Right this minute there are a few corners of our garden that look especially nice. They are fairly weed-free thanks to the diligent work of Mary Fluaitt and yours truly, and I can view them with my back to the sadness of the spent rhododendron blossoms around the yard’s perimeter. For a few fancy-filled moments yesterday, I wondered how I might capture the color and beauty so that it will be there a few months hence.
Nyel and I will be celebrating our twenty-fifth anniversary in mid-September with an Oysterville Croquet and Champagne Gala redo. We were married in a surprise (well, not to us) ceremony at one of our Croquet Galas and we thought it fitting to celebrate in similar fashion. However, in those days, my folks were still in the house and my dad always had the garden in apple-pie order,
We could count on the September garden to be ablaze with dahlias and, of course, there was never a weed in sight. Dad was a rose and dahlia kind of guy. He had a way with them, and no matter where we lived when I was growing up, they flourished under his loving attention. Here in Oysterville, he had the help of Hank Batten to clip and trim and stake and weed. The two of them spent almost full-time in the garden and it was a show place, no matter what the season,
But nowadays… not so much. So, yesterday I had a few minutes’ reverie. Maybe we could take photographs and blow them up, up, up and place them all around to create sort of virtual garden. Or maybe holographs? Or could we get one of those miracle carpets I saw on TV – one that you roll out and suddenly there are flowers and shrubs and lawn and paving stones in all the right places?
About the time of my day-dreaming, Kathleen Sayce came by. “Cosmos,” she said. “Buy them by the flat and put them everywhere!” I am definitely placing her suggestion in the “Under Advisement” column. And, anyway, I just felt a lot better when she was sympathetic to my plight.
Kathleen knows more about plants and local growing conditions and what happens here in the fall than anyone else I know. I take her suggestions seriously. On the other hand, I also take seriously the potential for deer damage. Cosmos rate a ‘C’ at one site I looked up – “occasionally severely damaged.”
I’m thinking that the ‘occasion’ could well be our anniversary party. But then there’s Liquid Fence…
Cosmos are easy to grow and beautiful. They should do well and make your garden have that English “stuffed” look.
I remember the days when one could start cosmos from seed. Seems like the last five to seven years, our springs have been soooo cold and wet that the seed just rots! But starts should do well. I’m also fond of daylilies–they’re pretty tough, they come in lots of colors, they bloom over a range of dates (early, middle, late), and best of all, since they’re perennials they come back every year. Hardy fuschias, too. Deer proof? Not at all, not any of it. That’s why I spend lots of money on Liquid Fence!
Yes, we have loads of day lilies — both yellow and orange. The yellows are showing their stuff as we speak! And I agree about Liquid Fence, It is a necessary component of gardening in Oysterville! When do you think the best time for planting cosmos starts might be? I want them to be in their glory in mid-September,..
Shoot, Sydney, you could plant them now. Any time past the last frost date, which for western Washington is usually stated as Mother’s Day. Plant a bunch of them, and if you feel ambitious then dead-head them now and then, and you should be fine. I’ve had cosmos bloom up until the first frost. One year that was early November! Try to get a mix of colors, as they come in everything from dark pink to lighter pink to white. And since they’re annuals, don’t feel guilt about giving them the infamous “steriods for plants”–Miracle Gro. I hate to do that to perennials and shrubs, but I figure that since an annual only has one season to shine, help it out by getting it to shine brightly.
If you have a shady area, impatiens are great, too. There’s one older home around Boulevard North and Pioneer in LB that plants a whole bank of them in from of their porch. Come September it looks lovely. I always comment on it. Again, those last until the first frost. I get them by the flat from Freddie’s.
I do love gardening!
I’d love one of those miracle carpets, too! That’s my kind of gardening. Lately I never seen to have the time or inclination to weed! Good luck!