Showin' Off My Hot Plants!

It was a hot, hot October here in the valley.  We had many a day this past month that peaked over 90 degrees (that's Fahrenheit to the rest of the world).  The average high in October was only 85 though, with the average low at just 64, not such bad numbers when compared with summer.  In fact, I've heard some locals refer to it as downright cool.  There was a catch, though.  Here in the valley, we received all of 0.01 inches of rain this whole month!  Virtually nothing.  There was one day I remember actually getting rain...more like a steady sprinkling for a short bit one morning.  It was exciting, though!  The whole family went out on the porch to watch it.  (One month of drought and you'd think we were desert-dwellers.)  Anyway, in hot, droughty weather like this, I am grateful that I have so many tough plants.  Indeed, some of them are just gettin' goin' right now.

Farewell, Sweet Summer....

There shall be eternal summer in the grateful heart. 

~Celia Thaxter

It is difficult to believe that summer ends today.  It seems only yesterday that my garden wakened from winter.  I will truly miss you, Summer.  I will miss those long days.  Oh, how I dread the days when darkness falls early.  Even I, garden-obsessed as I am, will not sit in my garden in the dread black of night.  But seasons must come, and seasons must go. 

A Palatable Palette of Pinks

My all-time favorite color in the garden is PINK!  Sometimes I feel like apologizing for such a deficiency in taste and for overusing this brilliant hue...but not right now.  For although my garden is swimming in pink this summer, it is perfectly balanced by an array of whites, purples, blues, and yellows.  So no apologies today.  Just a perfectly palatable palette of pinks:

The Hot, the Loud, and the Proud! (April 2010)

I have to admit that I was drawn more to the Cool, the Quiet, and the Demure when photographing my plant babies this morning.  The hot colors have dominated the garden for months, and I've been more than ready for some soft pastel hues.