Fertilizer Friday - October 16

Happy Friday everyone! Please join me and our host Tootsie over at Tootsie Time for another edition of Fertilizer Friday.

It's mid-October already and this weekend we are expecting a Nor' Easter and a dusting of snow. Around my yard there's not much blooming and the houseplants have been taken in for the season, but thankfully the mums are still doing really well.


The coleus tilt-a-whirl hasn't been affected by the cold yet. I'm planning on propagating this one.



I found this leaf really interesting with the bug-eaten holes.



Shades of red and burgundy are all around us this time of year. The sumac fruit is so vibrant.




There are lots of rose hips on the side of the road and especially around the beaches.



Wildflowers always make me happy especially in fall. I found these growing in the backyard.





I'm still amazed this zinnia is around. I've really got to gather up some seeds from it - if it ever would stop raining.

Fertilizer Friday

It's Fertilizer Friday! Please join me and our host Tootsie over at Tootsie Time to see what's blooming on a mid-summer's day.


In my garden the foxgloves this time of year are standing tall and proud, but I love to get up close and look at all the bright dots inside.


A cluster of delphinium blooms bursts with color, but the white center of a single one reminds me of a ruffle on a dress.


The spikes of a Russian Sage are always an invitation to butterflies and bees.


Yellow primrose is all over my garden. I let it naturalize because I enjoy the sunny show.


Here it is up against the moss of an oak tree in the shade garden...


Peeking out between the hostas...


A nice contrast against the feathery red of an astilble...

Happy Friday everyone!

Fertilizer Friday - Cheery Cosmos

It's Fertilizer Friday! Please join me and our host Tootsie over at Tootsie Time and enjoy all the wonderful blooms and lush greenery.

For this week's installment I'd like to welcome you to my Cosmos patch.





Cosmos are a cheerful cottage flower that stand out in wildflower mixes. They are one of my favorite annuals because they are so easy to grow. I adore the bright large blooms, tall stature, and ferny foliage.

Look at this quaint cottage garden on Martha's Vineyard.


This is what I think of when I see Cosmos. I took this picture a few years back when we were visiting the island. It don't remember exactly where the picture was taken but I do know it was outside of an inn. You can see the chef standing on the steps taking a break from cooking. Imagine how lovely it would be to stay there.

Cosmos stand tall in a cottage garden. Depending on the variety they can reach anywhere from 3 - 6 feet tall. Some are bushy while others need staking. Cosmos love full sun and are drought tolerant. They are great in areas with poor soil. If you plant them in soil that is too rich and moist they will get lanky and not bloom as well. As an added benefit Cosmos are also pest and disease resistant. Now that's my kind of plant!



Cosmos are usually the centerpiece of my container plantings. They do well with other sun-loving annuals and drought-tolerant perennials like Echinacea, Zinnia, Lavender, Dianthus, Rosemary, Sweet Potato Vine and Thyme. This year I decided to plant them in the ground along my front walkway. I'm so glad I did because I love the way they sway in mass when gentle breezes blow by.



I always purchase my Cosmos from the local nursery but next year I'm going to grow them from seed. The seeds look like pine needles and are one of the easiest to grow so it's worth it for me to give it shot.



Did you know that the word Cosmos is derived from the Greek word meaning "balanced universe. " What a perfect name for one of the most perfect annuals!



Finally to wrap up this week's Fertilizer Friday I'm sending all my blog readers a big beautiful bouquet of peonies.



Thank you all so much for visiting my blog, adding great comments, sending me wonderful emails, and offering up this newbie gardener great advice.

Happy Friday!!

Fertilizer Friday

It's Fertilizer Friday! Yippee the weekend is almost here! Please join me and our host Tootsie over at Tootsie Time and enjoy all the wonderful blooms and lush greenary.

I gave my clematis a bit more fertilizer and I've been spraying it with Safer Fungicide. It seems to be recovering from whatever fungus it had. It dropped a ton of leaves, but is holding its own. I don't think it's as serious as wilt so I'm keeping my fingers crossed since it's still budding.

This lemon-lime colored dead nettle is one of my all time favorites in the shade garden. It doesn't produce much in the way of flowers except these little delicate purple buds, but I love the impact of the color in the dark shaded areas.

My iris is still blooming. Here are two different kinds. I wish I knew what variety they are but I don't since I inherited them.





Here's another unknown flower. It does well in part shade and its leaves reminds me of phlox but its flowers look more like bachelor buttons. If anyone knows what this is please tell me.

A pretty purple-pink spray of garden plhox.

Hardy geranium is so lovely in my cottage garden. Nothing seems to bother it and it blooms almost until frost. Love this plant!

I only have 3 roses and all of them are a problem for me. They are not disease or pest resistant, and I don't know the species since I inherited them. I have to really struggle to keep them going but one of the plants produces the most beautiful yellow blooms. I spray with all kinds of things and rose slugs just seem to get to it every year before I do. BT and spinosad works for the rose slugs but it's usually too late by then and the foliage is a mess. Inspite of everything I still have these lovely bursts of color, which makes me reluctant to pull it up.

I went out in the rain yesterday and staked up the peonies. It's not my best staking job but everything is up off the ground. Yeah!!! This plant is over 4 feet high and 4 1/2 feet wide. I'll get some more wide shots hopefully this weekend when the sun is out and more is in bloom.


Here are close ups of several different peonies I have around the garden beds.

Happy Friday everyone!!!