Late Summer

We've had unsettled weather this week. 

And glorious rain! 

I stood out under the raindrops with my face upturned. 

I could hear the collective sigh of relief from the whole forest. 

And I can finally rest easy, no longer worried about wildfire. 

For now. 

The rain isn't enough to quench the thirst of the suffering trees. 

So I am hoping for more. 

I have spent countless hours watering my precious gardens and potted plants. 

Just to keep things alive. 

I must be a true Northwesterner now. 

I cannot live without rain. 

Hot, dry days are not for me. 

Give me a gentle rain and cooler temperatures and I am happy. 

I love a misty day. 

Of course there is always too much of a good thing and I have to be careful what I wish for! 

But for now I am happy. 

Every day for the last two months,  I have made my rounds with endless watering. 

Here under the large grove of trees at the front of the house, 

very little rain escapes under the tree canopy. 

So I will have to continue watering here. 

Very little sunlight comes through, so I have a shade garden growing here. 

Some are in pots. 

 'Plum Crazy' Oxalis is in front.

Behind is an unusual tuberous begonia. 

It has no flowers and I am not sure it will survive the winter. 

This pretty golden variegated ivy survives on the stone bank with late afternoon sunlight. 

It is slowly spreading, but I have had to put a small garden fence around the bank to keep the dogs out. 

Not only do I have dry conditions, deep shade, but also two doggy diggers. 

They have respected the boundary of the little fence, though. 

Seeing me come after them with high pitched shrieks is no fun. *grin*

Yes, I am talking about you, Champ. Who me? I didn't do nuthin'! 

Tell them why you are all wet, Champ. 

Uh - because I love to play in the water from the hose. 

And then come in and shake. 

What's wrong with that? 

This area gets brighter light, but no sun, so I am able to grow impatiens and hosta. 

And lots and lots of ivy and arch angel. 

Too much. 

As we walk through the gate we unfurl another hose to water the gardens in the front yard. 

It gets very hot here and only drought resistant plants can survive. 

This is a southern exposure on a slope. 

Tansy grows tall against the Mr.'s tool shed. 

I will harvest the leaves this fall for moth sachets. 

The scent is very pungent. 

They make bright and attractive late summer flowers that are very drought resistant. 

Another plant that is very drought resistant is butterfly bush.

These scent the whole yard. 

I never water them because they are nestled into a little gully that collects rainwater and stays damp,

 even in drought. 

The same situation applies to the hydrangeas growing near the house. 

These I do have to water, but not very often. 

Dappled sunshine keeps them happy. 

This summer I went to too many plant sales! 

Taking care of all the potted plants was a job in itself! 

This end of the deck sits in shade most of the day, 

but the little bit of sun it gets will fry anything not well watered. 

These were a lucky find - Fuchsia 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt'. 

I bought 4 of these lovelies and they have kept the hummingbirds happy. 

I am hoping these are 'hardy fuchsia' which will winter over. 

The tag was stingy with details. 

Time will tell. 

The rest of the deck gets unrelenting sunshine. 

It sits on the south side. 

We are at 1200 ft. Not too high, but I do think the higher elevation adds to the intensity of the sunshine.

My petunias are looking a little 'long in the tooth', except for the hanging basket on the left. 

I just potted that not too long ago. 

These velvety blossoms caught my eye. 

I planted them with tiny yellow daisies,  purple verbena, and pink bacopa. 

The roof drops down low here and I grow strawberries, grasses and succulents 

under the eaves to keep them dry in the wet, rainy months. 

My little vintage ladder holds pots by my potting table, tucked around the corner. 

This is where I do my potting all summer. 

Soon I will be potting up winter pansies with ivy. 

The beautiful bright blooms of summer will be fading away. 

Double impatiens, bright orange begonias, pink and purple fuchsia will be a distant summer memory. 

So in these late summer hours I am savoring every blossom. 

And cradling every rose, breathing in the heavenly scent. 

Because I know fall's fiery beauty is soon on its way. 

xxoo

Thank you, Dear Friends for your kind birthday wishes for my daughter. 

She is not only my daughter, but a true friend. 

'Love links two lives inextricably, like Siamese twins. Friendship lets you walk comfortably side by side.'

Pam Brown