I love the stuff and haven't had much access in a few years.

New blooms for today:

1) Ornamental Pepper 'Black Pearl'
2) Gaura 'Pink Lady'


3) Viola 'Silver Gem'
4) Flowering Quince
5) Aster 'Henry III"

Alrighty then.

I had a busy day. Moved this rose across the yard this morning. It was time. Gosh, I really didn'tget a lot of its root system but sure hope I got enough! It's in a much better place. Notice very little leaf growth -- I pruned off a tiny bit that was left on the lower part; that top part is the healthiest so, although the rose is very tall with thatleft on there, I am leaving it to see how it all goes.



This is an old rootstock "Dr. Huey" rose -- if anything was ever grafted on to it that part is long gone. It was in dry shade and hanging in there but not doing very well. Thinning branches above it gave enough sun that it put out those nice leaves. We shall see! Now it's in full sun but not too early, I hope -- weather will cool and it will go dormant.

My new orange cosmo from the garden center's gift of seed bloomed today! Two of them bloomed and there are buds.


So pretty!

And I found flowers on the winter savory, and some buds there also. That's a surprise; I didn't expect blooms.


At the garden center getting more manure I picked up these semper vivum on sale for $2.00 a pot. Great deal!

ONe on the left was only IDed as "Mix" but I love that little tubular one! On the right is one called "Green wheel".


Odd size pots, here's a shot with my foot for scale.


I guess they're four inch pots but they are quite deep.

Getting prepared for the big garden bed expansion, and my big wintersowing project!

Yeeeee!

Looks nice, Kyla!

How's that ankle, anyway?

It's been getting better since I stopped doing PT! But then last night I did some of the flexing exercises and wow it's hurting again this morning! It's the torn ligaments that are the problem, I think, not the ankle bones.

Anyway, very little time in the garden lately. Lots of healthy looking weeds.

thanks for asking!

Oh, dear. "Torn ligaments" sounds challenging to heal. Eat extra protein?

So, I understand some BST pupae actually hibernate over the winter months. I'm kind of hoping this one will, since it is soooo late in the year! It's still a caterpillar, getting fatterpillar. And then, the pupa stage takes several weeks. So we're looking mid-October at the earliest, I bet, unless we have a hibernatin' BST here.

You know anything about this part? I did ask in the Bfly gardening forum but no answer yet.

When I had torn ligaments, my doctor told me that immobilization was the only thing that would help them heal as much as possible. When he put me in a boot for 3 months, the pain was gone and the ligaments had healed enough to allow me to do even strenuous climbing and walking with the PROPER support. New balance and Saucony sneakers are my work shoes of choice.

thanks, Roses! yes I'm thinking the same--it really only heals when it's kept still and quiet, despite the PT's firm belief that exercising it is somehow going to help it get better.

Kyla, the pupa stage can take as little as 10 days. So, it's possible your BST will emerge this year, depending on when he becomes a chrysalis.

I'm worried for him!

And for you, a little bit. Can you get one of those boots? Sheesh.

If he emerges in September he should be fine!

Someone want to tell me what butterfly this is? I posted it in the butterfly forum (thyme for bees thread) and the only response was someone telling me my pictures are too small. Well, they are smaller than most here but I hope not everyone finds them hard to see!

Anyway, thought I'd put this in here. I had a lovely butterfly visit this morning, one monarch and then a couple of these whose names I don't know!

Pretty! Looks like a fritillary of some kind?

I did get an ID over there after all; a Great Spangled Fritillary, is what it looks like. Though there may be other fritillaries I should look at to check....

I was so delighted to see it, OMG!

So glad you got an ID! Well at least I was in the right ballpark with fritillary

Yes you were!

In other butterfly news, my caterpillar is so fat now it's getting hard to get him in and out of the jar when I clean it! I'm tempted to leave off cleaning it and just keep putting the fresh parsley in there, 'fraid I'll inadvertantly squish him!

Also, when he does emerge, what do I do then? I mean, I need to open the jar right quick outside, I imagine.... But he'd better hurry as September is half over.

Oh dear poor fat little caterpillar! :-D
Well remember that the butterfly needs to fly out without damaging his wings and he's going to be a lot bigger than the cat so make sure the mouth of the jar is wide enough! :-)

After they eclose they spend a good 4 hours drying and hardening their wings. Once they're done with that they fly away!

Uh, it's like a mayonnaise jar so it may not be wide enough?

Yes might be good to find something with a wider opening!