July Begets Hydrangeas and Hosta Blooms

Hi there everyone!   It's official...we are moving.  We just got word yesterday morning that our house sold.  Possession dates are yet to be determined for the new owners and for our new home. Though good byes are sure to be tearful, our new home offers opportunity aplenty for this gardener.  There is a lot of landscaping to do...tearing out poorly planned deckside plantings, removal of a couple dead trees, and ultimately a complete makeover of the front and back yards.  Photos will come later, I promise.  In the meantime, lets take a walk around my current back garden while I psych myself up for the good-byes.

 The juxtaposition of Summer Wine Ninebark and Pink Diamond Hydrangea offers a pleasing contrast of colour and foliage.  

 This has been our favourite feature in the garden!!  Our son M installed it a few years ago and we still love to sit by the fire pit and enjoy the gentle tumble of water over rocks.  This will be missed the most!

 Pink Diamond Hydrangea  -  how I will miss you!  Just as you are coming in to your own, bushing out and blooming your heart out, I will be leaving you behind.  Hopefully the new owners are gardeners!

 Hostas at the side of the house have grown enormous!  Apparently this is the perfect area for them!

 This amur maple seeded itself so I potted it up.  I am still undecided as to whether it will go with me to the new house or not.

 Big leaf hydrangeas such as Endless Summer (above) tend to wilt in the heat of the afternoon sun, even as far north as we are.  And still no blooms!!  

 This planter will be situated on the front deck at the new house.  The nice thing is, the Karl Foerster grass planted here is perennial and it will be planted into the new yard at summer's end.

Memories....light the corners of my mind......

There's a Nip in the Air and Conclusions

There is no doubt that it is officially autumn.  When I left for work this morning at 6 am it was only 2 degrees Celsius, barely above freezing.  There are quite a few barren-esk (I take the liberty to make my own word here) trees in the city already.  Rumour has it it is more to do with an abnormally dry fall than the temperatures or the decreasing day light hours.  

Maples are showing off their striking frocks, celebrating the briskness of the air, while the Pink Diamond Hydrangea is now truly pink.  The peonies leaves are vibrant in red and the deep purple of the Schubert Chokecherry is a strong contrast juxtaposed with the yellow foliage of the neighbouring trees.  It is beautiful, no doubt, as every season has its beauty.  Last week we had day time temperatures near and just above 30 degrees Celsius.  Today it is only 18 with a strong cool wind, another contrast that marks the change of seasons.  To everything...turn, turn, turn.......

While you are here, please be sure to drop by for a visit with Glenda at Tootsie Time to see what's new in her neck of the woods as she hosts Fertilizer Friday/Flaunt Your Flowers.

In case you were wondering, my Endless Summer Hydrangea did not flower this year though it grew to almost double its size of last year.  As you may recall I moved it to a sunny bed where it grows luxuriously, though it wilts during the heat of the day.  Perhaps next year will be the year it decides to bloom again.  Fingers crossed.

Paper Pots Product Trial Update:  I found this to be a satisfactory planting solution for my Lemon Boy Tomato.  The plant grew tall and healthy, produced a few good tasty fruit, and is still going strong.  If it weren't for the tendency to retain moisture, which isn't a good thing when you are beating rainfall records, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.  If it holds up, I will try it again next year but will add a few drainage holes to see if it works better.  All in all, I was pleased with this product.

In My Neighbourhood

My neighbour's Endless Summer Hydrangea is blooming.  Our soil is alkaline, here in Edmonton, so the bloom is pink.  Hers is blooming but mine isn't.  Hmmm.  Could be the move last autumn from part-shade to full sun.  Mine didn't bloom last year so I decided it needed more sun.  We'll see.

Near the ravine, several homeowners plant beyond their fences.  Here a homeowner planted pumpkin, I think.  Several others plant flowers or raspberries.

A huge mushroom.  I've seen a lot of these and other fungi this summer.  They love all this rain.

My favourite back yard in the area, above.  This one backs onto the ravine as well.

Another neighbour is growing this pretty little poppy in the front garden.  I like how this photo captures the flower in its different stages of opening.

Liatris is starting to bloom, while the groundcover, Lamium, is complementary in pink.

Dwarf Alberta Spruce in spiral form.  A few neighbours thought this was a good idea this spring.  Not all have fared as well as these, though, turning brown before summer is even done.  I hope they weren't expensive.

The gorgeous maple!!  It is the beginning of August and this pretty tree was already in full finery by the end of July.  Such a beautiful tree!

She loves her flowers!  Look at all these planters!  I'd love to see her back garden!

One of the most beautiful small landscape trees, the Russian Olive, flowers late spring and the scent is divine.  Love the foliage of soft grey/green which hangs on well into the winter.  Look at the furrows in the bark!  This tree's bark darkens over the years, sometimes looking rather charcoal which is a lovely combination with the foliage.

What's blooming in your neighbourhood?  Do you take your camera with you when you walk your dogs?  (like I sometimes do)