Though it is officially fall, it doesn't feel like it yet, but there are signs. This cottonwood leaf floated by on the lake this morning.
Before I took all of your advice last year, not to pull up plants I couldn't identify, I plucked all of these umbrella like plants in the patio bed, certain they were weeds. Well, look what they turned out to be. Every shade of flower from fuchsia to coral and pink. I have no clue what they are, but will remember them next year.
One last clematis blossom for the year.
Okay, my distaste for large blossomed flowers has been swayed. I now like the cannas and the other ones are growing on me. I'm still trying to smile at the hibiscus.
These have popped up all around this last week of summer. Spider lilies or fairy lilies perhaps? A nice surprise nonetheless.
Mrs. Mantis, in prayer and laden with eggs, will lay them soon; I wish she could over-winter under bark, but I guess that is the way things happen.
We have had the city house for nearly a year now - have seen the gardens throughout the year. Though the garden has peaked, it has been a good year of growing.
I planted potato vines that cascaded over the eight foot drop from the patio to the bottom yard. The chartreuse was spectacular. I learned that some of the coleus I planted grew too tall for this bed as it shaded out other plants and somewhat obscured the lake view. I really had nowhere to plant new things and will fit in some small bulbs and seed the beds in the spring.
All in all, it was a good year in the garden. I am not looking forward to that first freeze and will miss all the color, but will try to find interesting things in the winter garden.
