A November Day

I'm not much of a winter person, at least not

where I live at. In general the garden

is soggy - I don't do soggy.

~
This week isn't quite as soggy -
 You should have seen the rain on Thanksgiving, 

now that was soggy.

We are expecting sun off and on this week so
I am hopeful.

When I step out my front door and look to the right

this is the view. The tree isn't really pretty but

it is valuable to me as it provides a large

amount of shade. It is the only shade providing tree

in our yard.  That yellow/green in the background

is the raspberry plants - I quite like how 

they look at this time of year.

This tree, yes this tree is my prized tree.
It's a corkscrew willow that came from a tiny stick.

A stick that broke off, I popped it in water and years

later this is my reward.

Do you have plants/trees/shrubs that you started

and do they mean more to you than the others?

An Average Day in the Winter

Yes I do realize that according to the calendar 

it is not winter. It feels like winter.

This is the same weather we have off and on

from autumn through spring.
As far as I'm concerned this is winter.
Rainy and gloomy, although

I hear sun is coming our way this week -

actually the correct description is partly cloudy.

~

I went outside this morning to find some color
and was struck by how vibrant the yellows
are right now.

The flower bed currently looks like this.

Earlier this year it looked like this.

Quite the contrast and honestly I hate how it looks now

so I had to look for the beauty in it now.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a wonderful day 

with friends and family.
I'm going to take a few days off

from blogging to spend time with my family.
See you all next week.

A Flower Blooms

I have loved these flowers since I first met them and this one

blooming in the middle of November's snow makes me love

them even more.

What are some of the flowers you love?

The flower is hiding in there, you can see my gloves

and the snow in the background.
It really surprised me to see the flowers down there.



Snowy Flowers

~our snow is gone ~  

~it only lasted a few days~

~pretty~

Snowy Calendula

Okay so it snowed. Not a big deal in most parts of the country

but for some reason in the PNW it is a big deal -
could be all those hills get icy?!

We may have had about an inch of snow, half of which is

melted but there is still some lingering here and there.

This calendula doesn't seem to be bothered at all by the snow.

After a few days of this cold weather I wonder if it will
still look so cheerful? Such a beauty though don't you think?

An Orchid Blooms

My daughter gave me this orchid last year 

and I'm happy to show you it's reblooming!

I don't know much about orchids but I will

tell you what I do~
Once a month I put it in the bathtub

and give it a super mist down, otherwise

I mist it a bit once a week.
Sometimes I give it a very weak compost tea.

I'm wondering if you have had any experience with them?

A Flower in Autumn

It feels like any winter day in our neck of the woods but

earlier this week we had some sunshine ~ color me

surprised to see this bloom.

Ligularia In 2 Seasons

It would seem the 2 ligularias don't like living so close to the tree

as they both did a fair amount of leaning.

I think the location is much to dry for them and will move them

come next spring - now would be a fine time except

I consider it to be too wet out and I don't want to work in it.

I had no idea that Ligularia dentata Desdemona has the most

amazing seedheads!

A Very Pretty Daylily

This lovely yellow daylily was found growing in a Seattle area park.

Autumn Leaf Craft

 This is my little maple, it was a seedling when I found it and
now look at it!

I've vowed to do more with my time which means less time online,
this is one of the things I've been able to finish. It's a good feeling

to be getting some projects done and I've started on some

Christmas gifts - unfortunately this means I've not

been able to interact with my online friends as much. 

The snowball bush looks fantastic in the fall as well as in spring.

If you are interested in making something like this, it's quite easy.

 Coat the inside of the jars with Mod Podge, coat evenly
with salt, I used Epsom salt.
I affixed the leaves to the outside with a bit

of Mod Podge and a small piece of  tissue paper

covered in Mod Podge - I had to use the tissue

paper to hold the leafs in place. 

If they were fake leafs then a ribbon or twine

could have held them in place.

I added a small layer of salt in the bottom

to nest the candles in. 

Ho ~ Ho ~ Holly

Okay maybe I am a bit early for Christmas

but the holly outside my door is ready.

Amaranth in Fall

During summer the amaranth was stunning ~
you can see my post from the summer here.

This amaranth is still growing and looking nice,

I think because I planted it in a partly shady area
it didn't get large and maybe it is slightly protected
as the amaranth in the garden doesn't look so wonderful.

The amaranth in the garden was stunning (I said that already)

and now it still retains some of it's former glory, it is faded.

Do you see the squash leaves laying around, all damp 

looking from the frost - I kind of like the contrast.

Beautyberry Shines Again

I can't think of anything to say - the simple beauty of the
plant says it all.

Here is my first beautyberry post if your interested. 

Surprising Blooms for an Autumns Day

1 single bachelor button

I can not remember what exactly this flower is (a hollyhock of sorts?).

I grew it years ago and now it comes up where it wants,

sometimes it's huge and other times it's shorter like this one.

It seems to me the reason this one is flowering in this cooler

weather is it's protected location under a tree.

Hands down this is my favorite snapdragon and the little

dear is flowering now! It's as if it waits all summer and

as soon as the weather turns cool it blooms. 

Frosty leaf

We've had some frosty mornings. 

A Hosta in Fall

As I wandered around our yard during a dry day I was

struck by how the contrast of the hosta against the foxglove -

For some reason I don't remember the hosta putting out

any fall interest but I it must have and I just don't remember! 

More of Last Week's Flowers

I've been quite surprised by this foxglove, it's been blooming

away all season (fall that is).  

There weren't many flowers on the climbing roses this year, could

have been my mistakenly trimming the live wood off.

Live and learn.

Of course the black eyed susan is still blooming, I find

the end of the blooms just as pretty.

This was the last of the sweet peas, the blooms

 were already fading when I took this.

Last Week's Flowers

Echinacea Purpurea ~ Purple Coneflower

Rudbeckia Hirta ~ Black Eyed Susan

Phlox Paniculata ~ Peppermint Twist 

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm to me is a must have that I don't put much importance on.

Makes no sense really, I like the smell, I rub the plant on

my skin to repel insects and I ALWAYS grow it but

I don't love it.

These are current pictures which lets you know how

it holds up to our fall rains,

a hard freeze will cut it back though.

It's nice next to the fence, it peeks through, I like it.

As you go through the fence you brush against it,

I always run my fingers through it for the light lemon scent.

I like the way it looks, rather pretty

when the growth is new but kind of leggy as

it goes to flower. It goes to flower quickly but

it doesn't look so great if you cut it back.

Oh and I love it's name: Melissa Officinalis!

In my opinion it isn't a great herb for drying, the flavor

just doesn't seem to come through.

The only thing I use it for is herb water

on a hot summers day.

Herb Water

Fill a pitcher with filtered water

Add a small amount of sweetener- 1tsp

your choice - honey, stevia, sugar

Fresh sprigs of your choice:

Mints

Sage

Rosemary

Stevia

Lemon Balm

Basil

Let stand for a half hour before drinking.

Serve chilled.