I don't think they had grown roots, incidentally. There was some pale growth on some of them, but it didn't look like roots-- more like the starts of new "branches". The cuttings were still plump and purple, though-- not at all dried out-- so I went ahead and stuck them in a few different spots around the flower garden. I'll try to keep them watered over the next week or two, and in time, we'll see if any of them "take".
- - - - - - -
Since I was already outside (and sweaty, if we're going to be completely, digustingly honest), I went ahead and divided a couple of clumps of perennial coreopsis. They probably didn't technically have to be divided this year, but I want to encourage them to cover a wider area. This (rare) overcast day seemed like as good a time as any. 'Nana' (mouse-ear) and 'Golden Sphere' got their turns today. At some point, 'Mercury Rising' needs attention, too. There may be one or two clumps of daylilies that could be divided, as well, but most of them don't look like they'll need it for two or three years to come.
I also took a few cuttings from the "pinata" lavender and stuck them in a spare pot full of sandy garden soil. It's not cold-hardy, so I'm trying to get a few backups going, in case the main two don't overwinter well.
The petite butterfly bush is still blooming. It's doing well, though it does seem to be stretching toward the sunnier front of the bed. I might move it to a brighter location in winter or spring.
It's turning out to be tricky to find something that really thrives along the shady front of the covered patio. It's not wide enough (or consistently shady enough) for hydrangeas. I'll have to give it some thought. The more sun-tolerant gingers might be ok there. I'd prefer something in the 2- to 3-foot range of height.
'Joseph's Coat' is starting another wave of bloom, which is always a pleasure.
This pale violet clematis has taken off in its new spot against the arbor. I think it's going to do well there.
These look like flower buds on the Mexican purple sage (Salvia purpurea)! We've been waiting a while!
The yellow KO rose ('Sunny'?) is looking delicately pretty:
I don't focus on the annual vincas much, but they have a very long season of bloom and make few demands (sunshine and a little water). They've been pretty good about volunteering the past two years, too. (For those who don't like volunteers, there aren't enough for it to qualify as invasive, and they're easily pulled.)
Close-ups of blue bedder sage:
The Mexican heather Mom gave me at the start of the season has grown huge. With luck, it should come back next year.
There have been quite a few gulf fritillary butterflies visiting our yard, this year. The two tiny pieces of passionflower vine that I transplanted back to the trellis never grew anywhere near the dimensions the parent plant attained last year, neither did they flower. That didn't discourage the gulf fritillaries from visiting it and laying eggs. I saw a couple of larger caterpillars munching the leaves just a week or two ago, but when I looked for them today, they were nowhere to be found. Either I overlooked them or they were eaten by lizards (which is what I think happened to last year's caterpillars)-- or they've already pupated.
Purple false foxglove grows along the back (west) fence-row, in spots, and it's trying to sneak into the yard. One of them was making a nice meal for a buckeye caterpillar (not pictured).
In the same overgrown bed where the false foxglove has colonized, there's goldenrod. I like both well enough as autumn wildflowers, but I don't necessarily want them in the fenced yard.
One of the items on the To Do list for this winter is clearing out that bed. There's hardly anything in it, but it's difficult to keep tidy. The main shrubs (two types of bridal wreath) need to be cut back severely, so maybe I should take this chance to transplant them elsewhere in the yard. I'll give it some thought.
I spied a praying mantis on the passionflower trellis. He was giving me some serious side-eye. ;o)
The bald cypress looks nice and soft and feathery-- especially the parts of it as yet unscathed by wormy infestations. (~shudder~)
Loropetalum with diamond dew-drops:
A few of the latest culms of the 'Golden Goddess' bamboo caught my eye with their height. It's still nowhere near its upper limit (10 feet or more, depending on which source you trust), but it's inching on up there. This weekend, I was looking through some photos from June, and they were a stunning reminder of how much that clump of bamboo has grown in one season-- particularly in width.
This is where it gets its name-- the golden hue of (parts of) the culms:
I'll close with a few slightly more "overview"-type photos of the garden on the brink of September's end:
(Did you catch the tiny brown lizard perched on top of the shepherd's hook?)
