A Few More Flowers and So Many Seeds

There are still a few more flowers blooming in the garden. This is one of the last golden glows shining in the sunlight. Opportunities for nectar and pollen are getting to be few and far between.  A late migrating Monarch butterfly was seen trying to feed on a fallen brown leaf yesterday.

This Sedum sieboldi that is planted on the top of Ed's stone wall is just beginning to bloom. It has always been a late bloomer here.

Another division of the same plant which grows in the garden instead of on top of the wall has not yet begun to open. If these beautiful sunny fall days continue it will get its chance to bloom too.

There is by no means a shortage of seeds in the garden. Some of them are welcome. They will provide food for the birds and other wildlife over the coming winter and plants I love will return again. Some of them are weeds always destined for removal. These seeds are from Grandpa Ott morning glories.    Last year the plants purchased from Select Seeds were gorgeous.  Reported to be the flower that started the Seed Saver Exchange I actually saved seed for Ed to plant.  This spring Ed started some of these seeds in the basement.  I even gave some of these heirloom seeds to friends. It has been my experience that morning glory seeds here are annual. That is when the cold comes the plants and the seeds are dead a  door nail. I was not pleased this spring when hundreds  thousands of morning glory plants popped up all around the area where the Grandpa Otts were planted. They climbed and wound around any plant nearby like nasty little pythons choking the life out of its victim.   I have been pulling them all summer. I'm pulling more now. I'm trying to gather  and get rid of all the seeds I can find, but I know I have not seen the last of Grandpa Ott. To my friends who received these seeds from me as a gift I have to say, " Sorry, I had no idea! "

Fogged In

The exact weather events of last night remain a mystery.  We awoke to find the garden all wrapped in fog with temperatures in the 30's.  Precisely where in the 30's the temperature was would have required a trip out onto the cold wet deck since the thermometer cannot be seen from inside of the house.  Whether we had freeze or frost during the night will not be known.  Neither of us wanted to know bad enough to venture outside.

Cold damaged plants were common.  These pole bean leaves show some damage while some leaves remain green and alive.  Under or behind other leaves was a safe location.  Frost is more strongly forecast for tonight so all of the cold sensitive plants should be dead tomorrow.

Last night's cold kept the mosquitoes in hiding until late afternoon.  Those flying about seemed to lack a clear purpose.  They were easy to capture in midair.   With any luck tonight's cold will diminish their numbers even more.

These October Skies asters were a new purchase this year.  The catalog photo shows a lighter brighter blue coloration.  Last night's cold had no effect on them at all.  They remain a bright spot in the garden.