UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

I spent most of Sunday in the garden, which was a real treat. It's fun to garden at this time of year, because most jobs fall under the "pottering" category. I spent a lot of time with my compost, sifting five wheelbarrows full and top-dressing parts of the garden with it. I still have about half a bin of finished compost to do and I couldn't be more thrilled. The sifting part is hard, but my whole composting operation was a real success this year.

This is the time of year when I naturally take stock of the garden. Most plants have peaked by now and it's easy to see where things have worked and where they haven't worked. I started taking some photos for a post on analyzing this year's garden and I realized that is a difficult thing to do. I don't like showing photos of the less attractive parts of the garden.

So I stopped and took a bunch of close up shots. These are a complete cop-out. Any gardener can find a few flowers that look great at any given time. But they are still interesting. So, while I work up the mental fortitude to show some of the less successful parts of my garden, I thought I'd just show some pretty pictures of pretty flowers.

Castor bean 'Impala'

Dahlia 'Gonzo Grape' (I think)

Arisaema triphyllum (Jack-in-the-pulpit)

Clematis 'Silver Moon' (grows in shade)

Gingko biloba 'Gnome'

Verbena bonareinsis

Echinops ritro (globe thistle)

Hydrangea 'Limelight'

Anemone robustissima 

Nasella tenuissima (Mexican feather grass)

Angelica gigas

Dahlia 'David Howard'