Well. . . it was going to be wordless. . .
But this pictures looks so much better larger, so just click on it to see it full size.

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For the first time ever, my two clematis vines filled the trellis and draped across it perfectly.
I was breathless with anticipation.
In my mind a garden just isn't a garden until it is dripping with vines.
This was the year that it was finally beginning. . .

But wait.

What's this?

Hmmmm. What happened here? I wonder if that wind storm broke a few stems??


Or, maybe somewhat more than a few??


Hang on. . . that can't be. . .


No, no, no, noooo . . .


Clematis wilt!

That nasty fungus loves damp, humid weather and the gorgeous, large flowered clematis varieties.



 This went from start to finish in just under two weeks.

 All the damaged stems need to be removed without breaking healthy stems or the spores that live on the leaves could affect those as well.

I would go from two lovely vines to none if that happened.

So I left it.

I left it and left it, until one day I couldn't leave it anymore. . .
Thankfully the removal went well and the remaining clematis is doing fine.

I'm thinking I might try a climbing rose there next year instead. Something with scent would be lovely. . .

That's one of  things I love about gardening. . .

There's always next year!

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When I was young I loved to visit my Aunty Nancy and Uncle Ben's house.
Aunty Nancy was the youngest of my aunts and somehow always seemed as though she was closer in age to us than to our mom.
There was always something to do at Aunty Nancy's house. . .
Cousins to play with and rabbits to pet.
And something that always fascinated me. . . .
A huge terrarium.
I read every Brothers Grimm book I could find in our town's small library and somehow, looking into the miniature world of her terrarium, I was sure that it was exactly the kind of place fairies would hang out.

Well, it looks as though something old has been made new again.. . .

Look at the beautiful terrariums I came across at the slug and the squirrel . . .

What fairy would be able to resist these unique, tiny gardens??

I'm going to keep a sharp eye out when I hit the thrift stores and flea markets.

One of these would be great in my office.

After all. . . what office is complete without a little magic in it?

And who knows . . . if I'm really lucky,  some of that magic magic will spill out and transform my office into a studio.

 I've always wanted one of those. . .

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While it's great to have pictures of individual plants as they bloom during the season, it's also important to document your garden as a whole.
This allows you to see where there may be holes in the design with regards to bloom times or even or colour combinations you hadn't intended.
 
Here are a few pictures of my front garden taken from both my front window as well as my street. . .

And then there are colour combinations gone wrong. . .

Late this past winter, I started several different perennials from seed. The majority of them came from one seed company.  Some lovely yellow black eyed susans as well as a batch of burgundy gaillardia were two of my favorites.

Only, that's not what I got.

I expect variations among seed started plants but what I got was nothing at all like the picture on the packet.

The "Goldilocks' black eyed susans had a very unpleasant double flowered mustardy bloom. Every last one. There was not one yellow flower in the bunch.

I didn't even bother to plant them, nor did anyone choose to buy them at my plant sale.

Then there was the burgundy gaillardia. . .

Which did not flower until after I had planted it all through out the front garden.

The pink, purple, and yellow front garden. . .







No place for orangy red flowers in this garden. . .

But what to do with the plants???

Wait! I know!!!

How about a give away?

I believe I planted at least six of these.

If you live in the area and would like to have one, leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I'll put your name on it and you can come and pick it up when you are able.

An overcast day that is on the cool side would be best. . .

Although, with all the rain, the garden is too wet to work at the moment, so you may have to wait until it dries up a bit.

Leave a comment and save a plant's life. . .

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There is nothing more annoying, in the depths of winter, while planning the next season's garden, to realize that once again, you forgot to write down when various plants bloomed.

Did that favorite lily bloom in the beginning of July? The middle?
How about that fabulous new echinecea variety? Did it bloom at all? Was the colour all you had hoped it would be?

What about bloom times? Was there a period of time where blooms were scarce? What could you plant that would bloom during that time?

How about your overall colour scheme? Did it hold together? Or perhaps something unexpected popped up.

That happens to me every year.
 I am not so fond of orange except in certain situations during the fall.
Some how. . . although I have never in my life planted an orange lily, one has bloomed in early July for the past few years. I don't like it, it bugs me, but, somehow it manages to to hold on to it's small corner of the garden from year to year dropping it's last few petals just as I decide to get ruthless and yank it out.

Who said plants weren't smart??

But after all. . . It's just one plant right? Not such a big deal. Only. . . another one popped up in an entirely new spot in the garden.

Different shade of orange, but, orange none the less. . .

It's starting to spread. . .

 So here's how I keep track of what's going on through the gardening season. I take pictures every week or so and label them with the date. That way, come winter I'll know where my bare spots are, as well as all the other things no one remembers once the snow flies.

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Doing a quick web search I'm thinking this is a Flower crab spider (Misumena vitia).
I often come across these in my flowers.
Good thing I love spiders!

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Well. . . it's been quite some time hasn't it?
The plant sale was great fun. I met a lot of people, got to spend  lots of time talking about gardening, and sold a lot of plants. . .
I will definitely be doing that again next year! This time with more knowledge as to what people really want from a plant sale.  Can you believe I grew 60 tomatoes and only sold 15??
 Lesson learned. Tomato lovers love specific varieties. . . I'm thinking  more flowers. . . and hanging baskets! They were a really hot item.
At the moment I am enjoying the last few days of an 'at home' holiday but I can tell it's just about time to get back to work. . . instead of losing myself in my latest book, I keep daydreaming up new ideas, rushing to the computer to research them and spending half the night awake, trying to figure out how I can make them work. . .
I start a photography class next month to learn how to use my DSLR on manual instead of auto.
I'm heading to the library first thing next week to find a good book on using Photoshop CS5.5. (any suggestions?)
I downloaded a free trial version of a landscaping program that will allow me to create beautiful landscape designs that include a detailed plant list and a virtual 3D tour though the garden. (I want to make sure I like it before I buy it.)
It's a good thing I love to learn, because all these new things have some pretty steep learning curves. . . and I'm hoping to sneak in some time with my Illustrator program as well.
That should keep me out of trouble for a while. . . (which will make my husband happy. . . no new projects for him!)
 I will leave you with pictures of what's blooming here at {growing} wisdom. . .
Enjoy!

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