It's been stormy this fall, more so than usual I'd say. The ocean has been kicked up, and they say the great whites are migrating by our coast, which helps dampen my yearning to surf again. Proper sour grapes.
Cold and wet times, making the cats miserable, even with the straw houses I made for them. All nevertheless take advantage...except the diva.
Julie's mandevilla is hanging in there, as is the bleeding heart.
The jury's still out on the muntingia, and yes, this time it really is a muntingia and not a willow I'm babying, thinking it's a muntingia. The two fake-muntingia willows are jamming on the west side, and I'm glad. Willows soak up a lot of rain, and that's something we have had no shortage of.
What's really suffering is the fig. Rust is likely the culprit. From what I've read, it probably won't kill the tree or jeopardize the fruit. It just looks awful as the leaves have turned brown and are falling off, making a scene not unlike this Caravaggio.
A better answer to this season is Keats' To Autumn. It's kept coming to mind.
A surprise voluntary petunia and a wealth of clown flowers have given much delight.
Very few of the daylilies bloomed this summer, which is a clear cry for dividing. So I spent the good part of a month digging up the cottage's east side, culling out the bloody paperwhites and making a bed of daylilies, montauk daisies, and cornflowers. I've also revived the love rose and put 2 lantanas and a confederate rose mallow on the southeast corner. We'll see how they do.
Anybody wants paperwhites, help yourself to the buckets full of bulbs at the southeast corner of the cottage. Take all you want. I'd be happy never to see them again.
I still intend to create a rain garden between the sidewalk in front and the street.
Still researching how to do this and what plants to put in. It looks like the following have a good chance of thriving:
- Seashore Mallow Kosteletskya
- Muhly Grass
- Common Milkweed
- Washington Hawthorn
- Pink Musk Mallow
- Iris Siberica Caesar's Brother
- Aster carolinianus (Climbing Aster)
