GBBD: October 2008

(For those of you visiting for ABC Wednesday, scroll down to my earlier post today.)

It's hard to believe a month has passed since the last Bloom Day. My garden looks tired, as though it is ready for a long winter's nap. In fact, I have only one new bloom since the last GBBD, this lavender mum.

No, this is not one of my purchases made two weeks ago; this one is actually growing in my garden, a Walmart refugee I managed to save and plant last year. I didn't expect it to survive the winter, but it did, and I trimmed it back severely in July so that it wouldn't bloom too early.

There are quite a few flowers still blooming right now, but most look rather faded. The sedum "Autumn Joy" has turned from the rosy hue I pictured in September to a russet.

Let's look a little more closely at one flower--what is this clambering over the center? What else, but another praying mantis! I apologize for all my photos this time--my photo editing program was being cranky, so none of these photos have been cropped or edited in any way. Of course, the blurriness of this little guy is the fault of the photographer, not the computer.

Not everything is fading, though. This Knockout rose is full of blooms once again--if you enlarge the picture, you'll see more buds on either side of the flowers. Tea roses are much more beautiful and have heady fragrances, but this is the rose for those of you like me who don't want to have to fuss too much with plants. These roses have survived traumatic transplantings, severe prunings, drought, and onslaughts by Japanese beetles, and yet they continue to grow and bloom right up until a hard frost.

By this time of year my container plantings usually look pretty pathetic. I admit some of them are looking rather straggly right now, but many of the annuals are still blooming up a storm due no doubt to our unseasonably warm weather--this past weekend the temperatures were in the low to mid 80's. The pink zonal geraniums look as good as they did in June.

While some of you are busy cleaning out your containers and putting them away for the winter, I just can't bring myself to do that yet. I'm going to enjoy the annuals for as long as they last.

Of course, the real show right now is not the flowers, but the leaves. The leaves are just beginning to turn; we are probably another week away from seeing their full fall glory.

You can see this in my maple tree, half of which is covered with leaves of this bright orange hue, while the other half is still green.

I passed by the maple tree on my way down the lane to the roadside garden to show you a few blooms there. Look what I found hiding behind the dried coneflowers?

Apparently this little flower didn't know she was supposed to bloom in July like all the other coneflowers. She must have been a new seedling this year; next year she'll know to join the rest of the family in mid-summer. But I like pleasant surprises like this, don't you?

I've left the rest of the coneflowers in their wilted state so the birds can feast on them, but they don't look as bad with the bright flowers of the salvia "Victoria Blue" hiding them somewhat.

I've shown this salvia several times here, but I can't repeat often enough how much I like this annual. It's another flower that will bloom right up until frost. Once winter sets in, the blooms turn a frosty silver that adds a perfect touch to the winter garden.

And then there are the zinnias! When I planted a packet of seeds here, I just wanted something tall as a backdrop for my "Oranges and Lemons" gaillardia. I had no idea they would become the focal point of this area this fall. Many of them are 4-5 feet tall, and I love the bright mix of colors.

The best part is they show no signs of letting up, as evidenced by this emerging bloom or the bud below.

Finally, I wanted to show you the burning bushes behind the roadside flowerbed. They've begun to turn into a blaze of crimson. No doubt I will be showing more of these bushes when their transformation is complete.

While taking these photos I suddenly noticed the berries on these bushes, which you can see in greater detail below. I should have looked a little harder when I did my short post on berries a few weeks ago--there are more berries in my garden than I realized!

As always, I enjoy the Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day--it makes me look a little closer at all of the garden to see blooms and details I might otherwise miss. And I enjoy seeing what is blooming in everyone else's garden. For more Bloom Day posts visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Note: This is a first for me--two posts in one day! I always join in the Bloom Day posts, but I also wanted to participate in ABC Wednesday today, as I occasionally do, just to show off another mantis photo:) Today, though, is another special day in Blog Land as many people are joining in a Blog Action Day and posting about poverty. I would really recommend you visit a local blogging friend, Joyce, who has written an excellent post today. It will only take a minute to read, but it will make you stop to think and appreciate that you have a garden to work in and the time to appreciate its beauty.--Rose

ABC Wednesday: Autumn "M's"

This week we have reached the letter M, which is perfect for this time of year because M is for . . .

Mums, which add bright spots of color to fall gardens.
M is also for . . .

Maple trees, which are slowly putting on their autumn coats.

And M is also for my favorite insect . . .

. . . The praying Mantis!

Regular readers of my blog will know that I have become fascinated with these creatures that seem to have found my garden a good place to establish a colony this summer. For those of you who visit only for my occasional entries on ABC Wednesdays, this is not the same mantis I pictured last time for "I for Insects." If you would like to know more about the praying mantis you can check out an earlier post with many interesting facts about them. Besides the large number I've seen this year, another reason I've been able to get so many photos of them is because they move very, very slowly. The one pictured above was ready to catch some prey, so I clicked onto video to get it in "action," as you'll see below.

For more ABC posts on a variety of subjects, visit Mrs. Nesbitt's place or the ABC Anthology.

(To my usual garden blogging readers, I hope to have my GBBD post up in a few hours.)

When Life Hands You Lemons . . .

Since the beginning of summer, my good friend Beckie and I have talked about taking a short trip to Chicago to see some of the many garden sights in the Windy City and, if possible, to meet up with a few Chicagoland Bloggers. One thing or another kept preventing us from going until we finally decided the first week in October was it--we would try to spend a couple days in Chicago or at the very least make one long day of it. We put it on our calendars, but as so often happens these days, "life" intervened, and we weren't able to go. We were both disappointed, but decided we could at least take part of a day to explore something interesting closer to home.

Beckie recommended we visit the Master Gardeners' Idea Garden on campus to see its fall colors, and I suggested we stop first at Meadowbrook Park to see the wildflower garden there. Beckie had never been to Meadowbrook, and my other visit was in August to see the Prairie Restoration site, but I missed the wildflower garden. The wildflower garden is located on the south side of the park on a street I seldom drive, so I had never noticed that the farmstead located there is actually part of the park.

We began our walk down the path to see any wildflowers that might still be blooming, but obviously fall is not the best time to view wildflowers. You could see the dried seedheads of Queen Anne's Lace and we did spot a lone coneflower still blooming, but even the goldenrod had turned to brown. It really is a lovely, shaded place--perfect for a walk--so we put it on our mental "to-do" list for next spring and summer when it should be in all its glory.

Our stop, though, was far from disappointing. On the way to the wildflower path, we passed by the farmstead which was surrounded by an herb garden and flower beds still in glorious bloom. I was especially happy to realize that rather than demolish the existing farmhouse and outbuildings, which so often happens as a result of urban sprawl, the park preserved these buildings and incorporated them into the park. I'm not sure what any of the buildings are used for or if they are open to the public, but they certainly look well-maintained. They even preserved the old windmill, once a common fixture on every farmstead, but now a rarity.

I still remember the old windmill on my grandfather's farm, creaking in the wind. Maybe I'm getting too sentimental, but they look more attractive than the new wind turbines popping up across the country, don't you think? Of course, the old ones were used to pump water from the well; I don't think they had the capacity to provide much more power than that. As electrification spread across the countryside, the old windmills became obsolete, and most were eventually torn down.

Before we headed to the flowerbeds and herb garden around the house, we noticed a sign that said "Organic gardening plots" and decided to give them a quick look. I believe these are plots given to anyone who requests one, similar to Veg Plotting's allotments in the UK. Each plot was surrounded by a small fence of chicken wire, and various gardening styles were apparent. There were still some vegetables, including tomatoes, chili peppers, and broccoli, and also some fall plantings of onions, swiss chard, and gourds, as well as some unusual vegetables we weren't sure of. A tall plant held what appeared to be large okra, and a vertically climbing vine had cucumber-like fruit. But what really attracted both of us were the mass plantings of flowers still in bloom. These plots aren't much larger than my own small vegetable garden, but they all seemed to find plenty of room for flowers amongst the veggies.

Zinnias were still showing off everywhere, but these cosmos were especially beautiful. These were over 6 feet tall.

I've seen cosmos pictured on so many blogs this year, but I've never grown them. Now I wonder why--I really like these flowers. Thanks to Tina and the seeds she sent me, though, there will be cosmos in my garden next year!

Here's another flower I never grow--nasturtiums. Again, I think why not? Another omission I need to remedy next year. This close-up of the blossoms doesn't show the size of the large mounds we saw.

In the flowerbeds on the farmstead site we were treated to lots of fall blooms. I liked this combination of lantana and salvia in front of the cannas. Notice the verbena boneriensis popping into the far sides of the photo. Thanks to Cheryl, I will have this plant in my garden next year, too!

Beckie and I could have each done a lengthy post on berries in the garden if we had only waited until yesterday! This plant was just one of many with berries, but we were completely puzzled as to what it was. It wasn't until we later went to the Idea Garden that we saw the same plants labelled as a "blackberry lily." Does anyone grow these? I would love to know what they look like in bloom.

After Meadowbrook Park--which has now been added to our list of places to visit more often-- we headed to the Idea Garden. I've posted about this garden several times; in fact, this was our fourth visit this year to see it. Hoping to get some ideas about how to add some color to our own fading fall gardens, we weren't diappointed.

Even from a distance you can immediately see that this garden isn't languishing as the days turn cooler. Of course, with a crew of volunteer Master Gardeners at work, it is easier to keep up with all the gardening chores.

Annuals that were past their prime were pulled up and replaced with fall plants like these mums and flowering kale.

I really liked this small kale--"sweet" sounds a bit treacly, but it's the only word I can think of to describe it. A small variety, the soft pink flower at the center resembled a rose.

Not everything was new, though--this sumac tree has finally come into its own, showing off its bright oranges, yellows, and rusts. Unfortunately, it was mid-day, so the sun washed out some of its beautiful color in this photo.

Other plants were sporting berries for the fall, like this beautyberry bush.

This was a plant we couldn't identify. We don't remember seeing it before; could it be it has changed to this lovely magenta for the fall? Unfortunately, some of the labels were missing or completely obscured by other plants. Does anyone know what this might be? It had to be well over six feet tall.

The garden still holds its appeal for wildlife also. On this beautiful October day we saw so many bees and butterflies flying about the garden. This bee on the salvia was just one of several enormous bumblebees we saw.

And of course, the painted ladies, which seem to be the most common butterfly in Illinois this year.

But here is the piece d' resistance--I finally managed to get a picture of a Monarch! Monarchs seem to be in short supply around here this year, and I have been futilely trying to get a photo of the one or two that have shown up at home. This photo can't even compare to some of the beautiful shots I've seen on other blogs, but I'm afraid it's probably the best one I'm going to get this year.

As we were preparing to leave, who should fly in for a visit but my friend, the mantis! I think these guys follow me around:) I'm not sure what he was after in these zinnias, but I wish he would have eaten a little faster. During the 2-3 hours Beckie and I spent in the different gardens, we were bitten numerous times by pirate flies. These tiny gnat-like bugs have become quite a nuisance lately. They have an annoying bite, much like a mosquito, but they are supposed to be harmless and the itch goes away much quicker. The other pest we seem to have an abundance of lately are the Asian lady beetles, those small brown beetles that look like a ladybug but fly into your home and stink to high heaven if you kill them. I made a hasty exit from the garden so that I could inconspicuously extricate one that had flown down my shirt.

Well, it wasn't the Morton Arboretum or the Chicago Botanic Garden, but Beckie and I did enjoy ourselves nevertheless. We even had time for a leisurely lunch and a stop at a unique shop we'd never visited before going home. Chicago is still on our destination list, although the gardens may have to wait until Spring Fling 2009. That date is on our calendars, and as Beckie said, there will have to be a major crisis or a complete meltdown to keep us away!

Rainy Days are Here Again!

If you are like me and have forgotten what rain looks like, click on the video. (This is my first attempt at uploading a video, so I hope it works!)

I know it's hard to tell from the video, but we have had a steady rain since late morning today. I don't even need to search through my archive of labels to know that every other time I have discussed the rain it's been to complain about it. But not today--after weeks, it seems, of dry weather, I welcome it with open arms. Right now it is falling gently, and the trees and flowers are soaking it up eagerly.

The coral bells are enjoying their shower (click on the picture to enlarge to see the raindrops), along with the other flowers in the shade garden. Watering with a hose just doesn't feel the same to them.

Besides knowing the plants are getting some much needed moisture, I am happy the ground is going to be soft and easy to work with once again. I have a few new plants to put in the ground yet before the cold hits us, including this bargain "Limelight" hydrangea I bought last week. (Yes, I had to go back to buy this one . . .it was too good a deal to pass up.)

I know it's not a very good picture, but I was getting drenched by this time and didn't have the patience to check my camera. I intended to plant it Saturday, but the ground was so hard, I was afraid I would break my spade! Besides this hydrangea and a few other plants, I have so many bulbs to plant. After two different shopping trips to buy bulbs, my first order came in the mail over the weekend and another one is on its way. More rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, which means by the time I have time to plant, the soil should be perfect, I hope.

I hope you are having a beautiful rainy day, too!

Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby.
- Langston Hughes, April Rain Song


Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth;
without rain, there would be no life.
--John Updike

Mantis Survives Wall Street Crisis!

I thought I might have to come up with a clever title to get you to read one more post on the praying mantis. But if you can bear with me, I promise this is my last post on the mantis--at least until next year. And there is a brief comment about Wall Street at the end of this. When I pictured a couple of mating mantises last week, I received many comments that included some interesting facts about the mantis I wasn't aware of. So I decided to do a little research on my own to find out more about these fascinating insects that seem to love my garden. All information comes from Wikipedia, which isn't the most reliable source if you're doing scholarly research, but it's a handy resource for basic information.

There are more than 2000 species of mantises worldwide. The name for the most common mantis family is mantid, but because the entire order contains eight other families, the proper term for members of this order is mantis. Mantis comes from the Greek, meaning prophet or fortune-teller. The closest relatives of this order are the Isopteran, which are termites, and the Blattodea, cockroaches. Hmmm, I do hope the mantises don't invite all their distant relatives for a family reunion at my house.

Autumn is the time for mating, which may explain my good fortune in getting that photo last week. The female lays between 10-400 eggs, which are deposited in a "frothy mass" which then hardens, forming a protective shell. The egg case is called an ootheca. In a few species the mother remains nearby to protect her eggs.

Wikipedia included several photos, including one of the female laying her eggs, but didn't show a pregnant female. I spotted this large lady (I assume) two days ago. Notice her plump underbelly. The blurry photo below is an even closer look at her protuding belly. I can't be sure, of course, but I can't help but wonder if she is getting ready to lay her eggs. I will be scouring the flowerbed where I found her for an egg sac the next few days.

What many might find most interesting is the mating ritual itself. Praying mantises are cannibalistic, and as several of you pointed out to me last week, this predilection includes their male suitors. Scientists have studied mantises in captivity which are particularly prone to this behavior, and have drawn a few conclusions. Briefly, a wise male mantis will choose a female who has just eaten a full meal before mating, and, once he has satisfied himself, he should leave quickly!

The mantis uses camoufluage to hide himself from prey, which is why they are often difficult to spot. Usually brown or green, they blend in well with plants and are often mistaken for a small twig or stem. If you look closely at a mantis, it seems to be looking straight back at you. That's because they can rotate their heads 300 degrees, permitting a great range of vision, which also allows them a distinct advantage in spotting prey. Don't worry, though--they might bite, but they're not dangerous to humans.

The natural lifespan of a mantis is 10-12 months, but in colder areas it will die during the winter. During its lifetime, the mantis increases in size by replacing its outer body with an exoskeleton, molting up to 5-10 times. After the final molt, most species have wings. This was another new fact for me--I had no idea a mantis could fly. One day I was sitting on the porch swing when a strange creature came flying at me, veering like a drunken pilot. When he landed, I discovered this unusual mantis:

Yes, he is black. I couldn't find any reference in the article to a black species, and this is the only black mantis I have ever seen. However, in discussing the mantis' ability to camoufluage itself, the article did say some species in Africa and Australia have been found to turn black in order to blend in with environments plagued by brush fires. Could this be an exotic mantis come all the way from Africa or Australia to visit?? I doubt it, but it certainly was intriguing.

I've always thought of the praying mantis as a gardener's good friend; in fact, egg cases of native species can be purchased as a means of natural pest control. However, until some of you mentioned this, I didn't realize they also have a dark side. By nature predatory, the mantis eats not only pests, but beneficial insects as well, including butterflies sometimes. Larger species can also eat small lizards, birds, frogs, snakes, and even rodents. According to the article, they wait for their prey to come near and then lash out with "remarkable speed." I'll take their word for it--I've never seen a mantis move quickly, and I can't imagine them killing a rodent. (Maybe that's why I'm not bothered by squirrels??)

Fly, little butterfly, fly!! He's not as harmless as he looks!

So there you have it--everything you ever wanted to know about the praying mantis, and probably more than you cared to know! Despite its dark side, I'll continue to welcome him into my garden.

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Changing the subject completely . . .

I am really bummed today : Things aren't looking too good for my Chicago Cubbies today. And that's all I'm going to say on the subject. . .

And another bummer: I don't usually comment on politics here, but the current economic crisis on Wall Street has me steamed. Perhaps by the time you read this, Congress will have passed the $700 billion bailout. A recent article by an AP writer tried to make this huge number comprehensible to those of us who have never seen a million dollars, let alone 700 billion. What else could you do with this much money? For starters, it would cover"one year's health care bills for more than 85 million seniors, disabled people, children and low-income Americans..." It could also "ensure universal health care coverage for six years." $700 billion would go a long way toward developing alternate energy sources and eliminating our dependence on fossil fuels. Any of these would be worthwhile causes, but the fact is we don't have an extra $700 billion in our Treasury in the first place, let alone spending it to save greedy or foolish financial "experts."

Now before anyone points out my naivete, let me be the first to admit I know nothing about economics. Through all my years of schooling, I somehow managed to never take a course in economics. When I receive my quarterly report on my small annuity (which has been losing my hard-earned money, I might add), I don't understand the difference between a large-cap fund and a mid-cap one. I still don't know who Freddie Mac is, and the only Fannie Mae I know sells delicious chocolate candies.

I don't know who is to blame for the current crisis, though everyone seems eager to point a finger at someone else. But I have trouble relating to CEO's who make millions of dollars in salary each year and have "golden parachutes." I don't think I even have a parachute. In fact, if the state's Teachers' Retirement System goes under, you will probably find me spending the rest of my life smiling and saying, "Welcome to Walmart . . .would you like a shopping cart?" Heck, maybe even I am partly to blame. When my husband and I got our "economic stimulus package" in June, instead of blowing it on a new entertainment system or a weekend in Vegas, we put almost all of it in savings. Had I only known...

I am doing my part to keep the gardening industry afloat--I bought more plants yesterday.

Seriously, I don't know whether Congress should pass the proposed bailout or not. Either way, I know it's going to eventually trickle down and affect every Joe or Jill Average American. In some way we are all going to have to pay for it, or our children eventually will. I particularly feel sorry for all the innocent people who may lose jobs or those whose retirement savings may be jeopardized or even lost. In the end, it always seems it's the "little guy" who gets hurt.

Garden Muse Day: October

Early morning sun rises over the soybean fields.

"Crispy air and azure skies,
High above, a white cloud flies,
Bright as newly fallen snow.
Oh the joy to those who know October!

Colors bright on bush and tree.
Over the weedy swamp, we see
A veil of purple and brown and gold.
Thy beauty words have never told. October!

Scolding sparrows on the lawn,
Rabbits frisking home at dawn,
Pheasants midst the sheaves of grain,
All in harmony acclaim, October!

Brown earth freshly turned by plow,
Apples shine on bended bough,
Bins o'erflowed with oats and wheat,
And satisfaction reigns complete. October!

Radiant joy is everywhere.
Spirits in tune to the spicy air,
Thrill in the glory of each day.
Life's worth living when we say, October!"

- Joseph Pullman Porter

The calendar may have said that fall arrived last week, but October marks the true beginning of fall for me. The temperatures have dropped twenty degrees with nights cool enough for jackets and crisp, sunny days. A few leaves at the very top of the maple trees are beginning to turn, and sadly, I think the hummingbirds have left for warmer climes. The surest sign of fall in this area, though, is the gold and brown in the corn and bean fields, signalling the onset of harvest time. The harvest is late this year because of the spring rains that delayed planting until June. But, barring an early frost, farmers should have a better yield than expected. (At least they won't be asking Washington for a $700 billion bailout!)

Mums brighten up corners where daisies and coneflowers once bloomed.



But the best part of October for me this year is that my beloved Cubbies are still playing! They begin the National League playoffs early this evening in a game with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Chicagoland must be buzzing right now as their South Side counterparts, the White Sox are also in the playoffs. Better stock up on firewood and make sure you have a warm winter coat--as Mr. McGregor's Daughter has said, if both Chicago teams make it to the World Series, hell may freeze over! Let's hope both teams--but especially the Cubs--are still playing at the end of October!

Garden Muse Day is sponsored the first day of each month by Carolyn Gail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago. Visit her for more poetry on the wonderful fall month of October.

Berries and Bargains

A week ago, Lisa at Greenbow suggested everyone show the berries in their gardens, and several people have followed up with some delightful posts. I enjoy gardening memes, so I thought I would participate and check for any berries in my own garden. Without any flowering shrubs, though, (something that needs to be corrected here!), I don't have many berries. I was completely surprised, however, when I noticed these red berries on my detested yews. I've heard of juniper berries, but yew berries?? I double-checked on Wikipedia, and yes, yews can develop berries in the fall.

A few weeks ago I noticed these little berries on the lantana, which Gail has already shown on her post. This is the first year I've planted the pink and reddish varieties of lantana, and I must admit I've been disappointed that they haven't bloomed more. Interestingly, though, these are the ones producing berries; the yellow lantana, which has bloomed profusely all summer, has no berries.

The showiest "berries" in my garden aren't really berries at all--these are the fruits on one of the flowering crabapples. The pink and red varieties of the crabapples have already lost most of their leaves and much of their fruit, but this white one, which blooms last, still looks very colorful.

And that's it for my berries--can you believe it? Unless, of course, you are willing to count these . . .

We have over twenty pine trees on our property, and they are covered with pine cones at the moment. I usually pick some from the ground in the fall to use in Christmas decorations or crafts with the grandchildren, but most wind up being chopped up by the lawnmower and left on the ground.

Does anyone remember my saying back in June that I would buy no more plants this year? Of course, that was an impossible promise to make, and if I remember correctly, I amended it to say no more annuals. I've been in a bad need for a "plant fix" lately, so I've made a couple stops at garden centers recently just to check out sales. Last week I went to one of the best (and most expensive) centers in town primarily to check out sales on garden statuary or ornaments. I didn't find much in my price range, but they did have their large selection of hostas on sale for 20% off.

This Hosta Sieboldiana "Northern Exposure" was one I couldn't resist. I love big hostas--the tag says this one could grow as wide as 70"! That could certainly cover up some bare spots in the shade garden. Besides its size, it has deeply corrugated leaves and fits the criteria Mr. McGregor's Daughter gave for slug-resistant hostas. (Hmm, where did those yellow leaves come from? Excuse me while I go turn on the soaker hose for awhile . . .)

Yesterday I had some time for a little more plant shopping and visited our favorite garden center, Prairie Gardens. Display cases and bins were full of spring flowering bulbs. As always, I am enticed by the pastel hues of spring. Even though I've already ordered quite a few tulips and daffodils, I picked up some sale packages of crocuses, bluebells, and hyacinths.

It's much too early to begin planting bulbs here, especially since we have had temperatures in the low to mid-80's all week. The best time to plant bulbs in our zone 5 gardens is in mid to late October, but I have planted them as late as November 12. No doubt I will be back to buy even more bulbs next month.

Prairie Gardens had already replaced most of its shelves of gardening supplies and ornaments with rows and rows of Christmas decorations, but I did find a few stray bargains on a clearance aisle including this bird bath. It's nothing special, but I still haven't gotten around to trying to glue together my broken ceramic bird bath, and the price on this one was too good to pass up. The top is molded plastic, but it doesn't look as tacky as it sounds; besides, the deer won't be able to break this one!

Back in the shrub area, though, I found some real bargains. All the hydrangeas were marked down 50%. I could have gone a little crazy here, but I controlled my impulses and limited my purchases to just this one hydrangea.

This is my first macrophylla--I'm a little disappointed in the mopheads, which, as their name implies, tend to flop over. This one is called "Let's Dance Moonlight" and is supposed to have "vivid" pink blooms with "attractive reddish-bronze foliage in the fall." At $6.99, I thought it was quite a bargain. I'm regretting, though, passing up some "Limelight" hydrangeas for $20.00. I may just have to go back next week . . .

While shopping, who should call but Beckie, saying I needed to check out another plant outlet. Danville Gardens Two is a small branch of a larger, very nice center in a nearby town that carries some selections you won't find any place else. I bought some annuals here earlier this summer, but I didn't realize they were still open this late in the season. This was definitely the place for bargains! (Joyce, are you reading this?) I drove over, intending to buy a couple baskets of mums.


Tables and tables of large mums in every hue imaginable greeted me. I couldn't make up my mind what color to buy! I had planned to buy just two, but I picked up my usual mauve color, then decided I needed some "real" fall colors, so I bought a rust one and a yellow one. On my way to check out, I noticed this yellow charmer with the orange centers, and I couldn't resist.

So my two mums turned into four, but at $5.00 apiece, I didn't feel too bad. I later saw some similarly priced at Walmart, but they were 1/3 the size of these!

But my real bargain here was this Boston fern. I haven't had an indoor fern in years, but again the price was too good to pass up. This photo doesn't show the true size of this plant, but it is huge. I've seen similar ones in nurseries selling for $40-$50. Guess how much I paid for this fern?

Would you believe $5.00?? Who could pass up a bargain like this?!

I may not have "berry" many berries (groan), but I am thrilled with my bloomin' bargains!

Have a good weekend, everyone!