!
Sorry, Tim. I didn't read the comments above before replying to you. Sometimes my intended "humour" really misses the mark. Please forgive this olde fool and ignore my first sentence?
Absolutely beautiful...I would be transported to a whole new level of joy if I got to see one of those flitting about my gardens!
Oh, such beautiful pictures of your very special garden! Yes, your pink grass is breath-taking...I love it,too. Love the photo of the oak leaf-hydrangea and the stone building around the corner. Your planters are displayed in a unique and exquisite manner. Thank you for sharing your November in Tennessee beauty.
Thanks, Jane. I do so love the fall garden...whether it's the still colorful parts or the subtle reminders of earlier glory.
Always a pleasure to see your garden! I do love seeing your seedling H. quercifolia coloring up. Last week I planted the muhly grass seeds I had ordered; some outside, some in pots. I looked this morning and I have one little grass coming up! I guess they didn't need to be cold stratified? Think if I keep it growing all winter it will be a stunning clump like yours next fall? :) (magical thinking is my super power).
Wow, I'm impressed, Tim...muhly seed germination already?...your magical thinking prowess is very powerful. Now that would be quite a money maker, wouldn't it. Let's start a viral marketing campaign right now for Tim's "magical thinking"...want your plants to quadruple in size over the winter? Try Tim's Magical Thinking! Buy one RIGHT NOW and get one free! I'm rooting (oops, accidental pun alert) for you.
I live 90 miles east of Knoxville and have never succeeded through the winter with muhly grass. Maybe I've not selected the best site for it, but especially the last two winters none of it has lived. It's kind of expensive to treat as an annual, but oh well...
I agree, Nina...it is a pricy annual. And, it's nice when the clumps get bigger and wider each year. Doesn't seem right that it shouldn't do ok for you. I always tell people not to cut it back until well into mid spring and it probably establishes its roots best if planted in the spring.
Oh joy, Michaele, to see that wonderful spun-sugar frothy pink Muhly grass again! I'm so itching to get started on growing it here. Don't forget to save a lot of seeds to share!
Who could not love your garden at this time of year? You've put away the succulents and set out new containers to enjoy. The plants that bloom, or re-bloom, in the fall, providing fresh bright notes, are especially appreciated. Thanks for the tip on cutting back the Echinaceas. That is a beautiful Iris and a lovely Clematis. I love how the Hydrangeas fade beautifully into muted tones that harmonize with grasses and seedheads.
Thanks so much, May. And, I'm excited to be sharing all those envelopes filled with seed come springtime. Might as well give it a try!
I am so tickled with the on going rebloom of the bearded iris. It's such a treat to see that unexpected color side by side with the muted hydrangea bloom. I just had a yellow one open up the other day.
That Muhly grass is such a statement. I may have to try it in a pot because it certainly will not make it in my garden.
Maybe you have some little garden niche that has a warmer micro climate. Or, as you said, in a container and then winter it in the garage.
Beautiful tour of your horizons and compositions!! I'm not sure which I like more: The plantings? or the Artwork planted amongst them? But, perhaps that's the joy of a personalized expression of creativity; one doesn't HAVE to choose!! In an Artist's garden, one CAN bake their cake and eat it too!!!
I SO appreciate your Autumnal hues and views! This season is barely making a showing here as we've been a little too dry and a little too warm. However, I AM enjoying your comment from an earlier discussion this year about how the moderating temps seem to intensify the flower colours!
Interesting that your part of the country isn't having a real colorful autumn...you're in Missouri, right? or am I way off? Anyway, it just doesn't seem fair since you made it through the summer and a color filled fall should be the reward. Thanks for all the positivity towards my garden froo froo stuff. I worry that I teeter on the edge of good taste but the garden spaces are large and, so far, there seems to be room for those personal touches.
Unfair is an understatement!!! ;-) Like many on this post, this is my favourite time of year. Thank Goodness for GPOD posters like yourself who share what y'all are seein' in your necks of the woods!!!
Normally, we also are treated with an end of the season "Grand Finale." And, being this far South, we may yet...no frost nor freeze as of this typing. But as the weeks go by and the forests and fields don't wait for the shorter days, hope is fading, or more correctly "falling" along with the brown leaves... Oh, well, not EVERY season can be a prize winner, and these help us to appreciate those that are!! For the silver lining: The Butterfiles are THICK this Autumn!!
My friend and I journeyed further into the Ozarks of NW Arkansas this week past, and those good folk are seeing some serious colours!!
(Mabey we're not livin' right or something??!!! ;-0 ) But, more likely has something to do with total received precipitation. All summer long, we watched from here, being only teased with light showers, while the Thunder boomers skated North and South of us to bless points farther East with copious bounty and blessings. (Another Silver Lining: No hail nor tornados here either,........ so far!!)
Missouri's SW corner is just down the road a piece, but not too far. I actually garden and cause trouble in NE Oklahoma, or Indian Territory as my Grandad knew it. And, Arkansas's Western border is about 30 minutes away...only about 10 minutes as the crow (or Bunting) flies, but if'n you're in Knoxville, you also know about mountain roads!!
We're in the process of finishing a move to just outside of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Capitol of the Western Cherokee Nation.
While I may not be particularly artistic myself, I am fortunate to be included as one of those who Appreciate Art!! Viewing, or better yet visiting an organic/living garden, co-habitating with colours, textures, whimsies, auditory notes, and dreams from our imaginations is the Best kind of Garden. It is a Garden which is not only alive, but loved! May you ALWAYS find more expressions of joy to place amongst your efforts of toil!!
You are so joyous and lively in your comments, Jesse, that I would expect you to have a colorful and color filled garden. Is the picture above from your personal garden area. Lots of fun things to look at there and I'm particularly captivated by the pop of turquoise at the top.
Yes ma'am, that photo is from my infant and initial efforts to create my next, (and hopefully last) paradise. (Or, at least my version, thereof!!) We've "only" moved 100 miles North, but, mercy, this relocation has dropped me back so far down on the learning curve that I feel like a novice again. As well, this place is the proverbial "Blank Canvas," with everything that concept entails!! (Both exciting and frustrating!! Ying and Yang!!) I often have coffee here to clear my sleepy head and to plan my day.
Also, you've pegged me dead on as far as colour. And, I also appreciate a little dab of drama, surprise, or perhaps humour in my garden's views!!
"Blank Canvas"... scary words to this gardener of fairly advanced years. I like adding to and changing around aspects of my garden areas but a complete starting from scratch sounds daunting. That's for you younger, stronger and more energetic folks! Best of luck with all aspects of your new endeavor.
What a treat! I'm so glad there are a multitude of photos to Oooh and ahhhh over. Like others have mentioned, the stone building with the hydrangea framing the front of the photo is gorgeous. Your clematis is stunning (a second wave of blooms? Heaven), and the succulent table with its perfect vignette of grasses, color and greenery captured my heart. The muhly grass is surreal....like a mist of angel fluff floating above the ground. Your eye for detail is mesmerizing and I applaud your stamina in keeping the pots fresh and colorful with pansies. Yup, a gardeners paradise!
Ahh, so many complementary and beautifully expressed comments. Thank you so much, Kielian. "Angel fluff"... what a delightful image! I think I will challenge myself with an afternoon stretch and see if I can give myself a gentle pat on the back...ha. Actually, it's these lovely fall temps that keep motivating to tackle more little fall projects than I normally do...like freshening containers up with pansies and the 'Everillo' sedge. If only I didn't have to see the multitude of weeds that are our weather also encourages.
Thanks for sharing Michaele. Your gardens are amazing and an inspiration.
Hi, Michaele, Beautiful pictures. I'm intrigued by the one with the clematis- it has an almost surrealistic look to it, especially the background oakleaf hydrangea. Can you share how you got that effect? Also, do you know the name of your oakleaf? I have had Pee Wee, Sykes dwarf, and Vaughn's Lillie - is it one of those? It appears to be a different one...
Thanks for sharing. You brightened up my first cup of coffee.
Hi, xiemo, you're right about the almost surrealistic look in the clematis picture. If there's one thing I can guarantee, there was no extra effort on my part to jazz the photo up. I am an iPhone point and click person and don't know anything besides that! I sometimes wish I could have a brain implant full of all technological knowledge I am sadly lacking.
That particular oakleaf hydrangea is a generic one that got seeded there by chance with the parents probably being from a group of unnamed types growing in the vicinity. I'm going to go and do some google reading about Sykes dwarf and Vaughn's Lillie...those are names that are new to me.
Sykes Dwarf, if I recall correctly, is on of the granddaddys of dwarf oak leafs. I found mine on line, and they are both doing great. Vaughn's Lillie hasn't been around as long, but the flowerheads are HUGE - one might even use the word 'buxom'. Stunningly beautiful. That one happened to show up at a local wholesale/retail greenhouse here, or I would not have known it either. I believe it's my favorite of the dwarf oak leafs.
Oh, now you have me experiencing a stab of plant lust...not the worst of sins to commit. Vaughn's Lillie sounds like quite the voluptuous beauty and I will be keeping an eye out for her next spring. A local wholesaler who allows me to buy from her (ha, yes, she's willing to feed my addiction) has a new to me variety called Gatsby Gal that she just got in and potted up. I will definitely be buying a few of those come spring of 2016. Thanks for the info on your two varieties.
I know there's a lot of controversy over GMOs, but isn't is wonderful to be able to enjoy irises in November? Yours is beautiful. And the pink Muehly grass froth is stunning. Thanks for sharing your autumn garden.
Hmm? Where did you hear that reblooming iris are genetically modified? I was fairly certain that they are just cultivars selected from variable, naturally occurring genetic traits. GMOs are plants whose genomes have been altered by humans via viral infection to add genes into the normal DNA. I'm curious. cheers!
Tim, I can't recall where I heard that, but your question prompted me to do some research. You are correct that these gorgeous rebloomers are the result of selective breeding programs, not genetic modification. Thanks for the correction.
Glad you were able to confirm my suspicion! Thanks. cheers.
Thanks, Peggy and I'm glad Tim relieved me of the guilt I might be "cheating" with a GMO iris. I'm waiting for talented plant hybridizers to figure out a way to make each daylily bloom last for a week...wow, wouldn't that be something!
Goodmorning Michaele ~ Oh how I love your gardens! Isn't it a wonderful thing to be addicted to this pastime - are you out in your gardens everyday? I would never tire of all that creativity. You have so many beautiful areas to work with and just create up a storm. I love the rock/boulder in photo 7, it is magnificient! Your Fall views are gorgeous, especially with all of the little attractions you have tucked in everywhere. AND, I just love the garden hutch your husband made, I ohhhed over it before and now know that I will have to put that bug into my husbands ear ^_^ Thanks Michaele
Yes, Linda, I am a very happy addict and hope that my family doesn't think I need an intervention. If the weather permits, I am usually outside because there is no end of things that need doing. In fact, it is almost rare that the thing I think I'm going to work on ends up being the task(s) I actually do. I'm sure many on this board are just the same.
If you're not opposed to using pressure treated lumber, that is what I would advise for an outside building project...if you persuade your husband to put that on his "honey do" list.
Thanks so much for all your lovely compliments.
Michaele your garden is so creative. Being a grass lover myself, I'm inspired by your addition of the Carex grasses to soften the look of your fall pots and that Muhly grass is stunning. Thanks for all the clever ideas.
Happy to plant the seeds of ideas for others since I learn so much from folks on gardening boards.
So gorgeous !!!!!!!!!
Thank you and now the sun has come out so I have some weeding to do. Darn those weeds!
Michaele, I am gaga over your stone hut and your Muhly grass and your reblooming iris and
...it is all so beautiful! Glad you are having a beautiful fall and sharing pictures with us. Isn't it great to have a talented and helpful husband?! That display bench is wonderful. We had our first frost this morning and there is new snow in the mountains - yay!! Jesse, the photo of the painted bunting is gorgeous. Thank you. And I just want to say I enjoy "conversing" with all of you on our mutual addiction. Happy days.
Hi, Shirley. I'll probably feel a little sad when our first killing frost hits but, just the other day, another gardening blog that I visit featured the most beautiful pictures of frost kissed flowers and leaves...the delicate white and silvery edges were exquisite. Thanks for your thumbs up on the display table. My husband was a sweetie to turn my 'Wouldn't it be nice if..." vague description into such a lovely finished project.
I love the fall garden too, Michaele, altho here in Maine is not nearly as colorful and varied as yours is now. With the Indian summer we've been enjoying for the past few days , I am unable to continue my cutting back activities for a while longer...instead spent the day cleaning and oiling my tools in the warm sunshine...a job I love. I l'm drooling over your fall blooming drop -dead -gorgeous bearded iris and lovely red clematis.
Any chance, Jane, you could fly into Knoxville and give my tools a luxurious spa treatment? I'm impressed that you are such a conscientious caretaker of your garden implements. I wish I were better. Part of what's tricky for me is that gardening doesn't really shut down for months at a time ...oh, who am I kidding...I'm just using that as an excuse. I'm truly tickled that my reblooming iris is putting on such a great show this fall. Thanks for your comments.
Beautiful, Michaele! I especially like the "saturated" colors of your clematis and echinacea--could you tell me what they are?
Hi, Cynthia. The two front echinacea are of the 'Cheyenne' variety and if you buy small ones at the beginning of the season, you will have to wait until they bloom to find out what the colors will be because there is a lot of variation. They can range from cream to deep gold to hot tropical rose and almost orange. I'm content to be surprised and figure all the colors go together since they're from Mother Nature. The clematis is 'Huvi' and this was its second flower flush..the first being late spring. Thank you for your compliments.
Thank you! I can't recall seeing "Huvi" for sale anywhere, but will keep my eyes open in the future. I also like your garden art!
One of the happiest fall gardens I've ever seen! Can't get enough of that pink cotton candy of yours meander1.
Thanks, Cherry. It has been a joyful fall and I have felt quite energized by the ongoing flowering of things.
I didn't get to see this yesterday, so I am catching up...what a treat, Michaele, to enjoy all of the beautiful pictures of your garden. I too, am addicted. My husband tells me to buy new outfits, but I would much rather buy plant materials! I love your birdcage, what is in it? I especially am jealous that you have a clematis blooming in November!!!
Hi, Rhonda, we must have been separated at birth...I'd much rather buy plants and stuff for garden projects than pretty much anything else. I'm happy to get work jeans at Walmart for the best price possible and then wander off to the plant section.
The birdcage has some sedums and succulents in it as well as a sweet porcelain bird figurine that I got at a yard sale. Here's a closer look.
Love, love, love the birdcage! What is the growing medium for the succulents? Ah, birdcage envy!
I have to admit. Rhonda, putting together the finished plant filled birdcage ended up being harder than I thought it would be. It took me a couple of tries before I was satisfied with it. I lined the bottom couple of inches with screen material so the potting soil would stay in place. The growing medium was good quality potting soil with even some additional perlite added so that there would be good drainage. Before the plants were plopped in placed and arranged to spill out, I shoved the earthy colored sphagnum moss between all the bars to hide the screening. Find a birdcage at a good price...I got mine at Hobby Lobby with 50% off (yay) and play around. There's lots of variations of plants to use...just have fun!
Thanks for the tips!
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