White Philippine Violet September 30, 2017

This is a new discovery for me.  I saw it blooming last fall at the Antique Rose Emporium.  I hunted down an employee to ask them what it was.  Barleria, or common name Philippine Violet.  I had never heard of it.  That is why it's good to go to display gardens at various times of the year to see what is blooming.  It is a fall bloomer, and it likes shade.  Two things I really like:  fall bloomers and anything that is a shade plant that blooms.  There is a white variety and a purple variety.  They didn't have any for sale at the Rose Emporium, but I found some at the Arbor Gate.  It is a perennial, not a shrub, although it gets about 3-4 feet by 3 feet every year.  In cold winters it dies to the ground and then comes up from the roots.  It is cold hardy, but last winter the weather dropped 40 degrees in a few hours, and I lost several of the plants I put in - the purple ones, unfortunately.  But I have two white ones at the entrance to the Boardwalk Garden and two in the Star Garden.  I really like them, and I plan on getting the purple variety to plant in the Infinity Garden next spring.  They set seed, so I can start some plants from seed and put some in the Shade Garden as well.

Above, this plant is not yet in bloom, but the light was right for displaying the size of the plant.

Ageratum October 1, 2017

This is Wayside Ageratum which is referred to as a perennial ageratum.  I don't find this to be perennial, as soon as the flower heads turn to seed the plants dries up.  I pull it all up, shake the seeds onto the ground and throw the dead plants away.  Next summer zillions of little plants pop up.  They stay very small through the summer and then in September they make a huge growth spurt and then bloom.

Pringle Aster and Ageratum October 1, 2017

This time of year, my ageratum is blooming everywhere.  It is the same ageratum that grows wild on our property (or I should say it looks exactly like the wild ageratum).  It completely takes over in the Star Garden, and I love it. It looks really pretty with the white Pringle Aster.

Weekend at the Farm September 16, 2017

We babysat Wes and Oliver for the weekend.  We played pirate ship and rocket ship, we swam, we drove around in the cadet, we played in the fort, I threw them into piles of pillows, we played with squirt guns, and other amusements.  Their folks picked them up about 3:30.

• I didn't do much around the place because of my boys.  But I managed to sow a package of Blue Lake green beans in the Vegetable Garden - it's cutting it close to the first freeze, but I will hope for the best.  The beans I sowed last weekend have all popped up.
• Jeff and Amy stopped by in their tractor to pick up their bales of prairie hay.  The man that sold them to us left their bales with me because they were stuck out of town due to the Houston flooding related to hurricane Harvey.
• I had Bert mow a large area of my prairie before the seed in the crab grass was ripe.  Bert and I unwrapped both of the bales I bought and rolled them down the hill.  He took the boys inside and I spread hay for about an hour - a drop in the ocean of what needs to be done.  The crab grass has taken over - the land was cleared so late in the summer that nothing else was going to sprout except crab grass.  It will be many years before I have it under control, unfortunately.  After the boys left I went back outside and sprayed herbicide over some large areas of the tall crab grass that Bert had not mowed.  That's not an ideal plan of attack, but if all that crab grass seed matures I will never get it under control  So whatever I had growing amongst the crab grass, it's a goner as well. 
• Sprayed the Vegetable Garden paths with herbicide.
• I have lots and lots of Painted Lady butterflies in the garden right now.  They love the ageratum.  And there are several Monarchs that are in the garden.  I have a lot of butterfly weed growing just for them, so it's gratifying to see the pretty Monarch butterflies.
• Bert left about 5:00 and went home to Houston since Cosmo was home alone.  I stayed and drove in to work on Monday morning.

A Few More Pictures of Buttercup Turnera September 16, 2017

Fireworks Gomphrena September 16, 2017

This gomphrena gets big and shoots out all over the place, although that is not the reason it is called "Fireworks" gomphrena.  Below, this is one plant, and it is about four feet by four feet wide and tall.  It's name comes from the little golden tips on each floret.  As with all thistle-type flowers, butterflies love them.  This plant gives off a smell that reminds me of hamburgers cooking - just a random personal observation.  At the end of the season let the flowers dry on the plant (they will still retain their color like all "everlastings").  Collect all the flower heads and put them in a sack.  Sow them in the spring and you will have lots of little plants.

Indigo Spires Salvia September 16, 2017

I am being rewarded with a new flush of flowers on my Indigo Spires salvia after cutting them back by half about a month ago.  So pretty, the spikes are about two feet long.  They are loved by the big bumble bees (several varieties buzz around mine).  Those giants of the bee world are always all over my Indigo Spires.  This is one of the tallest varieties of salvia, and, for me, they require staking or they will get pretty floppy.  But they bloom all spring, summer, and fall, so the effort is worth it in my opinion.