Winter Comes Suddenly and Treacherously

Kansas Country Garden

November 2015

We have enjoyed a long, mild autumn.  On Thanksgiving I was pleased to find that the sage plant had not yet frozen meaning that I could add fresh sage to the dressing, something I don't recall doing other years. A gentle, much needed rain began to fall. We were thankful. 

Worth Doing: Save your Sweet Potato Vines for Next Year

Kansas Country Garden

It's coming! You knew it was. We all do. One day soon there will be a freeze and the garden will be over. As that day approaches a scramble ensues. 

Pick the last of the veggies! Prepare houseplants to return indoors! Save the ornamental sweet potatoes for next years vines!

Preparing for a winter inside

Farewell to Summer

Zinnias add a splash of color and charm to the garden

A Kansas Country Garden

September 2015

We bid farewell to summer with a mixture of relief and regret. It was a wonderful summer, but I should have gotten a few more projects done. Leaving blistering temperatures behind is easier than knowing that the relaxed summer schedule is coming to an end.  But I have to admit that the approaching autumn is a delightful time of the year. 

Summer Slump

Old fashioned phlox need to be well-watered to thrive. Less water won't kill them, but they will not look good. 

Tiger lilies contrast with cheerful hibiscus. 

A Kansas Country Garden

August 2015

All is not wonderful in the mid-summer garden. Unlike spring when each day is a new adventure in the garden and new things continually pop into bloom, summer moves a little slower and a little harder. 

June Ushers in a Splendid Summertime

A contrast in daylilies with the tall single orange towering over the Stella De Oro with cheerful Shasta daisies in the foreground. 

A Kansas Country Garden

May 2015

I am pleased that these lilies have multiplied over the years.

There is both a sameness and a newness as summer begins in our country garden.  Many plants have been in our garden for years breeding familiarity but never contempt. Perhaps that is because their visit is short and never quite the same.  Each year is unique. Even in the best years, there are plants that fail to thrive. Even in the worst years, there are pockets of loveliness.