With Thanks To The Patient Gardener And Monty Don

Fashionably late as usual here is my 'End of Month View' post - in real life I am one of those people who is completely neurotic about timekeeping. Despite not wearing a watch for the last quarter of a century or so, I arrive early for appointments and am terribly impatient of those who do not arrive on time. I am working at being more tolerant.

Well here we are at the end of another month and as you can see the border is shrieking out colour wise. My senses are offended and the occupants are going, going, gone! I have realised that apart from the colour combinations that most of the plants are too tall for where they have been planted. The chocolate cosmos, day lilies and osteospernum and geraniums are staying put but the penstemons and dahlias are headed elsewhere. The dwarf French beans are just a one season wonder - surplus to room at the allotment I was reluctant to consign them to the compost heap so stuck them in the border. I have some thyme and a white parahebe to plant as well as the purple campanula in a pot which has crept into the above photo. I am looking for not too tall grasses and as yet other unidentified companions to fill in the gaps.

What may not be obvious from these photos is that there is a four foot or so drop to the lawn below, where there is another border, so the dahlias and penstemons are either headed for the lower deck and/or to grace the allotment.

With a special thanks to Helen over at 'The Patient Gardener' who came up with the idea of a critical monthly review and also this month to Monty Don, who imparted some succinct but most useful advice on 'Gardeners' World' last Friday. Deadheading dahlias has always been a bit of a mystery to me but Monty has shed light on the matter. If the bud is round it is still to flower, if pointed time for the snip. I finally now know what I am doing and am pleased to report that I am no longer feeling spent, squelchy flowers.

Olympia Express

Nikon D90, Aperture Priority, hand held with VR on, 0.25s, f8.0, 18-105mm kit lens at 18mm, Auto White Balance, edited in Corel Paint Shop Pro X3.

Swing and Puke

Nikon D90, Shutter Priority, hand held with VR on, 0.5s, f5.6, 18-105mm kit lens at 18mm, Auto White Balance, edited in Corel Paint Shop Pro X3.

Atlanta Has A Lot Going On

If you are looking for things to do this weekend, then Atlanta is the place to be and I felt so lucky to participating in some of the festivities.  

The morning started with my husband announcing that Ramsay's Kitchen is filming in our neighborhood so of course I had to get in the car to go see what was happening.

There were lots of extra cars and people were unloading trucks but I really couldn't make much from what I saw. 

 The restaurant where the filming will be taking place features wonderful smoked meats.

 According to the restaurant's website they are taking reservations during the dates of the filming for those interested in possibly being on the show.  Guess we'll be hearing more about Michon's sometime next season.

Each year during Labor Day weekend Atlanta hosts Dragon*Con, the worlds largest fantasy and science fiction convention.   It's exciting when attendees start coming into town because you never know what you might see.   Yesterday as I was coming out of the train station I ran into a girl dressed as a fox!  My friend posted some pictures on Facebook from today's parade and I thought some of you might enjoy seeing a few pictures from this most unusual event.  Oh, and keep in mind temperatures today reached 95 degrees.  These folks wearing these costumes must be HOT.

 Another big Labor Day event is the Decatur Book Festival a place where the website says "you can mingle with 300 of your favorite authors."   Well guess what...that is exactly what I did!!!   

CAN YOU SAY MARY KAY ANDREWS?

If you haven't read any of her books I promise that you can make your summer last a little bit longer just by reading her books! 

Now to tell you about the visit. My friend Alicia was given a one hour visit with Mary Kay Andrews for her birthday (Alicia is on the left in the photo below).  Alicia was allowed to bring along a couple of friends and she kindly invited me to come along.  

Pictured L-R Alicia, Mary Kay Andrews, me.

It was interesting to hear a bit about the writing process - getting to know the setting and history of specific locations just to get started.  Then putting story lines, characters and descriptions together in order to create a book.  Just imagine as readers we consume a book in a matter of hours that took the author months, sometimes years to create.

I can't thank Alicia enough for including me in her amazing birthday present and Mary Kay, thank you for making the visit so special. 

As I was walking back to my car I ran into my good friend Kirk and he suggested we go for coffee.  It was the perfect way to end the day and a wonderful way to celebrate Seasonal Sunday.  I'm joining The Tablescaper to celebrate the last days of summer. 

Snr. Puke Machine

Nikon D90, Aperture Priority, hand held with VR on, 0.0769s, f8.0, 18-105mm kit lens at 18mm, Auto White Balance, edited in Corel Paint Shop Pro X3.

Jnr. Puke Machine

Nikon D90, Aperture Priority, hand held with VR on, 0.25s, f8.0, 18-105mm kit lens at 18mm, Auto White Balance, edited in Corel Paint Shop Pro X3.

Garden Bloggers Muse Day - September 2011

"Now thin mists temper the slow-ripening beams

Of the September sun: his golden gleams
On gaudy flowers shine, that prank the rows
Of high-grown hollyhocks, and all tall show
That Autumn flaunteth in his bushy bowers;
Where tomtits, hanging from the drooping heads
Of giant sunflowers, peck the nutty seeds;
An in the feathery aster bees on wing
Seize and set free the honied flowers,
Till thousand stars leap with their visiting:
While ever across the path mazily flit,
Unpiloted in the sun,
The dreamy butterflies
With dazzling colours powdered and soft glooms,
White, black and crimson stripes, and peacock eyes,
Or on change flowers sit,
With idle effort plundering one by one
The nectaries of deepest-throated blooms."

~ 'The Garden in September ' - Robert Bridges 

This post has been inspired by Carolyn Choi over at Sweet Home And Garden Chicago. Carolyn's blog is presently closed, as she has moved from Chicago to be nearer loved family members in Carolina. I hope that the move goes well for her and hope that we hear about her new garden in the future. In the meantime as I have derived so much pleasure from Garden Bloggers Muse Day I will be continuing with a monthly muse.