Pre-Autumn Porch -

 

OK, if I have to stay here for autumn's arrival I can at least start on a little

 decorating to cheer up the now so tired summer look. All was looking dead, 

dreary and downright boring! 

It didn't take much effort this morning.  All I did was pull on the new

 golden IKEA pillow covers, and go to the potting shed and sort through

 out-of-season stuff tucked away at the back of shelves. I found the pretty

 china Italian pitcher and the glass light in fall colors. This ball is filled with

 mini lights and is battery operated with a 5 hr. timer. Set just as dusk falls,

the evening hours on the porch are brightened.

My Christmas cactus has spent summer on the porch. It was doing nothing

 on the dining room table, seemed in a state of dormancy with never a bloom. 

Now it appears to have some new growth and looks a lot healthier so will

 stay there until cold weather arrives, perhaps in October.

The new plant, picked up yesterday at LIDL for just $6, is a Petra Croton. 

I've never owned one before but seeing the display of perfect colors for

 the porch, I grabbed one!  Crotons are interesting plants and can grow

 really tall as houseplants. I'm only planning to use it outdoors through

 the fall months, perhaps hide it in the potting shed over winter and see

 if it survives.

Have you ever grown a croton?

"What makes homeowners love Petra Croton is its incredible coloration—deep green leaves with variegated, multicolored veins in bright red, orange, and yellow. If you have room to fill, the Petra Croton houseplant will make that space shine, growing 6-8' high. You can also keep shorter by topping it in spring. This plant will only need water when the soil begins to dry out. Otherwise, it likes humid environments and an occasional misting of its leaves. Be sure to keep in a warm spot in the winter time, and be careful when moving it. Too much motion causes it to drop some leaves, but don't panic, just stick to the watering and lighting requirements and it'll bounce back fast. Petra doesn't only add mood-lifting beauty to your home. As it grows, it helps purify the air, too! "  Michigan Bulb Co.   

 

Now if only the weather would change, bring us some cooler temperatures

 and rain, we could sit out and enjoy the porch again!

Meanwhile thoughts are with everyone along the Gulf Coast in the path of

 yet another possibly catastrophic hurricane - be vigilant, stay safe.

Green, green grass of home . . . .

You just can't have it all!

You want green grass, you have to embrace rain.

I understand because I grew up in mostly soft falling English rain and

 our grass was always green!

A costly built-in sprinkler system helps, standing for hours with a 

hand held version helps somewhat.

But the real thing is always the best for the garden.

RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. . . . . . . . falling from ominous grey clouds and dark skies, 

and how we are getting it here in the southeast US this unusual spring. 

We are already 3 inches above normal rainfall this month and today, starting

 mid-afternoon and continuing through the evening/night hours, we could be

 caught yet again in a severe weather pattern of thunderstorms and more heavy rain.

The fig tree leaves are really opening now - I swear I can see them unfurling

if I stare hard enough!

A handsome male House finch sheltering from the rain on the front porch -

look at those long claws!

The rain is helping wash away a lot of the pollen which is good.

The Japanese maple,  Acer palmatum var.dissectum'Viridis'

is looking fabulous.  My efforts of a light pruning on some branches

in late winter, seem to have helped. 

This was another tree from an 18 inch pot planted some years ago

which has done really well. Of course I am a 'tree whisperer' of sorts, always

talking to them each season and feeding them well!

However, they are still hell bent in draping their loveliness over the grass - making

 the 'mower man' quite upset. He reseeded last fall and new grass has come

in where it was rather bare under the tree. Perhaps with warmer days and

 sunshine those lower branches will lift a bit and the new grass will be safe!

Sorry, I sound like a broken record going on about so much rain.

 We are now promised bright sunshine for Monday and Tuesday,

  Perhaps we can enjoy Easter without rain boots. 

My sandals are at the ready!

Wet Saturday, Chickadees and Azaleas. . . . . .

A somewhat unwelcome Saturday morning. 

Rain pouring nonstop. 

Newly bloomed azaleas battered to the ground.

After a scary evening yesterday with rain, flash flooding, hail and

 a tornado warning, all within a few miles of us, we don't need more water.

Thankfully though we sustained no damage here.

A pair of chickadees have been checking the little bird house on the front porch for

 a couple of weeks, however, this year it appears they've decided to build a nursery 

elsewhere. There is no sign of a nest. I even attached a little ball of dryer

lint which I thought they might use. April is moving along quickly and I really

 think they would have moved in by now.

We haven't shopped for our annual hanging Boston ferns for these empty

 baskets yet - but they are on the 'to do' list for a trip to the garden center

on a much drier day.

The fig tree seems to like all this rain, I notice the leaves this morning seem

 more lush and fuller, and the bluebells are standing tall.

Our rain is predicted to last all day, tapering off around 7 PM - which is good as we 

have a theatre date for 8 PM. 

The production of "Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery" is apparently a

humorous adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's scary story "The Hound of

 the Baskervilles" which is set on often fog-shrouded Dartmoor in Devon,

 just a few miles from my English home. 

My favorite, and I have masses of them, all planted many years ago . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . the George Tabor Azalea is one of the best of the sun and

 heat-tolerant evergreen Azaleas. Beautiful evergreen, premier shrub

 for use as hedge, screen or massed planting for a truly 

impressive color display.

Hope your weekend brings sunshine and you are able to get outside

and enjoy some fun in the fresh air.