By joenesgarden, 4 months and 17 days ago

A gift from the garden, for the gardener

I think my gardens really get me. They seem to know how much their flowers brighten each day. The plants in my charge continue to bloom, continue to fight to survive the latest munching deer attack or the most recent undermining vole abuse. For the most part, except for one hydrangea and one buddleia, they stood strong when Irene blew her damaging winds this way. Now, with summer winding down to its final hours, my gardens have given me a birthday gift … my favorite flower in full-bloom at the end of summer.

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By joenesgarden, 4 months and 24 days ago

September’s Shades

Welcome to one of my Connecticut, zone 6a, gardens on this mid-September day. Today, being the 15th of the month, is when Carol at May Dreams Gardens hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and people all over the world get to share and enjoy the garden glory of others.

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By joenesgarden, 4 months and 27 days ago

Weekend project

I suspect the personal gardens of some garden designers are always well-balanced, well-planted, well-weeded, and picture perfect. I'm not in this group. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with some of the planting designs I've implemented around my house.

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By joenesgarden, 5 months and 2 days ago

Irene’s Visit

Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene has maximized my time and thoughts for a while now. When potentially damaging weather events are forecast and you live on a country road in rural woods with no major services nearby - closest fresh milk is five miles and nearest gas station is eight miles away - you learn to prepare for multiple days without public utilities. We stored ample fuel to run the generator – lovingly called The Beast - and propane for the gas grill for a few days, drinking water (in case the generator broke and could not run the well pump), non-perishable foods, batteries and flashlights, and any other necessity we could think of. I froze all the peaches I had picked earlier in the week, canned pickles, relishes, and butters, and picked as many veggies and blossoms as possible.

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By joenesgarden, 5 months and 11 days ago

Hurricane prep

All predictions have hurricane Irene hitting Connecticut sometime after midnight Saturday. The past few days have been filled with preparations of one sort or another. Of course, we stored away outdoor furniture, wind chimes, the gas grill, and garden ornamentation that would blow in high winds, tools, and the many potted plants around the house. Some plants went into the garage, some went under the deck, and some came inside. We moved the biggest potted plants against a retaining wall and hope this will give them some protection or at least keep them from blowing around. It's hard to predict what winds up to 75 mph will do to such things.

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