Autumn Joy

Fall has fell here.
We’ve had four days of rain.
Flowers and vegies are
starting to undergo
their seasonal changes.

Autumn Joy sedum gives a
stellar show in the garden.

Over time
(about a month)
the flowers change
from pale pink
to a dark maroon.

On the far left of the photo
are some pale pink flowers.
Deer have trimmed stems outside of the fence,
and the young growth blooms as it would
earlier in the season.

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Oregon Coast

We drove along the Oregon Coast recently.

I stood on the overlook at
Devil’s Punch Bowl and saw
these alyssum flowers on a ledge.
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It is pretty amazing to me
that any plant can survive,
much less thrive, living in the sand.
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I noticed a number of wildflowers
on the highway along the beach.

This yellow blossom was my favorite.
It grew in clumps along the road.
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Queen Anne’s Lace is a prolific grower.
Can you see some of the blossoms have gone to seed?
The seed burrs are most annoying;
I have picked them out of too many socks.
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Everlasting Sweet Peas grow along many roadsides.
I accidentally planted them in my own flower garden.
They are near impossible to eliminate.
But they sure look pretty along the highway.
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Dandelions grow everywhere!

Aster or Astor, What’s the Diff?

Variations in the spelling of American’s surnames,
leads me to wonder if these words have the same origin.

From a discount plant at the end of summer,
this flower has become invasive here.
Okay, if I deadheaded conscientiously,
there would probably be significant number
of fewer garden additions.

Interestingly, three colors of flowered plants have evolved.

Rose of Sharon

A few years ago,
I asked a flower woman
what she would suggest
as a late-summer blooming shrub.
Her reply was Rose of Sharon.

It has grown well for me
within a ‘flower jail’.
Deer nibble off any branch
that extends out of the fencing.

This year the wind removed dead blossoms
and kept the plant looking fresh for weeks.

Mt. St. Helens National Monument

On May 18, 1980 Mt. St. Helens,
in Washington State, blew its top,
and a classic upside-down V-shaped peak
turned into to an open caldera.

While flora and fauna have returned after 35 years,
there is still much evidence of the violent explosion.
That was the history part of this blog entry.
* * * * *
We visited September 1, and found
end-of-summer wildflowers on our hike.

Most of these pink flowers had gone to seed.
The seed pods are most unusual looking.
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The down side of a beautiful, sunny day
is that the glare makes photography a challenge.

Pike Place Market

In Seattle, the Pike Place Market is famous
for fish, seafood and every other type of
food, craft, flowers,
and the bounty of this city’s homegrown.
A giant farmer’s market open 363 days of the year.

There were a number
of floral vendors.

Sunflowers were $1 a stem,
Less, if a dozen were purchased.


I saw many people
carrying purchased bouquets.


Dried flower arrangements
of statice in various colors.

Chihuly Glass Garden

On a visit to Seattle,
we were able to see
a most unusual and beautiful garden.

The sign said that his mother’s garden
was an early inspiration.
Above is the entrance view.
* * * * *

Opposite end of the long room
from the first photo.
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A side view.
The glass indoors was set on mirrors.
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A boat-load of ikebana items.
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The outdoor gardens were
color-coordinated and well-kept.

Can you see which sculpture
reminds me of a Venus Fly Trap?
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Orange sun sculpture is part of a different display,
and still glamorous!
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Chihuly Garden and Glass is
near the Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.