It is that time of year again when I feel like I’m racing to get things under cover to save every last bloom available.  Unfortunately, I’ve been feeling behind schedule since my trip to Costa Farms for the Social Summit back in March of this year.    Keeping me in tune with the sharing I love to do from my own gardening world my iphone has been helping me keep up with photo documenting, social networking via apps and the beloved numerous art programs keeping my creative juices flowing.  This week I downloaded Camera+ after @CathyRoss on Instagram suggested this photo capture / edit program for the iphone.  Most of the photos used in this entry have been ‘jazzed’ up with that phone app.    As I scan through the 1,000′s of photos captured in one day from my garden on my iphone I realize myself nor my garden is ready for Autumn.

2 Year Rose In September Full Bloom

For goodness sakes – I still have roses blooming out near the pond.  I think this beautiful bloom survived because she was blocked by some major call thistle weeds I’ve been neglecting to pull.  There is no doubt the bunny compost I’ve added to this bed is keeping the green super healthy.  The deer attached one of my newly planted ornamental trees we added a few months ago along this same garden.

Healthy 1/4 Acre Pond Thanks To A Dozen Spring Tilapia

The pond is totally not ready for Autumn yet.  The Tilapia we added late spring have been keeping this portion of our garden totally natural.   This image will change drastically as the leaves begin to turn and fall from that willow tree shading the water lily garden.  I’m sure the water lily blooms are doing so well from all the nuterians  the southern fish addition have been providing.   This is the first year they were totally clean and blooms every other lily pad.

Standing On The Edge Of Autumn

Plenty Of My Favorite Things Via September Harvest

My veggie garden may have been neglected this summer as far as me keeping up with the weeding but it sure is giving in September with the harvest of plenty.   Each day we’ve enjoyed loads of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions, just to name a few of the veggies.  I may have forget to plant the sunflowers like I had planned last winter but the zinnia’s are putting on the most spectacular show providing plenty of cut boutiques to bring to friends and into the home to enjoy.   With every basket full I’ve pulled out of the garden the thoughts of guilt our out weighted by the memory of all the time that was spent growing the seeds, spreading the top coat of manure in the late fall and all the watering that took place.  A few weeds can’t stand to that love!

Calico Betty Heads Up the Nap Crew

However my felines might have a totally different opinion when it comes to who is ready for Autumn.  Judging by this nap time image they are loving life with out a care to the world!

Are you ready for Autumn?

Basket Full of Kittens -  Wordless Wednesday

* thank you my friend for opening my eyes to so many different avenues – you know who you are!~

The 1 1/2 inches of rain last Monday brought weeds and an image to share for Wordless Wednesday.

Happy Gardening Friends – Bren

Silver Princess Shasta Daisy Take Center Stage

This evening I spent a few moments with my 50mm lens on my Nikon Camera in my home garden that is totally taking shape after a rough spring.  I will admit that after spending yesterday in award winning landscapes  with the APLD group I thought I would return home with hopeless envy when it came to the design in my space.   I experienced amazing landscapes with some extremely talented people from across the country while touring in the Cleveland area returning to my NW Ohio property with some creative ideas.  I captured some fabulous images that I’m anxious to share with you on my network.

When I added these yellow tomato cages for the Mighty-Matoes I honestly forgot about the yellow in the Shasta Daisies that will bloom from June to August.    Unfortunately, I didn’t see too many landscapes yesterday with veggies growing in them.

The Shasta Daisy I captured tonight reminds me of my first year of growing year-round.  This was the first perennial seed I grew in the greenhouse and I was ecstatic to see it blooming today reminding me that growing is a wonderful thing!

If you are familiar with flying on any major airline these days I’m sure you are like me and consider other sources to travel to your set destination to avoid any complication commonly experienced at airports.   A negative of flying is the dilemma of what to pack with flight safety in mind.  I’ve been reserved about sharing what I walked through security with on a recent flight back from a garden tour event.    First of all, I can’t help but think I will be put on  a ‘watch list’  with our homeland security because I do feel the items I got through security could have been a bad thing if in the wrong persons carry on luggage.  Second, it isn’t like me to brag about goodies I acquire for my gardening experience unless it involves sharing what it can do to benefit someones growing experience.  As I’m in the heat of planting season I keep thinking about what I flew home with and I can bite my tongue any longer…… I must brag!

It was a pleasure to meet up last April with some amazing garden writers at the Garden2Blog event in Little Rock, Arkansas.  We had a fabulous mini ‘vacation’ touring spectacular gardens designed by  P.Allen Smiths and spending an educational day at his Farm.  As a few of us caught cabs together  to the airport as we began our journey home it was wonderful networking about what we had experienced in the short time we were together.  We also had some awesome garden goodies to bring back home with us as souvenirs from our trip.    I must say I was the lightest packer carrying a small plan tote that can actually fit in those crazy ‘example’ of carry-on size gizmos devises at the check in line and my backpack filled with camera equipment that is shoved under the ‘seat in front of me’. It was great to be flying out of a small airport because after getting through security we all met up at the one coffee shop for a last good-bye until the next garden networking event.  Much to my surprise we all made it through the same security with the oddest combination of garden souvenirs.  I couldn’t believe I still had in my possession items the rest of the group got thrown into ‘the box‘.   You know, the box of nail clippers, tweezers and things you wonder where they go when they don’t make it through security at the airport.

One of the items that my travel friends had confiscated from them was the 9B or orange snips from Corona Tools who happen to be one of the sponsors of the Garden2Blog event.  You can find the original 9B / orange snips on display at the  CA State Citrus Museum as a tool that was instrumental in the success of the citrus industry.  I’m proud to BOOST I have one of my own thanks to security check randomness! It is hard to believe  I got it through security when  on a flight a few years earlier on this same airline I got my hair pin thrown in the box after an embarrassing scene of pat-downs in the security line.   Don’t get me wrong,  I’m willing to obey the rules and guild lines but I just can’t believe how RANDOM the security really is.

My Treasures From #G2B11

I must admit that as we sat and swapped stories about what we made it through security with I was totally wishing I had packed those yummy sugar cookies I was worried would get smashed after hearing one of the girls had them in her carry on.   It would have been one more thing I would have made it home with despite the condition it would have been in after being smashed into the over head compartment.  Another item I was surprised made it through was my hand shovel.  REALLY….. a shovel! I can’t help put wonder what would have set off the security personnel  to act upon emptying out my carry-on into ‘the box’.   I guess I will have to see what luck I will have with the next garden travel adventure through airport security.  Can you blame me for wanting to brag that I made it through and the others are shovel and snipper- LESS! < na-na-na-na-boo-boo! >

I’d love to hear your traveling story so please leave a comment below!