From about the first week of July until at least the first or second week of August, the beauty of Iten's Acres rest almost solely on the flower beds. Not that they don't fulfill their "mission"--more on that in a minute--but because of two other factors, the rest of the property is taking a break. First, the Rose of Sharon and the hibiscus--with a couple of exceptions--do not start really blooming until at least the end of the first week of August. Now, they will be magnificent when the time comes, but the time hasn't come yet. Only one hibiscus--a deep, deep, deep red one blooms in July and only one Rose of Sharon--a bluish purple one--blooms this early as well. When the time comes, there will be almost thirty hibiscus abloom in every shade from pure white to the deep, deep, deep red and every color in between, and there will be another dozen or so Rose of Sharon decorating the landscape--pinks, reds, whites, and the early bird bluish one. When they are all blooming, it's amazing. But, again, it's not "when" yet.
A second reason why the pressure is on the beds is because the wild area is "resting" as well. Oh, there are some black-eyed Susans, some yellow, pink, and red coneflowers, a batch of tall white clover (over my head tall), a few orange daylilies, and some Queen Anne's Lace back there, but this time of year it's primarily an ocean of green--not that I don't love the green. Yet, by the third week of August, the wild area will be an ocean of color. Where will the color come from? Purple, pink, red, and white asters by the hundreds, tall teasels with their lilac waist bands decorated in butterflies, and hundreds upon hundreds of golden rod will transform the wild area. Throw in the black-eyed Susans, Queen Anne's Lace, and coneflowers that are still hanging around, and you wouldn't believe the color. (Though I'll try to prove it to you with some fb pictures.) Oh, and God throws in some deep purple iron weed, a bouquet of blue lobelia, a patch of pink lady's-thumb, and some field thistle with their little red caps just for good measure. In the wild area, He saves the best for last. And He knows how to put on a grand finale, trust me! You should see it on a windy day! (If He does that in that natural world, just think of what's coming later for His children--the best for last.)
But back to the now, and the pressure that's on the flower beds--all twenty plus of them. Just about every bed has a touch of morning glories and some daylilies of some color, And they all have more than that; some much, much more. Can I give you a few examples? I don't want to bore you too much by going through each bed so I'll just highlight a few if you can bear with me a little while longer:
Bed One--the very first bed you see as you enter Iten's Acres is an ocean of morning glories. An eight by eight foot bed of purple, pink, and bi-colored beauties from the first ray of sun until the heat of the day forces them to live up to their name. There are forty to fifty blooms every morning. But that's not all. Rising out of the "ocean"--and they keep their color all day long--are two patches of daylilies--a double orange and a mauve with cream heart, a bouquet of purple bee balm (a plant that lives up to its name; it's literally abuzz all day long), several tall snapdragons, a wine colored hollyhock, a couple gladiolas, and a number of tall cosmos. It's gorgeous.
Bed Eight--this is a blue and purple bed. Right now the center is taken up with a huge light blue spiderwort. Throw in some balloon flowers, a couple of good size Stoke's asters, a bell flower, the blue Rose of Sharon, a regular blue aster, and a pincushion flower (scabiosa), and you have a bed for lovers of blue.
Bed Eleven--this is the bed Mom can see from her window seat. On each end it has two large clumps of sunflowers. The middle has a huge pink coneflower and a pinkish day lily to go along with a variety of cosmos and larkspur. Throughout the bed are a plethora of balloon flowers--blue mostly. And I do mean plethora--forty of fifty blooms. There's also a red gladiola. Mom loves "her bed." She tells everyone who calls about the balloon flowers and sunflowers--though she can never remember the name of the balloon flowers, I don't mind refreshing her memory.
Bed Fourteen: This is the lily bed right next to my house. Tons of lily blooms every day--oranges, yellows, reds, pinks, peaches, creams. Fifty blooms per day at least. There are also a few larkspur, morning glories, and gladiolas joining the celebration.
One more bed if you haven't fallen asleep yet: In the bed along the property line there is a wonderful mixture of phlox and tiger lilies. They are all taller than I am, and there are tons of them. The great thing about phlox is that it spreads so wonderfully, but the new plants are rarely the same color as the original. I started out with two colors and now I have, at least, six or seven varieties. And coming up all around them are these huge orange tiger lilies by the dozen. Lovely. And the phlox will last until frost. They are adored by the hummingbirds and bumble bees. In fact, I think at times, the bees get "drunk" in the midst of them and go into a kind of stupor.
Well, I hope I haven't bored you to death. If only I could accompany the description with a video! And I've only told you about a couple of the beds! I am looking forward to the hibiscus/Rose of Sharon show and the grand finale in the wild area. But I can wait.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
The Changing of the Guard (Dog)
I apologize to my canine walking companions for suggesting that they are guard dogs. I was just exercising my literary license and trying to come up with a clever title. Again, my apologizes to Bonnie, Gus, and Stella. None of them are the least bit interested in guarding anything. Well, Bonnie can get a little defensive if another dog approaches the enclosure with Dennis' alpacas and goats, but other than that she's gentle as can be. Oh, she barks if someone comes down her driveway (not mine, of course, but hers), but she's really just letting you know she's there and looking forward to the visit. Gus loves any and all human beings. A thief would be just as welcomed at his house as anyone else as long as he got petted. Stella, who was a little defensive early on, has decided that older little brother has the right approach. Greeting, wagging the tail, and getting petted is a grand idea. So, guard dogs they are not. Anyway, they roam around so much, they probably wouldn't be home to guard anything anyway. Many are the times that I have come home late at night to be greeted by Bonnie and Gus who have been out wandering and thought they would stop by for a second to welcome my return. My house could have been emptied out, but at least they were glad to see me. (Though, I must confess, the first time they came running out of the darkness to say "welcome home," I was not expecting it and may have lost a few years off my life.)
But how has the "guard" changed, you ask? The first year or two that I lived here only Bonnie was around, and I really didn't see her much unless I was talking to Dennis. She rarely walked with me. Once Gus arrived and the two of them decided to form a "pack" of two, they began to accompany me on my walks on Iten's Acres. Usually three or four times a week, they would join me at the mailbox and away we would go. On occasion, they would come to meet me at the mailbox, get their affection, and go their own way, but usually, they would "join" me on my treks. They would stay fairly close to me as a wandered out front, but once I got to the back of the property, they usually left me far behind and wandered at their own speed--much faster than mine--through the meadow, wild area, and beyond. Gus would usually reappear for the walk back once I made it to the end of the property, but Bonnie was most often long gone (though somehow she usually was waiting for us when we got back up to my house. Sneaky little thing.) I would go inside; they would head back to Gus' place where I had picked them up originally. (Or where they had picked me up might be more accurate.)
Stella has changed all that. She and Bonnie just tolerate each other. Though I have seen them together more and more lately and Dennis even says that they've been together at his place, so maybe they are becoming better friends. I hope so! Gus, since he can't keep up with Stella the wonder dog's energy level spends a lot more time at home. He will let me pet him if I'm in the area, but he doesn't do much, if any, walking with me anymore. It's a rare occasion. I miss my two furry walking companions although they were not the least bit interested in my flowers, they were fun to have around.
Fortunately, Stella has taken their place. Whenever I am out, she comes dashing to see me and is excited about walking--well, for her, running--over the acres. She even comes to meet me when she sees my car turning into the driveway from a trip to the grocery store. Long before I get down the driveway and parked, she is sitting there waiting fully assuming that the reason I'm home is to spend time with her. When I'm inside, and she's out, she comes and paces back and forth in front of the double doors or looks longingly inside wondering what's keeping me. And she knows the route. First, we walk out front to the road (mailbox usually), then we head back, and then--joy of all joys--we head through the trees and out to the meadow and wild area. Out front, she does hit the pond once or twice--I guess labs are addicted to water--and out back, she just thrills in the run. Oh, she always stops to make sure I'm coming, but, trust me, it's a brief stop. She lives to run. You can see the joy. And unlike Bonnie and Gus who prefer the paths I've cut, she disdains them. It's the high grass and brambles for her, thank you. She runs and leaps like Tigger through the stuff, head held high or head down searching for something to chase. She always waits at the back and returns with me, but if I stay awhile, she is more than content to spend her time exploring--at breakneck speeds.
So my walking companions have changed--from Bonnie and Gus a few days every week to Stella two or three times a day. I wish I could have them all with me to be perfectly honest. But for now, the guard has changed. Stella and the chubby old bald guy wander the acres as the latest "pack." Of course, only one of us is fascinated by the flowers. But both of us are experiencing the joy.
But how has the "guard" changed, you ask? The first year or two that I lived here only Bonnie was around, and I really didn't see her much unless I was talking to Dennis. She rarely walked with me. Once Gus arrived and the two of them decided to form a "pack" of two, they began to accompany me on my walks on Iten's Acres. Usually three or four times a week, they would join me at the mailbox and away we would go. On occasion, they would come to meet me at the mailbox, get their affection, and go their own way, but usually, they would "join" me on my treks. They would stay fairly close to me as a wandered out front, but once I got to the back of the property, they usually left me far behind and wandered at their own speed--much faster than mine--through the meadow, wild area, and beyond. Gus would usually reappear for the walk back once I made it to the end of the property, but Bonnie was most often long gone (though somehow she usually was waiting for us when we got back up to my house. Sneaky little thing.) I would go inside; they would head back to Gus' place where I had picked them up originally. (Or where they had picked me up might be more accurate.)
Stella has changed all that. She and Bonnie just tolerate each other. Though I have seen them together more and more lately and Dennis even says that they've been together at his place, so maybe they are becoming better friends. I hope so! Gus, since he can't keep up with Stella the wonder dog's energy level spends a lot more time at home. He will let me pet him if I'm in the area, but he doesn't do much, if any, walking with me anymore. It's a rare occasion. I miss my two furry walking companions although they were not the least bit interested in my flowers, they were fun to have around.
Fortunately, Stella has taken their place. Whenever I am out, she comes dashing to see me and is excited about walking--well, for her, running--over the acres. She even comes to meet me when she sees my car turning into the driveway from a trip to the grocery store. Long before I get down the driveway and parked, she is sitting there waiting fully assuming that the reason I'm home is to spend time with her. When I'm inside, and she's out, she comes and paces back and forth in front of the double doors or looks longingly inside wondering what's keeping me. And she knows the route. First, we walk out front to the road (mailbox usually), then we head back, and then--joy of all joys--we head through the trees and out to the meadow and wild area. Out front, she does hit the pond once or twice--I guess labs are addicted to water--and out back, she just thrills in the run. Oh, she always stops to make sure I'm coming, but, trust me, it's a brief stop. She lives to run. You can see the joy. And unlike Bonnie and Gus who prefer the paths I've cut, she disdains them. It's the high grass and brambles for her, thank you. She runs and leaps like Tigger through the stuff, head held high or head down searching for something to chase. She always waits at the back and returns with me, but if I stay awhile, she is more than content to spend her time exploring--at breakneck speeds.
So my walking companions have changed--from Bonnie and Gus a few days every week to Stella two or three times a day. I wish I could have them all with me to be perfectly honest. But for now, the guard has changed. Stella and the chubby old bald guy wander the acres as the latest "pack." Of course, only one of us is fascinated by the flowers. But both of us are experiencing the joy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)