Mish Mash Monday!

In between rainy days, we have had some beautiful fall color. Sunny days are the best days to enjoy them, but even on the gray-cloudy-raining forever days the colors are gorgeous.
I had been worried we would only see shades of brown...

so thank you Mother Nature for the wonderful display!

In between the rains, the farmers have been struggling to harvest their crops. Soybeans are taking precedence as they are starting to mold in the fields. And that is not a good thing. I have a feeling that a lot of crops will be taken out after the ground freezes and they can get in there with the heavy machinery. Harvest in Illinois is at least a month behind, and that was before this last 2" fell. This coming week, while we are supposed to have a moderation in the temperatures, we are forecast to have 3 more days of rain!

My gardens have been suffering from neglect. It seems I am a fair weather gardener wanting warmer temps and dry conditions. Oh, and a few less of those darn biting Asian beetles!

So imagine my surprise, today, when I found this Stella blooming as if it were spring.

And this Fabuosa Daisy just opening.

Most of the cone flowers are long gone with the birds enjoying the seed heads. A few seeds must have fallen to the ground and found time enough to grow and bloom. All of the late bloomers brightened my day.

As did the grands this weekend. A lot of time was spent outside playing in the leaves.

I promised you a photo of the pumpkins they picked after they were carved. Here Papa and the girls are hard at work making scary designs. The most difficult part was getting all the seeds out! But we saved seed from each pumpkin with promises of planting them next year.

Not a great picture, but the girls were happy with the results and they looked great after dark all lit up.

**Update on hubby...I can tell each weekend when he comes home how much better he is feeling. He says he didn't realize how bad he did feel. He has more energy and is doing very well with his walking and diet-even on the road. I am proud of his determination and accomplishments! And thank you all for your concern and caring.

I hope you are all enjoying the last days of this year's gardening and hope you have a great Halloween. :)

Mish Mash Monday was originally Monica from Garden Faerie's Musings.

Autumn and October Bring ...

October has always been a favorite month for me. I chose to get married in October when the temps were cooler and the sun cast a soft warm glow on all below. As much as I like spring and the soft pastel colors, autumnal colors give me a warm and cosy feeling. The golden yellows, brilliant oranges and the glowing hues of maroons on the trees signal a time of rest is coming.

And I, for one, am more than ready for a rest-from the garden and from the hectic pace of summer. Hooray for cold rainy, snowy days where I can sit by the fireplace and drink hot chocolate, read gardening blogs and out my feet up.

The garden is winding down, but a few flowers are making their first appearance. This toad lily, while very small yet, is a glorious new addition to the garden this year. It is surprising how the blooms start at the top and open down the stem at each junction between the stem and leaves.

The native Aster that I bought early this spring is beautiful with it's purple petals and golden center and more than lived up to expectations.

Next year I will have to remember to stake it as it now looks more like a ground cover. :)

This cosmos must have taken a cue from the aster-it is also happily blooming on the ground. More staking is needed! Actually, both these plants and a few others suffered wind damage early in the summer and no amount of coaxing could make them stand tall again.

While most plants in the garden are experiencing their last hurrahs, this transplanted cone flower is just beginning to bud. I love the light in this photo.

Another sure sign of fall in the garden is the spider webs. At least in my garden they can be found in abundance. I do NOT like spiders! But having said that, as long as they stay outside and kill bad bugs, I will leave them alone. I have put them on warning though. Come into the house and I will not be held responsible for my actions!

Some of the containers are still looking great. These purple Calibrachoa have been one of my favorite containers this year. I will be planting more of these next year-they were very low maintenance and only required a little water now and then.

Another sure plant for next year are these cherry Profusion Zinnias. I had 5 plants left after doing my containers and stuck these in the ground next to the raised landscaping timbers. With purple wave petunias on either end, this has been a favorite spot in the garden.

With the arrival of fall, there are certain rituals that must be observed. One is making floats for the Homecoming Parade before the big football game. Our 2nd granddaughter is a sophomore this year and asked if we would help on one of the nights they were putting together their class float.

I won't admit here how many years it has been since I last worked on a float, but was pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm and work ethic of the many who showed up to help.

Parents and the kids were all willing to do what ever to get this float built in a short 4 nights. Here, the girls are rolling squares of tissue paper to be glued to cardboard signs.

This is where I spent most of my night-gluing the balls on. I was so pleased that our granddaughter thought us cool enough to meet and work with her friends. Their float came in 2nd overall and first in originality.

Another must-be-observed-ritual...

Visiting the pumpkin patch!

This weekend we loaded up 5 of the grandgirls and on a cold, windy, rainy afternoon made our trip to the local patch. We let them pick out their own and load them into their wagons-for the most part they even pulled their own wagons.

The 2 older ones picked pumpkins weighing 46 and 51 pounds!

This one weighed in at 43 pounds. She also pick a swan necked gourd.

The youngest wanted this one, but was content to just have her picture taken beside it.

Papa supervised the wagon train back to the barn so we could pay for our prized pumpkins. They are being used as decorations around our gardens now, but in a couple of weeks we will be doing some carvings. Be warned-photos of their creations will appear on this blog!

After 3 weeks of having hubby at home and learning to deal with his just diagnosed diabetes, he is back to work and the house is mine again. :) He had a Dr. appointment on the first day of his vacation-we were pretty sure of the outcome and that is why he decided to take some time off. We have both been learning how to eat and cook to satisfy his dietary needs. He has done really well and I am very proud of him. He has been walking each evening and plans to keep that up even though with his job of driving a truck will make that a challenge. Also a challenge will be eating on the road and eating on time. I am fairly confident that with the food we packed and the menus I sent he will be able to do it. He is just stubborn( determined) enough to make this work. :)

Have a great fall gardening week!

Sky Watch Friday -Sept, 2009

Skywatch Friday is a lovely way to visit some new blogs. I always enjoy seeing the photos-some are spectacular! Join in the fun here.



Because of Skywatch, I like to think I am more aware of my surroundings than I used to be. I try to take the time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us.



Nature provides us with quite a show if only we stop and look.



Do you take the time to look skyward?



I will leave you with this photo from a couple of weeks ago. Today, as we remember all those who perished in the 9/11 attack, let the rainbow represent the love and hope for the future for all their families and friends.

Yes, I'm Still Here! (part 2)

Hi everyone!

Just wanted you to know I am still alive and gardening. My lack of posts and comments has really bothered me, but as I have said before, 'life happens' every so often and I can't find the time to do much blogging.




The thing is I really miss it and all of you. Surely soon, I will be back to a less busy time. I want to see how every one's gardens are doing in the late days of summer. And soon, we will all be showing our turning trees. Can't miss that. :)

Have a great gardening week and a Happy Labor Day!

A Late Mish Mash Monday!

It has been a busy couple of weeks here at Dragonfly Corner-as evidenced by my lack of posting! Hopefully things are slowing down some and I can get back to the important business of reading garden blogs. :)

My Dad had a kidney removed last week. He had a large cancerous tumor on it that had started to spread into the renal artery. The Doctors at the Veteran's Hospital in Indianapolis are confident that they got it all and that he will make a complete recovery. I can't say enough good things about the staff there. They were all extremely helpful, very dedicated and kind, caring people.

He is at home now recuperating with the help of an old friend. At the age of almost 85, he is doing remarkably well. I think his recovery has to do with his determination to not let this get him down and the fact that he is extremely stubborn. Way to go Dad!

Summer is coming to an end-the grandgirls all go back to school this week. The angle of the sun has changed and casts a different light, the days are getting shorter and the sun is just starting to rise as I leave for work. Sigh..... But this field of sunflowers close to work starts my day with a smile.

A new color of seashell cosmos is making me smile also. :)

This is the bud of my newest delight. I do not remember planting this -I have 2 plants in fact. I have no tags for them-they just appeared! Thanks be to the Gardening Gods. I am in love with ....

....Datura! Pardon the hand, but I wanted you to see just how big these blooms are. They only bloom at night and last just a short while after daybreak. So to see them, I resort to taking a flashlight out into the gardens at night. Or check them out as I am leaving for work.

Raindrops glisten like diamonds on their snow white blooms.

If you want a glorious-exotic-easy to grow plant, this is it. I am in LOVE!

The raindrops on these caladiums caught my attention as well as...

on the nasturtiums.

I seem to have a lot of blue in the gardens now. I didn't plan it this way(maybe I should say I did!), but the of sight blues in the garden provides a cooling effect in the hot days of August. This morning glory was supposed to have been Heavenly Blue-one I started from seed this spring. Oh well, a few surprises make life interesting. It does look good on the new arch we put in just off the patio.

This annual, salvia Victoria Blue, has been an outstanding addition to my garden. I have it planted in several places and in several containers. I will use this again next year and will not go back to the perennial salvia This never needs deadheading and seems to do well no matter where it is planted.

Bachelor Button is blooming again after a short rest. This was a pass along plant last year and has more than doubled in size this year. Another easy to grow addition to the garden.

The color seems to fade a bit in this photo of one of my containers, but I can assure you it is glorious in person. I call this my 'blue' pot and it has Victoria Blue salvia, Beth's Blue laurentia, and a 'blue' petunia from Walmart. Hey, I liked the color. :)


And now.... dragonflies seen at the small pond where I work. I often use my lunch hour to walk around with my camera. Yes, my co-workers think I'm a little odd. :)

Aren't they beautiful!?

Remember I said summer was coming to an end??? I know because a mum has started blooming in the garden.

Have a great gardening week and enjoy the last few days of summer!

Mish Mash Monday!

Happy August! Can you believe we are on the downward side of summer already? It seems like only yesterday we were looking through seed catalogs and tentatively planting our first pansies. Now we are preparing for fall plantings. There are a few flowers who don't know they are supposed to be done blooming for the season though.


The Ruby? lilies are still blooming strong. This variety has really come into it's own this year, and is ready to be divided. In fact I think I can get two good sized fans-one to share with Rose and one to start a new bed. Well, maybe not new, but I have plans to enlarge a bed adding this day lily and a few other plants.




Introducing.... 'Andrea's Dragonfly'. This is the unnamed lily Rose gave me in memory of Andrea and said to name it in honor of her. Dear Hubby came up with the simple, but heartfelt name. We have plans to put a plant marker by it. I may have told you this, but Rose was Andrea's Godmother and also loved her very much. The gift of this lily has meant so much to us.

This is another unnamed lily we bought together and split. I have named this one 'Dragonfly Corner'. A little corny maybe, but it is next to Andrea's and I thought it fitting. This fall or next spring, I plan to add some ivory colored lilies to this area to break up the orange a little.

The last new lily I purchased from 5 Acre Day Lily Farms was ' Orange Slush'. Isn't she gorgeous?? I know- a lot of oranges, but this one is in a bed with lots of other colors.

Did you know sweet potato vines bloom? I had never seen one bloom before, but this dark one which was just marked 'Ipomoea' has several of these lavender blooms on it. I am so pleased. :)

One, just one of the red mix sunflowers I planted indoors made it. Really sunflowers need to be direct sown as they develop a long tap root that does not do well in the little peat pots. I am going to plant more of these next year because of the color and the height. This one is maybe 10' tall!

And look what bloomed in my garden. A poppy!! After all my complaining about not being able to grow these, one has surprised me. I think this is from some seed that Cheryl sent me, but can't find the packet. Seems like they were Icelandic?? I also planted parsley indoors this spring and put them out for the butterflies in various spots in the garden. Well, it turns out these poppies have foliage very similar to that of the parsley, so I have at least 2 that are poppies instead of parsley. I am SO HAPPY!

The finches have been literally fighting over the sunflower seeds. They have been a joy to watch, but oh so hard to get a good photo of. As you can see by this head, a lot of the seeds are already gone. Never fear, I have many more blooming and they should keep the beautiful birds around for quite a while.

A few-and I do mean few butterflies have come to the garden. This skipper, a Silver-Spotted one is very common from Canada to Mexico. But I am glad she is in my gardens and enjoying the Verbena Bona that Cheryl sent. I have loved seeing these plants in my garden. They are light and airy and draw the eye upwards.

This is the biggest bee I think I have ever seen! I watched him for a long time and each time he flew away, he would come right back to the Victoria Blue saliva. Another plant I have been extremely happy with!

Finally, a Painted Lady has come to visit. Last year we had dozens of these all over the cone flowers. This is the first one I have seen this year. Maybe she will send word to the others that there is lots of pollen now at Dragonfly Corner!

But look what was here and I missed her. The Monarch has laid eggs and the caterpillars are out eating their way to becoming a pupa. I know these are Monarch larva because they have black, yellow and white stripes. The Queen's larva, which resembles the Monarch, has brown and yellow stripes.

There were six of these eating their way through the fennel I planted for them. Yeah!!

We have tomato! Our very first, a 'German Queen' Heirloom tomato. And it was grown in our very own Topsy Turvy. :)

And lastly, another mystery plant. I know all of you are wishing I kept better track of what I planted and where. :) But I do not remember planting this, nor do I have any recollection of ever seeing anything like this. It may be a weed, but it looks very interesting. Especially what I assume is the flower bud-which has been like this for days. Any ideas?

I hope I didn't jump around too much, It's just that I had a lot I wanted to share. Maybe If I could find time to post more often....

Have a great gardening week!

Drooling with Delight and Desire!

Thank you all for your loving, kind, and thoughtful comments on Andrea's post. Garden bloggers are the most caring and supportive community of friends. I am deeply touched by your compassion.





This is one of several Gloriousa Daisy plants started from seed indoors this winter. The have done really well in containers and in the garden. The other day I noticed the different looking bloom and thought it was another plant starting to bloom. No, these 2 blooms are from the same plant. Mother Nature must be getting some help with genetics...bees do you know anything about this??


Tuesday, I was off work for an early morning appointment and rather than go back for part of the day, I had arranged to meet Rose and have a play day. Our first stop was a park in Urbana, IL. that she has featured on her blog. It is abundantly full of prairie and native plants We spent a lovely time there enjoying the peace and tranquility and of course the blooms. But I will save that for another post.

What I really want to talk about is the next stop. Through rumor we found we had a day lily farm fairly close to us. Both she and I have developed serious cases of day lily envy of late. (thank to all the delicious postings on blooming day lilies!)

Five Acre Farm is located out in the country and was started 4 years ago by 2 very enthusiastic and knowledgeable men. (please be sure to check out this gorgeous site) And it is a little piece of Heaven on earth! Given a pad of paper and a pen to write down our choices, we set off on the grand tour. As Rose put it, we were soon on sensory overload! How could we chose??

Following are just a few I took photos of with their name in the next picture. Be prepared to drool with delight. :)

Ohhhh!!!

Ahhhh!!!

Wow!!

Oh my!!

I took many more photos of ones I would love to have and may post one now and then, but I don't want to give you sensory overload, too.

These next 2 were on my short list, but were already sold out. I can and will, I think. put a reserve on them for spring.

I think they have close to 900 different named ones growing here and are hybridizing more each year. In the bargain growing area, there were clumps growing of plants they had hybridized but had decided not to continue with them. They are not named and will never be seen or grown by anyone else. We picked out 2 of these together intending to divide the many fans between us. Rose picked out a separate one that was the most lovely shades of orange with what looked like glitter on it. She gave that one to me to plant in memory of her God Daughter, Andrea. I was overcome with emotion and love for my dearest friend! We are trying to decide on a fitting name now. Thank you Rose for your thoughtfulness!

Did either of us think to get a picture of it in bloom...but I will soon and will be sharing it with you.

Beside lilies there are other wonderful and interesting things to see at the farm. I found this so amusing, yet perfectly fitting.

Behind the house-yes they live in a farm house on the property-they have built a beautiful water feature.

Stocked with coy, they also have a large assortment of waterlilies blooming.

And I even managed to get a photo of one of the delightful dragonflies flitting about.

Hope you have a great gardening weekend!