YOU'LL BE BACK TO THE GARDEN IN 45 DAYS

This is a play on the words spoken by the Peter Gibbs at the start of Gardeners' Question Time, only he says 'You'll be back to the garden in 45 minutes' As we left on our recent vacation I turned and looked at the garden and spoke similar words. It has been exactly 45 days since we left.

We have traveled 7500 miles but I am so glad to be home, even if my garden did have some unwelcoming surprises for me. Overgrowth, weeds, stock tanks down 18" dead plants. Whereas I would normally welcome the drizzle and colder temperatures that awaited us it certainly did not enhance the garden image. I began pulling out all manner of vegetation mostly from the overgrown vegetable garden. By the end of the week those beds should be clear and ready for new plantings. In the meantime I am enjoying the clashing colors of the gomphrena and spider zinnias.

I am hoping that the recent rain after an August without will bring back the plants in the sunken garden back into flower. For now I must be content with the zexmenia, Wedelia texana.

And the morning show of the chocolate daisy, Berlandiera lyrata.

Here is a surprise, a Hinckley columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha.

This tangle of pink gaura is a favorite of the bees.

I see liatris blooming along the roadsides and it's blooming in my garden too. A welcome flower in the fall garden.

and the Lindheimer senna, Senna lindhemeriana dotted around in the front courtyard.

I have yet to look forward to the first of the Oxblood lily blooms, the Copper canyon daisy and a host of yellow blooming daisies. Soon they will arrive.