Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, August 20

Happy August, everybody! How is the weather treating you? I think the photo above looks cool and inviting. And professionally planted:

Hi KT - I had to take a picture of my backyard today, before the whole thing goes to pot in the fall...this place can be a mess when the seasons turn - lots of trees.

But the flowers Mrs Boswell planted back there are loving it right now ...

Boswell

What a lovely scene!

Looks like there might be some Vinca in there (unless I'm seeing Impatiens). I love this close-up from Pilot:

"Summer afternoon--summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language." - Henry James

Petunias and vinca may be common annuals found at every suburban nursery or "big box" store, but when the dog days of summer hit, their hardiness and colorful blooms are much appreciated.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Hi KT and gardening enthusiasts! It's sunflower season again. I haven't had a lot of luck with my seedlings this year-too many squirrels and rabbits. I have grown a few good ones that are blooming and producing lots of seeds. Mr. L is my sizing example of how tall these flowers have gotten-he is six feet tall so those flowers are getting to the 10-11' range. Now if I can just keep the squirrels from climbing up to eat them.

Thanks for all you do!
Mrs. Leggy

Impressive! Makes me feel small.

Ah, Nature

A contented bee on Russian Sage. It's still hot in eastern Nebraska but Fall weather can't be far away, can it?

A Midwest Lurker

Great photo!

Below, a not-so- nice aspect of nature that MarkY thought we might want to be aware of: Fibromas in deer. "Gross, but meh.":

Fibromas (Papillomas, Warts)

Commonly Infected Wildlife
There are many mammal species that can be affected by fibromas.

Is This Animal Infected?
Infected animals have hairless growths on their skin.

These growths are variable in color, texture, number, and size (from a dime to a baseball), and often found around eyes and neck but may also be on the body or legs.

Can I Get It?
No. People cannot be infected with this type of wart. . .

Protect Myself and Others
Affected tissue is unappetizing.
Once infected tissue has been trimmed away, meat can be properly cooked and eaten.

Safe for Pets?
Yes. After trimming away affected tissue, and properly cooking the meat, it is safe for pets to eat.

What Causes It?
A virus in the Papovaviridae family. Fibromas typically do not cause adverse effects to the animals unless their size or location interferes with normal body functions such as sight, eating, respiration, and locomotion.

We had a fairly intense storm the other day, and when I came home, there was something on the mat outside the door. A closer look--

I know they're pests to many, but they are darned cute.

Thank you!

BeckoningChasm

Awwww . . .

Gardens of The Horde

Lirio100 sent these a while ago. Hope things are going well now:

These are before and after pictures of my garden. I broke my leg twice in the last ten years (yes, I am a klutz) and lost control after porcelain berry and native Dutchman's pipe got established from bird dropped seed (I assume--I didn't plant them!). I had a landscaper go scorched earth while I chanted there's always next year. There were some casualties but I know what got lost and while be re-planting in the next few weeks.

Saving any existing plants?

Not the Dutchman's pipe! There were azalea and weigela bushes under all that!. i admit I committed the crime of over planting years ago; had a mock orange in one corner that took over too and a huge clump of false indigo. Most of my smaller plants were shaded out, like a clump of lungwort.. I did like the porcelain berry and suspect I'll have some come up from the root but if it does it will be kept strictly under control. I did order wine cups, bletilla, and yarrow to replant now but otherwise I'm waiting to see if anything resurfaces. The last couple of years particularly I'm afraid a lot of my plants were shaded out. It took a team of three men three hours plus to clear it all out.

What a lot of work! And what a difference!

From Don in Kansas, Think Pink

Pink!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

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Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, August 13

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

posted by K.T. at 01:24 PM

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