Hey dear friends,
What a different gardening season this has been. A few flowers, well three to be exact, finally came up...
Wasn't sure what they were, but turns out this striking orange bloom is the mexican sunflower.
The butterflies just love them and so do I. Finally! Fowers in my garden!
Grass had almost taken over the garden so I've been clearing out. Flowers and butterflies have a way of lifting my spirits...
Yep, wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow load hauled out. Even pulled up the green bean vines and the wattle fence, but still getting plenty of peppers. These are the Pablano...
Oh, and a special little visitor showed up in my garden...
Mrs. Orb Weaver, or the black and yellow garden spider. She didn't visit at all last summer.
Oh well, soon all the gardening will be done and we will be going into fall, then winter, just around the corner. Winter's good.
I came across this playhouse picture and thought, oh wow! How different it looks now.
What a difference! There is lots about winter I love. We need the winter months. Just thought it would be fun to post both pictures. But for the record...Put me down for summer. :)
Well, now that I've talked your ears off, I will say goodbye...oh, but do want to close with pictures of the succulents.
Remember the little $9.00 bag of cutting I ordered from Ebay a few months ago?
Thanks for looking!
Love, Henny
Your gardens are beautiful! And I like the winter/summer photo comparison. Neat, that Mexican sunflower! I'll have to look that up. Andrea
ReplyDeleteThose succulents are looking wonderful dear Henny Penny. I just love your little playhouse - I even love it with snow all around it. Yes I think we need all the seasons & I try to find something to enjoy in each one, though spring & autumn are my absolute favourites. Enjoy the week dear Henny. xx
ReplyDeletePut me down for summer too! Your garden looks great - that was a lot of work!
ReplyDeleteI love the pictures of your playhouse in winter and as it is right now. What a good idea to do that. I like all your succulents too. They're obviously all thriving. Mrs. Orb Weaver is quite a nice looking spider. I don't know if we have any around here. In Fall I see lots of webs but no spiders. Talking of Fall...I'm more than ready for it. I've even started decorating with Fall in mind ( although it's still hot day after day here).
ReplyDeleteThank you! I really do love fall but winter seem so long...and cold. :)
DeleteI actually like both the playhouse photos. By this time I am beginning to get a bit weary of summer, but, no doubt, I will be saying the same thing about winter about a half year from now. Your succulent collection is wonderful, but how do you keep the rabbits from eating them up? That's what happened to mine.
ReplyDeleteIsn't that mexican sunflower beautiful....I never heard of that one before. And the butterflies around it are beautiful too. Your succulents are looking robust! and I love the look of those peppers hanging off the plants. Wow...You've really gotten a lot of work done, clearing your garden! I can't say I've seen that type of spider before....but you sound like you are familiar with her! Love your playhouse pics....so interesting the differences in the seasons. Thanks for an always interesting post, Henny! Take good care. Love ya!
ReplyDeleteThank you Diane. I found a pack of Mexican sunflower seed several years ago and planted them. My Mother loved them. Neither of us had ever heard of them. This spring I found the seeds in Walmart and bought them. Think of mama every time I see them. Love you!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMuch the same weather wise over here...
ReplyDeleteThe heat has finally gone, and the grass
is starting to turn back to green again......
Though l'm still watering baskets etc...twice
a day...
Forecast for to~day is rain, though it's 8.30,
and the sun is out in ALL it's glory, might
just get out front and cut the grass..! :).
The succulents look nice Henny, and l do love
succulents...put them out in the summer, then in
for the winter...! Shades of green..ALL the year
round..lovely!
Love the spider to..l've noticed a couple on my
Virginia Creeper..it'll be covered in them in a couple
of weeks time..then Autumn..and the leaves will all
drop off...not before changing colour to rusty~gold...!
Love the Autumn...! :).
Best get on...must be due for another lemon tea, and
perhaps a piece of 'Scroggin Slice' a very special cake
from New Zealand...original recipe on Julie's Blog post..!
My daughter makes it for me...HeHe! AND...I love it.....! :O).
☕ 🍰 ☕ 🍰 ☕ 🍰 ☕ 🍰 ☕ 🍰 ☕ 🍰 ☕ 🍰
Thank you Willie. Hope I can find a spot for all the succulents. I may try leaving them in the little greenhouse with a heat lamp. Glad you finally got a break in heat. It has been a good change, hasn't it? Thought of you when I posted the spider. :) Need to look up the Scroggin Slice again.
DeleteHenny this is the Blog post where Julie mentions
Deletethe Scroggin Slice...the link to the recipe is half
way down....
http://mythreadbearlife.blogspot.com/2018/06/chasing-my-tail.html
And...This is the recipe Julie used to make it.....
https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/recipes/97748273/recipe-scroggin-slice-from-therapy
Thank you Willie!
DeleteYour photos are so pretty. Makes me happy to see your garden and playhouse!
ReplyDeleteHenny, that was the most worthwhile $9 spent of succulents! And I dread winter even though I understand it's necessary to all growing here. After a very very long lifetime up North, I can never really look forward to any of it. I'm just now getting my annuals in full bloom, the few I can have due to the deer. Zinnia and marigold. And my butterflies are just now laying eggs and hatching caterpillars. I have 2 Black Swallowtail chrysalis in the house and one Monarch caterpillar. The birds eat them all if left outside in the flower bed. I have not had an Orb this year. I usually have a couple. Maybe it migrated south to avoid the coming cold weather, lol. Lynn and Precious
ReplyDeleteThe Mexican sunflower is lovely. It's true, we do need winter. There is a different beauty about it too. Your garden is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteWow, that was quite a haul of succulents for just 9 dollars. A really nice variety there. Will you be able to overwinter them in your little greenhouse or will they be taking up house room all winter.
ReplyDeleteThings are beginning to look toward fall, that's for sure. The dogwoods are beginning to turn that pretty rosey color and some of the other trees are beginning to show some yellowing leaves. I love fall once it begins to cool off and rain a bit more it's a time to just slow down a little and rest. I'm waiting for it to get reliably cooler so that I can begin planting a few new things and playing "musical chairs" with various plants that need to be switched around (a long, long list of those!).
Hey Victoria. It was a good buy on the succulents, but it was just a small plastic bag full of small pieces. I've never seen anything like how easily succulent pieces root. A leaf fall off and roots where it lands. I never knew anything about succulents. Here, I've noticed the dogwoods are covered in berries, but not red ones yet. You are so busy! I have lots of stuff to dig and move around as soon as fall gets here. My list is probably not as long as yours though. :)
DeleteEnjoyed your post..fun. The succulents are great..wow.
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you ChiChi Mum.
DeleteLovely late summer pics. You can just pull your grass?? I have to dig so I can get those long white roots. Your garden looks great! Do you do anything with those peppers? -Jenn
ReplyDeleteOoo I love your little playhouse! Especially without the snow! I know winter is inevitable but I sure wish summer would go on and on! Everyone who grows peppers seems to have an abundance this year!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all this with us, Henny. The sunflowers are gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYou all be safe and God bless.
Looks like you have quite the green thumb! I used to have a veggie garden; but it's been years since I did. My flowers are about done, so losing all the color; which makes me unhappy. I dislike to see fall coming; as I know winter follows which I really really dislike. I LOVE summer, it's just not long enough. You got some good shots of the butterfly and flowers...very nice. Popped in from a mutual friends blog. It's always fun to meet new bloggers. Hope you'll swing by for a visit. By the way, love your pretty background on your blog, very nice!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sandy. I'm so glad you visited. I will swing by! I'm afraid my thumb is not green enough. Tickles me to death to get something to grow. Hope you will come back.
Deletewow henny, look at those succulents! Well, Henny, I planted a massive flower garden for me. One container of nastursiums came up and 3 zinnias came up in the last couple of weeks. That's it! I mean about 200 seeds and bulbs, that is all! It has been very hot, very wet and now it is almost like early fall with more rain, I mean more. I love the playhouse, I will check back to see if you have any more luck with your garden. I really wanted the teddy bear sunflowers to come up, but not a peep. Well, we have fall now, maybe pansies will grow??? Love Terry
ReplyDeleteOh Terry. I can't believe that about your flower garden. What happened to the flower seeds this year. So many people have said the same thing. This is the first year that my sunflower seeds would not come up...and zinnias. Three mexican sunflowers grew...that was a surprise. I need to look up teddy bear sunflowers. They sound fuzzy and pretty. Love you Terry!
DeletePretty butterfly on pretty flowers.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big difference in those two pictures.
Great capture of the spider.
The succulents are looking wonderful.
What a fun collection of succulents. That Mexican sunflower is very pretty, especially with the butterfly sitting on it. Orange is currently one of my favorite garden colors.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing the Winter and Summer photo. :-)
ReplyDeleteThe succulents are doing fantastic.. I know you have a green thumb.
Thank you for sharing the spider, they are important to have in the garden.
xx oo
Carla
I just wanted to thank you for your comment because I have been going through some hard things and you encouraged me. I just noticed from your profile that we both love Pavarotti! And the Mitford books! Thank you again-you helped me at a time that was truly the very minute I needed a lift. Bless you my friend.
ReplyDeleteThe flower is a Tithonia or Mexican Sunflower I used to grow them and yes the butterflies love them:)
ReplyDeleteIt may be just me, but the seasons seem to have passed by very quickly this year. Winter here seems to have barely begun but now it is ending - perhaps I'm feeling like this because our winter has been incredibly mild here this year.
ReplyDeleteLove the colour of your Mexican Sunflower :)
It must be the season for busy orb weavers as we have been seeing them busy on their webs on our hikes. I call the Zipper Spiders because of those crazy webs. How do they do that?!! Your little playhouse is the cutest thing, summer and winter.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is beautiful and so full of life and color! And the Orb-weaver spider is a favorite of mine, and always a welcome addition too, aren't they? ❤
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Hi there! Thank you for visiting my blog. I'm so glad we have connected again. Your garden is lovely. Such beautiful plants for those cuttings! I'll be back to visit more.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice collection of succulents and such a nice price, too. I love your little shed. The summer view was so much more inviting. I am not a winter person.
ReplyDeleteI love your playhouse...and those succulents are so appealing. I just always like them.
ReplyDeleteI tell Roger, the one thing about winter is I don't feel guilty for staying inside and sewing.