No Overnight Frost

Our favorite local weatherman has been warning all week of an overnight low temperature for last night in the high twenties.  Yesterday he softened his prediction and we awoke this morning to find no white grass anywhere in sight.  As we were sitting looking out on our still alive garden, a large hawk approached the lawn.  With every wing and tail feather spread and erect, the majestic bird silently and rapidly fell toward the ground.  Light from the low rising sun illuminated the underside of the hawk.  This light phase red tail displayed a golden glow in the morning light.  Our motion inside the window might have spooked the hawk as it shifted from its motionless descent to active flight and flew to a perch in a nearby tree.

Seeing a hawk in its dive for prey is something I have always wanted to see.  I imagined the bird diving like a bullet with its wings tucked tightly by its side snatching prey as it opened its wings and rocketed skyward.  What we saw this morning was nothing like what I expected to see.  Wings and tail were motionless but fully spread as the hawk quickly dropped toward the ground.  Prey snatch did not happen since we distracted the hawk.  We did get to see details in color and markings illuminated by long low morning light.   This was likely the best hawk sighting that we will ever experience.

Trying to grow moon flowers, Ipomoea alba, here in zone 4 is a piece of gardening foolishness that we try year after year.  Had last night's predicted frost occurred we would have had nothing but dead vine.  As it is, our first moon flower buds will likely open.  A noisy, to alert feeding skunks of our presence, trip into the garden long after dark will be rewarded with the sight and scent of a newly opened moon flower blossom.  Near full moon light tonight will add greatly to this experience.

Magical Moonflower

I had to be up early this morning, and as I dressed in the bedroom,something white caught my eye out in the garden. What I saw was a big surprise! After the weather we have had, I had all but given up on the idea that the moonflower would bloom this year. It's really out of its zone here.I buy plants every year anyway. Some years I get flowers , some years I don't. The huge white flowers that open at night and send out their fabulous fragrance are worth the chance to me, so I grow it and hope.

I dressed and went out to the garden to get a picture, and took a long wonderful inhale of its fabulous perfume. It was a magical day brightener in spite of I was about to do.

You just have to love country living! Early in this LONG... weekend we discovered that we had a dead mouse in the ventilation system of the car. I say discovered. You could smell the thing without even getting in the car. The morning of the second day there were cat footprints on the hood. Yuck, I thought cats liked fresh mice.

With the temperature in the forties, I put on my jacket, rolled down the windows, and drove the half hour necessary to the reach the car dealership.I took a barf bag with me just in case. Two hours and $100 later I came back home. Thank goodness the removal was a success! By the time I got back the moonflower had faded. I knew it would, they only get one night to show off their magical beauty and fragrance. There are more buds on the vine. I will be watching for flowers now. I won't miss a chance to sit out on the bench after dark to get the full benefit of the moonflower again. I can always use a little magic especially if it smells terrific!

Waiting For My Mum

It's been frost every night here and so I've been covering this Chinese chrysanthemum. Maybe that bud is getting bigger, but it's very slow going. Tonight it's warmer and rain is predicted so no cover will be needed. I also have a cut branch in a south facing window. One way or another I would like to see a flower.

The rest of the tender plants are on their own. Many of them are on the compost. More of them are headed there. The squash and tomato vines are awaiting their cremation. The moon flower vine is slimy. Getting it off the wire trellis is disgusting to the touch. Then there is the stench. Yuck! I wish I had just pulled it up before. I knew it would never flower. Oh well, that's what rubberized gloves are for.

Impossible Deadline

I'm a hopeless sucker for Moon flowers. The huge white trumpets that open in the evening and release their exotic scent fascinate me. Here in zone 5 planting moon flowers is a little like buying a lottery ticket. Last year I was a winner. I got to gaze out my window and see those beautiful white blooms in the moonlight. I got to sit on the garden bench and inhale that sweet aroma. This year I'm afraid the deadline will not be met. As you can see the bud is there but tiny. According to the current weather forecast, we might have a week. I don't think the plant can manage it. I doubt if this disappointment will stop me. When I see Moon flowers in the nursery I can't resist them. I'm always sure next year will be better!