Fibermania

Garden Discovery Walk

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Lots of things are appearing that surprise me.

1. Last year we grew Giant Pumpkins in the worst possible spot and were lucky to get just one big fruit. But then we didn't have the interest in doing anything with it, so the plant got tossed aside at the end of the season, and we kept the pumpkin on the porch until it froze and then we just tossed it into the yard to decompose. Well, who would think that it would self seed. We have a lot to learn, because now we have a volunteer pumpkin climbing up the 'Suez Canal' feature that we built earlier this year.

2. The Echinops Ritro which is blooming! I didn't know much about this plant that I originally saw in Switzerland, and had to have in my garden. So now I know that it is a flower, not just an interesting seed head. Hmm.

3. I transplanted/rescued a sedum from the shade garden since its roots had been eaten away by the stinkin' voles, and put it in the lasagna bed. Somehow, with it another plant was in the same earth clump. It looks to be a Black-Eyed Susan, which must have been seeded at the nursery. Wherever it came from I am happy to have another flower, even by accident. I think by next week we should see the flowers.

4. OK this is no surprise, a big fat red lily. But I had to include it because its so beautiful. The stalk has five big flowers and the rain knocked it down so into a vase it went.

We have lots of wild black raspberries on the hill and I considered them a weed, a mean weed with lots of thorns, but this year we have had adequate rains and the berries are HUGE and sweet, so I am reevaluating them. I already ate the biggest ones, so no photos of those.

In case I hadn't mentioned it before, and you know I have, the frogs LOVE the lily pads, and here is a photo to prove it. Five frogs all lounging about in total peace. In the center is a plastic marker which came with the plant so we could tell where it was tossed into the pond.

And I was super lucky to have come across this teeny one inch long froggie, who is trying to be invisible. This fellow lives in the yard along with ten zillion others who serenade us LOUDLY all night. It's a frog orgy here at the Mexican Chalet.