26 September 2017

Remnants of Summer


A touch of fall definitely is in the air, but a few flowers in my garden (and in my house) are still pretending it's summer!


































The indoor babies...




The dahlias I planted indoors back in early spring died or fried during Ride the Rockies in June. I bought new bulbs at the local grocery store for $2.99 each and planted them in the same pots. Plants grew, but they did not bloom. (They're still growing, so I haven't completely given up hope...) The first set of bulbs seemed to be fine, so I transplanted them to the garden. The one that received the most sunshine (the white one with blossoms I'd died blue with food coloring) eventually bloomed again!






The last daisy of the year came up after I trimmed down all the spent daisies. I guess it just needed a little sun of its own.


Marigolds are the harbinger of autumn, and portions of my garden are teeming with orange and red. The one plant I put in my whiskey barrel planter next to the garage, far from the main garden, resulted in hundreds of plants all over the place, including in the French drains where nothing is supposed to grow!






I spent one evening after work de-flowering every single marigold in my yard for a dye pot and to attempt to make sure the entire garden isn't all marigolds next year. Two weeks later, I had just as many new blossoms, so I made a second jar of marigold dye, which currently is solar-cooking on the patio railing in the sun every day. I'm trying to eek what color I can out of the first jar, too, after preparing my first jar of marigold dye.




I would not have expected the color I seem to be getting! I think it looks a bit like spaghetti!!!






I also attempted to pollinate my new giant hibiscus, which Lizard bought for me at the Farmer's Market about six weeks ago. It's the showpiece of the neighborhood, and passersby frequently ask if they can photograph the tremendous blossoms.




Alas, my pollination efforts seem to have been for naught. But that's okay. Now that blossoming is done, we're transplanting the huge plant into the backyard next to the itty bitty hibiscus that came with the house.




Both hibiscus varieties got a dye jar of their own.


All I need now is some time to wind some new hanks of white prepared-for-dyeing yarn!

4 comments :

  1. Sure got many ready to use and dye away. Would think it is the middle of summer at your bay. Works for me, prolongs the snow, hopefully.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha, Pat! Just wait 'told you see tomorrow's post!!!

      Delete
  2. Gorgeous photos. Frame worthy! I like how you made spaghetti out of yarn, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha ha! You should see it in the second jar of dye now, Sandy. It still looks like spaghetti, but it looks kind of pretty, too!

      Delete


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