Wet Saturday Morning in my Garden

It is a wet and cloudy Saturday / Lauantai morning, yet warmer than the previous days.

I’ll take you on a tour in my September garden. Our house is situated
in the middle of the property. First we look at the terrace and lawn side to the west.

I cut down this parthenocissus in July, too late actually.

But it has grown beautifully to the arch. Behind you see an Aralia elata 

showing already some autumn color.

This thuja ’Smaragd’ was growing in a big pot on the terrace and

I planted it into the ground yesterday. Also lime mummularias have been planted

in the ground for winter. I use them in the sommer in big pots with summer flowers.

Behind the thuja and aralia there is our small lawn and a rose shrub area. And my flat granite.

I got these two big rocks from the opposite neighbour when they were building their house.

To the left from the granite there is another rose shrub area with sedums in front of them.

In front of our terrace there is a flower border. Right now Symphyotrichum novi-belgii is 

blooming beautifully but  Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster’ is not totally open yet.

At the other side of the garden there is a little pool, a lot of different shrubs and planting areas, 

no lawn, only paths. There is also a pergola with Humulus lupulus ’Aurea’ and parthenocissus.

I wish you liked the tour. As Saturday is in Finnish Lauantai, my

photos suit for Tom’s Weekend Roundup starting with ’L’!
And my favourite would be the expression Lazy Saturday - Lazy Lauantai :))
Sorry, have to combine these two languages!

// THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

// SOMMERGLÜCK

Six Photos of Summer 2019

Now that the summer is over it is time to look back to the lovely summer days. In my archives there are hundreds of photos of which I chose today critters. I’m not specialiced in photographing critters, but I searched what I have captured last summer. And it seems: mostly bumblebees!

Centaurea montana / June

Eryngium alpinum / July

Veronicastrum virginicum / August

Ligularia przewalskii / August

Echinops bannaticus / August

This the utmost bee & bumblebee magnet in my garden, so as the final photo

their busy buzz in a collage from last year.

As an extra my edit of my blog friend Jutta’s photo. 

I added only a bit of sharpness and colour.

Wishing you all a happy weekend!
 ❤︎

// SATURDAY’S CRITTERS
// SOMMERGLÜCK

Welcome for a Green Visit!

At he moment my garden is more green than blooming. When we moved here, there were no plants, no hedges, no nothing, only lawn in a bad condition. My aim was to bring green and different shades & shapes of foliage, and that’s what I have now.

It was a lovely August day today, and I was out in the garden replanting for hours. I feel thankful for my health and for the fact that I still have muscle power to dig, dig and dig! I’m thankful for my husband also, who helped me to clear from weeds and unwanted plants one spot in the garden. It is ready for planting - think of bare virgin soil! and the planting is going to happen tomorrow!

 I don’t know the name of this Veronica, but it is beautiful, pretty high 

and stands straight without  support.

Clematis integrifolia ’Petit Faucon’ has bloomed for weeks.

It needs support and its seedheads are very decorative.

This cream white Aconitum looks really beautiful against the dark-leaved ’Diabolo’.

Behind also a row of Rodgersia aesculifolia.

Was plant shopping for the autumn recently...

Still some solitary rose blooming among the reddening rose hips...
This is Rosa rugosa ’Rotes Meer’.

Although plastic, this pair of ducks looks cute swimming in my garden pond :)

// THANKFUL THURSDAY
// WILLY-NILLY
// SOMMERGLÜCK

Wishing More Butterflies to Visit!

I visited a garden center and found there a group of Coreopsis grandiflora ’Early Sunrise’.

The spot with their pots was whirling with butterflies, mostly Aglais urticae,

but I saw also Vanessa atalanta, but it was too quick for me.

I simply had to buy a few plants to my garden, although yellow is not the colour I want.

I replaced with Coreopsis the previous annuals in big pots on the terrace stairs 

and shall later plant them to the ground.

I have a ’nursery’ for Sedum Herbstfreude. In two years they grow from tiny pieces

to handsome plants. This size costed 9.90 € in a garden center.

This summer I have planted approximately 30 of them - quite lot of money!

Wishing you all a sunny weekend!

// SATURDAY’S CRITTERS

// SOMMERGLÜCK
// WEDNESDAY AROUND THE WORLD

Garden Joys of the Week

From 32 C to 18 C feels pretty chilly. Someone asked wether this cold weather is normal

 in Finland. I would say not, but our temperatures vary a lot. I’m glad it has been cooler, 

because we are desperately in need of rain. I don’t put my hands on a hose, but now I have had to!
This week the garden has offered still plenty of joys: 

1) A lonely baby bird has watched me in the garden at half a meter’s distance several mornings!
It bounces around me so that I have to be careful and not step on it. 

At first I thought the bird was injured, but no. It can fly, at least short distances, 

but likes to be around me & watch what I’m doing. He was there this morning too when
I was weeding my herb garden. He is so cute ❤︎  
Free photo online - because I do not do bird photos.

2) Harvest has continued: basil, parsley, dill, chives... And cherries - we got lot of them. 

My husband took the ladder and picked, I cooked & freezed the juice in small portions 

for cherry quark - it is delicious and allowed when sweetened with stevia.

3) Flowers of course, and bees and bumblebees! 

I see a butterfly only occasionally and that is a pity.

Echinops bannaticus flowers are not yet fully open but still bumblebees are interested in them!

This collage is from last August.

What are you up to this weekend? I have still some cherry cooking to do.

// SOMMERGLÜCK
// SATURDAY'S CRITTERS
// MAKROTEX - August, elokuu