Images of September

Gardens slightly chaotic this time of year and quite frankly, to me, they border on looking like crap.  Of course, I prefer things a little more aesthetic in appearance, part of the perfection twerk I have, but you know...what nature deems perfection has nothing to do with man's concepts.

Perfection for nature just seems to simply be everything working together in harmony, and it does quite well manufacturing whatever is needed to keep its cycles in perpetual motion.  It is always healing itself.  I do believe it is secretly working towards that goal trying to transform my little corner of earth back to a real wilderness.

With knee in brace and orders that this years yard work is to be only a thought, not acted upon for me...all kinds of grasses are hogging the spaces, seedling trees are getting alarmingly tall, and it all has the appearance of a really bad hair day.  Rain silently fell last night and the day began with that type of heavy, hard to breathe, humidity that is so common in these southern summers...clothes sticking to body after just a few minutes outdoors...no refreshment or exhilaration until you find that air conditioned indoor place of escape.

Ventured out into that muggy mosquito infested mess this afternoon to snap photos of September colors in the gardens.  The unkemptness of it all added difficulty to capturing the images that soothe the senses, and the distant ones seemed too cluttered to convey the calmness of the day.  These are my choices...may they give pleasure.  Enjoy!     

Carolina Allspice 'Athens'
This little baby is trying to quadruple its size...ack!

Hairy Sunflower

Do you see hair?  Must of had a haircut.

Fuzzy wuzzy somewhere on plant...

Late Purple Aster - Aster patens

White Gaura

Drenched in aphids from head to toe in summer,

and lady bug larve.

American Beauty Berry - purple

Mockingbirds and Cardinals munch on these fall through winter.

New York Ironweed

Clematis integrifolia durandii

Just beginning to open...

'Laura' Summer Phlox

Holly 'Sparkleberry'

By end of month bright red will be each berry.

Passion Flower, Maypop

My nose calls its fragrance STINKY...perfumes entire patio area.

Mmmmm, Mmmmm, Phew!

Walls of fruit seem too thin to really eat.

Robins eat seeds out of dried fruit in winter.

Viburnum nudum 'Winterhur'

Seems happiest in the bog...loves to wet its tootsies.

American Persimmon 'Meader'

Puckers mouth somewhat if eaten before a freeze,

although Dustin dog has been munching on these daily

with no ill effects, it seems.

Turtlehead 'Hot Lips' growing among Swamp Rose in bog area.

A thorny little haven.

Turtlehead 'Hot Lips'

Blackhaw Viburnum

VERY TALL shrub pruned like a tree.

Keeps trying to be a VERY TALL & WIDE shrub,

 suckering a thousand shoots everywhere.

Burning it down to the ground

 is beginning to look like a much better option,

than clipping all those @#%*! shoots...UGG! my aching back!

Butterfly Weed

Tennessee Coneflower hiding in the Hairy Sunflower.

Peek-a-boo

Verbena 'Homestead Purple' growing among all that garbage...uh,

sorry...growing among all that stuff that's green.