Good morning, gardeners, and welcome to the Saturday Morning Garden Blog!
Knock knock!
Who's there?
Donja!
Donja Who?
Donja think you should at least water your grass once in a while?
I'll be honest with you, garden bloggers - this is not a great time of year for greenery and blooms in my Pacific Northwest garden. After a prolonged summer drought, the grounds are looking pretty stressed at the moment. The lawn is the color of Cheerios, and there are entire trees and bushes that have set their alarms for Spring and are calling it quits for the season. Finding something that looks healthy and supple at the moment is a bit of a scavenger hunt. But one thing's clear - nature can be full of surprises. Care to join me while i have a look around the yard?
Much to my amazement, there are roses that actually seem to thrive on neglect. These two are really the only color i have in my garden right now …
The honeybees are attracted to these white roses because richer pollen and nectar sources have literally dried up. Since we’re in a "nectar dearth" due to the lack of rain, it only takes them a moment to forage each individual flower …
Even the rose hips, which are usually so plump and juicy, look almost desiccated this year …
I didn't think this magnolia would have very many flowers after a particularly challenging winter. But in spite of an ice storm and repeated deer attacks, it's turned out to be one of the stars of the garden (even though the flowers have long since faded) …
This shaded Abelia is doing a little better than the ones that were planted in full sun. This one happens to have been planted in a ginormous pot, so the soil may retain a little more water …
And this is the clematis i chopped to the knees only a few weeks ago. To say it's bounced back after the hard prune i gave it almost seems like an understatement …
Although most of the plums have already been harvested and enjoyed, there are still a few that are ready for picking …
The apples were more or less "meh" this year, but there are certainly enough to make a crisp or two …
The color of the foliage on this Parrotia is a sure sign that autumn is just around the corner. Let's hope it brings with it enough rain to give our brave firefighters some desperately needed relief (knock wood) …
It'll be nice to be able to breathe freely again. What's going on in your gardens?
PS: Here's the upcoming Saturday Morning Garden Blog hosting schedule. As always, if anyone would like to take a weekend, drop a note in the comment section (or send one of us a private message). We need more regular writers if we want to keep this series going, and new contributors are always welcome.
September 23rd (Vol. 13.38) —
September 30th (Vol. 13.39) — kishik
October 7th (Vol. 13.40) —
October 14th (Vol. 13.41) —
October 21st (Vol. 13.42) —
October 28th (Vol. 13.43) —
PPS: GUG, this little gem of a video features a man making bee skeps. When i saw it, i immediately thought of you. Enjoy!