Do you want these plants?

In browsing the gardens, I am reminded of endings.
There was a time when I had been quite ill and depressed. I had finally been able to get out in the garden late in the season, after a long stretch of no gardening. My doctor asked me how I was going to handle it when my garden died back for the winter. I thought that was a most unusual question. What did she mean? Was I going to mourn the loss of the current years plants? Was I going to be more depressed as I would not be getting any more gardening done for several months? Was I going to .......... ???

Well, I didn't have to think about that question for any time at all. I would be looking forward to the following spring, knowing that I would be putting my plants to bed for the winter, and that come spring they would all be greeting me in their individual splendor. And at this particular time, it was when I decided to expand the front gardens from just under the Crabapple tree to all the way down the driveway.

I would be spending the winter, when I would be unable to go back to work, researching and planning for the new garden areas, which I would be able to start planting the following spring. As I prepared all the other gardens for the winter, it was with the confidence and full knowledge that these wonderful plants, who had annually showed me their finest forms, would once again be going back into the earth to replenish their souls, resting under the soft blanket of our many snowfalls, comforted by the knowledge that they would peek up through the soil again, when it was their time to be reborn in the full glory for which they were intended.

So the endings I am reminded of are the ones that occur throughout the gardens at this time of year. It is the passing time of the great blooming Daylilies, the brilliant spiked Liatris, which fed oh so many butterflies, hummingbirds and insects this season. Now, late in August, it is the time of faded blooms and many more developing seeds. It is the time to cleanup the gardens, to take a good look at what has transpired this season, and a time to plan for the next.

I will be taking a very close look at all garden areas, and deciding how to finish out the current season as I prepare for the next. One questions I face this time of year is what to do with my plants as the season winds down. I will be making these decisions as I go through the photos I have recently taken of all the gardens.
This is the Candytuft, Iberis, in the front of the house. This was a great year for it, about the fourth year it has been there. It has multiplied wonderfully and was loaded with great white flowered spikes early in the spring. I let the flower spikes remain as they developed seeds this season. The plants are now filled with the brown spikes, which have deposited their seeds on the soil below. It will be fun to see how many seedling comes up next spring, as this is the first year I have let them go to seed intentionally.

Okay, I don't have my glasses on, so now as I look closer it looks like it could be the Creeping Phlox. As I don't know where I last put my glasses I will need to go pack to my Pictures folder to look at the photo in enlarged mode to see what I am actually looking at (LOL). And I will get more coffee to get myself a bit more alert for the process!!

Well that's a relief, my eyes aren't as bad as I was imagining! It is the Candytuft. I am so glad I looked at the photo closer as I noticed a small Poison Oak coming up to the right of it just next to the Aster on the far right. Got that on a list of things I need to do today. No need to have my gardeners getting any new rashes when they come to help!

I am interrupted here by the clear, soft chirping of one of our Cardinals, somewhere in the woods outside the window. They are consistent, year round companions here.

And back to the photo. Also in the forefront is a variegated Hosta, with its spent bloom stem. This particular variety I usually cut off the stems as soon as they are finished blooming. As I am experimenting with letting plants go to seed, I will do that with several of the different Hosta varieties this year, to see how they develop. I have a whole area of variegated Hosta that I need to thin out if anyone wants any.



These are Bronze Fennel that have to get out of this area now that they have matured. They are one of the host plants for Anise and Eastern Black Swallowtail butterflies!! I gave out caterpillars this past spring to families that had this host plant!




In this garden the Sundrops are crowding in on the Tree Peony, and that just will not do!! Help save them from the compost, and plan to adopt some!!




This garden will be changing to a vegetable patch next year. So, the Liatris, Daylilies, Japanese Iris, Dwarf Iris, and Sedum need to go!!




This yellow blooming Sedum will all have to go as it has grown onto the driveway and will get plowed up over the winter.





These Aster and Lemon Balm will be getting thinned out to avoid too much overcrowding.




The Ginger has spread remarkably, and needs to be thinned out.




And the Thyme, oh, the Thyme, I have loads and loads of Thyme, oh, that it could be the time, that I have loads of, and not the Thyme!!



And look, a Columbine has taken up residence in a Strawberry plant! That will not do at all. That tenant never signed a lease - must be evicted ASAP!!! Need the space for the Strawberries and all the runners!!


And speaking of the Strawberries, there is just no more room for any additional plants, the runners, and small plants growing off them have got to go!! Oh, wait, I do have new homes lined up for them. Those new homes have got to get ready for their imminent arrival!



This area in the Daylily bed has to be thinned to make room for more Butterfly Weed, which I am letting go to seed to have more of my butterflies' favorite plant!!



And last, but not least of this sweep of some of the gardens, is this overgrown, sprawled all over the ground, beautiful over-matured Black Eyed Susan, which needs to be dug, split and sent on to spend the rest of its days elsewhere, as I have plenty already!


So this has been a sampling of plants waiting to be adopted. I had meant to get this posting done before I went on vacation, so you could all be thinking about what you might be wanting for your gardens. Interested??!!

All it takes is the time you would already be spending going around and looking at all my gardens. Many of you spent over an hour here on your initial visits. Why not spend that time next to me in one of the gardens harvesting all the plants I am planning to dig/pull up that otherwise would end up in someone else's garden on in compost. Just take a minute and let me know of your interest, and when you might be able to get here. Once school starts, I'll be available throughout the day, especially as the cooler weather comes in. I won't keep offering, as I have so much work to do with the gardens and getting ready for fall classes.