Early Autumn Garden

hummingbird vine in full bloom

It's been a while since we've done a garden tour so here's an update on what's happening here at Chickadee Garden.  This summer has been very hot and dry, and with launching #3 daughter off to college and settling into a new routine of homeschooling with only one child left at home, occasional babysitting of grandchildren, and working on several new endeavors -- I'm afraid both the garden and the blog have felt some neglect.  But today is a chilly, rainy day -- daughter #4 is upstairs doing her algebra assignment, with the rain I can't get out and set in the fall garden plants I purchased -- so here I am.

tulip magnolia

Remember my tulip magnolia back in the spring?  It had blossomed out quite early, with record warm temperatures, but then got zapped by a frost that blackened all of the blooms.  During the late summer it made new flower buds (the drive to reproduce and make seeds is very powerful), and now it is blooming, with the leaves still on the tree.

Not as floriferous as in the spring -- but still very nice.

A gerbera daisy I rescued from the "dead and dying" mark-down section at Lowe's -- it has limped along over the past month or so, but now seems fully revived.

perennial ageratum (a eupatorium)

We have a narrow strip between our driveway and the neighbor's driveway, that I have filled with common daylillies (cars can drive over them, they don't need extra watering, and are just tough as nails).  Blue flowered perennial ageratum comes up amongst the foliage, self seeds and spreads, and also needs no care.

This photo shows the blue color a bit better, in the strip by the sidewalk.

This is some perennial helianthus (sunflower), which comes up next to the rose "The Fairy", which has bloomed throughout the summer.

The "Knock-Out" rose has also bloomed all summer long.

I have native passion vine that comes up every year around the mailbox and by my front arbor.  This time of year finds it covered with the caterpillars of the gulf frittilary butterfly.  Passion vine is the only plant the caterpillars can eat.  No passion vine, no gulf frittilaries.

The pond is looking good.  There are several leopard frogs that live in it, along with some mosquito fish and comet goldfish that I threw in when I thought the mosquito fish had died off.

We have made some progress in the backyard, having fenced off the back for the chickens, so they don't rampage everywhere.  The 3 new girls and the 3 old ones all play nicely together now.

Still working on painting the new coop.

And after the heat and drought of this summer, decided not to try to grow grass in this shady part of the backyard, but just keep it covered with pine straw (a la Florida style landscaping).

It's finally quit raining so hard outside, so I'll hit "post", take the dogs out, and check on the chickens before it starts back up!

Linking to Tuesday Garden Party; Sunny Simple Sunday