Comments

1. 
   meander_michaele 11/19/2012

   Those very smooth flat rocks really do make a statement...the eye goes right to them and lingers for a moment. Is the bush/small tree with the dark golden blooms some kind of witch hazel?
   I remember really enjoying the Fall Fireworks article...it showcased some great plant combinations.

2. 
   Tim_Zone_Denial_Vojt 11/19/2012

   Great style. Thanks for the article links. Those containers are awesome in the apparently upcoming article; both the pots and the plants.

3. 
   pattyspencer 11/19/2012

   Pretty plantings - those river rocks are gorgeous and really do make a statement.

4. 
   annek 11/19/2012

   Viburnum has become my new all time favorite bush and your photos have confirmed my decision was a good one! Love your fall colors...what zone are you in Stacie? (I keep pushing the limits in my zone 5 sometimes zone 4 location)

5. 
   tractor1 11/19/2012

   meander1: You do have a good eye, the foliage on that plant does look like witch hazel amd Stacie does say it is witch hazel "The Hamamelis x intermedia 'Jelena' provides fragrance and color with its copper-tinted blooms. Witch hazels also have great fall leaf colors." I'd like to plant some witch hazel myself only they're very slow growing and don't become tall enough so I think the deer may make a feast of them. A couple of years ago I planted a small lilac because it's not sopposed to be on the deer menu but the first night they ate more than half so now it's fenced, and will be many years before it's tall enough for me to remove the fence.

   I wish those photos were brighter, and their composition better... the dimness of that photography makes it very difficult to appreciate the garden. Those river stones are lovely, only if everyone gloms a bucketful there soon won't be any for others to enjoy... I so wish folks would only take photos.

6. 
   tractor1 11/19/2012

   I wanted a lilac bush to soften my utility pole. It's now fenced and will probably be a long time before it hides anything. I bought this at my local nursery but here's a reference:
   http://www.naturehills.com/product/mount_baker_lilac.aspx?gclid=CL213sHBoqkCFYFM4Aod_0CQvA
   Was planted spring of 2011:
   

   Newt may be coming home from the vet today, if not tomorrow. I decided the barn is too hostile, plus it's a trek to bring food everyday, especially in winter, so I will bring him home and slowly introduce him to the five.

7. 
   meander_michaele 11/19/2012

   Ha, tractor1, you're too kind not to call me out for being a careless reader. How did I completely miss Stacie's very precise labeling of what was for me "the mystery plant"...that falls in the dumb, dumb me category!
   Hope Newt thrives in his imminent indoor cat status and your current five make it an easy transition for him.

8. 
   tractor1 11/19/2012

   meander1: Easy to miss so early in the AM, look at all my fat fingered typos. lol. I missed the witch hazel blurb too but only spotted it when I went back to read it again. At first I wasn't sure as witch hazel is typically multi-trunked.
   The vet just called and Newt did fine. He'll come home tomorrow morning. He will need time to recuperate so I will keep him in a spare bedroom for a few days to acclimate to new smells and sounds, and he will get pain meds in his food for a few days. Then he will slowly get introduced to the five, I'm sure he will be fine, the five had to be introduced to each other too, and they all have very different temperments and personalities... even Peach and Blackie who are sister and brother are as opposite as opposites can be.

9. 
   pattyspencer 11/19/2012

   Good luck with Newt - I hope he settles in without much fuss. If you keep him as an inside cat you'll have to keep an eye on the doors as you go in and out until he realizes that his only "out" will be looking through a window.

10. 
    tractor1 11/19/2012

    pattyspencer: Thank you. None of my cats ever go out so I'm very used to watching whenever I open a door. None of the five ever try to get out anyway and Newt will soon forget all about the outdoors. Sarah used to be an outdoor cat, lived in my garage but when I retired and moved I couldn't leave her... she instantly became an indoor cat and never tries to go out. I have a catdoor in my basement door, they all explore/patrol the basement except for Peach, she's deathly afraid of the basement. The litter pans are in the basement but Peach has her own upstairs in a back room.

11. 
    bamboomary 11/21/2012

    One of my favorite gardens, bright sunlight or overcast.