pretty, pretty ...thanks for sharing..

Izhar

So much color! How beautiful! And so is the little princess!
Thanks for sharing!
kasha77

Sandy, you certainly have a huge variety there! I wish I could have clicked on each pix to enlarge and seen them better, but couldn't :-(

Thanks Izhar, Kathy & Eloise and those just peeking in.
Seems a shame to have had all those flowers here and mostly gone and not be able to keep them and share them. That's temporary life for you...waiting for the real stuff from God! No expectations, but plenty of anticipation there to!

That squirrel is my all time favorite. She learned not to dig in my garden AND she kept all the other squirrels out of her territory. But, sadly, I haven't seen her around for almost a month. :( A little sable colored female has taken over the territory and she's a tough little scooter. But bad manners in the gardens and the pots. So out comes the blood meal again - keeps them out.

There's a bumble bee busy on that Rose of Sharon Shot, you can see it in mid flight in the lower right corner.

-Sandy

How beautiful! So nice to see blooms this time of year and so many we can't grow here.

It's fun to see how the gardening calendar rotates around in the different zones.

I love your strawberry lollipops. Mine haven't started to bloomed yet. Barbra,

Pretty and prettier! That little cutie is adorable. I have the same gerbera, what a lovely flower that is! Great great garden!

Beautiful flowers and plants,Sandy! Is your Musa Basjoo in a pot or the ground? I'm growing two in the ground for the first time this year. Not sure what I'm doing about overwintering them yet...???

Thank you e1, My granddaughter is a beauty, inside and out and I'm sure it shows! ;)

I like knowing when people from different zones' plants...lol...are kicking in. The countdown to my garden's turn. 10-9-8-7 my turn!

My musa basjoo is in the ground this year, last year it was in a pot (cruely small). The castor bean was planted right beside it so it entwines within each other's branches. I know the banana is smaller for giving up root space to the castor bean. But I do like jamming as much in my little garden as possible.

I'm considering having to leave the banana outside this winter. It's hardy in my zone with really good mulching. I don't know how good a mulching I'll bother with. But cutting it down to 2' is recommended and using it's leaves as a blanket for stem and root area before whatever else you want to wrap it up with. Mine are 3 years old and a good size for trying it outside in my zone. I've usually just dug it up, practically bare root, and stuffed in a brown paper bag and then in a plastic bag for a LITTLE watering here and there. Same as the brug trees.

-Sandy

Banana trunks and leaves get slimy when they freeze and then you have to cut them to ground level. I think I read that if you don't the slimy part will rot down into the roots.

Thanks for the warning Rock! I've never left them outside and this was advice from a online nursery that sells banana's. Maybe they were thinking for no freeze areas.
I wish they'd say so though. Not that they'd necessarily know what would happen is a real freeze.

- Sandy

I've read if you leave the banana stem taller, it has to be protected also. People use chicken wire cages, fill with dry leaves. Then wrap with insulation and burlap, then the whole thing in a tarp to keep moisture out. They say it gives the plants a bigger head start to getting big.

Theresa

Thanks for sharing your photos, Sandy. Lots of lovely pinks, my favorite. I started many hibiscus from seed and am hoping for a wide variety of colors, so far, three like the second photo and one very dark pink. Also have several named varieties.

Well, thank you kindly for the compliments. They make me pleased to see them all again...like they're not really dead now. I hoped to have some pictures of the hardy dinner plate hibiscus in full flush but I think they've been overwatered and the plants that did flush well all pointed their flower to next doors yard! Traitors! That's what's so good about the pendant type of brugs, they don't turn on ya!

Now Threas - I don't think I value that banana tree THAT much! lol...I did buy some frost protection plant cover plastic tubing and ground cover to wrap it in and plan to use burlap and some leaves but that's about it. If it doesn't survive, I'm chit outa luck! I may just dig that one up and store it in the basement as usual, but it's way bigger now. Might just sell it. Brugs 1st, all other plants second!!! lol

- Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: The frost protection tube covering I'm talking about is here, the other frost blankets are just that, a flat covering -

The tubing I mentioned just above is 1.1 meter diameter. Across the center of the tube once made and as they say, can be cut open and layed flat. It has the best weight that Ive seen at 1.5 oz, most ive seen are .5 or .9

None of this stuff is for freeze protection, my banana is minimally hardy and I just want a little bit more protection for some other plants I have that would do better with. Including some hardened brugs that I intend to leave outside for the winter due to their size. Ill be too pained trying to save the others which are smaller 1st years and movable for me.

Anyway, the other flat ground cover I spent the day finding the best deal on eBay for, at least that we Canadians could get our hands on is in the link below. It says for freeze to, but does not give its weight nor how much lower it can protect to, but I believe they will at least protect to 4f below freezing for a limited time as a frost would do. As that is the best the lightest (.5)kind boast they will do but Ive read differently on reviews for the .5oz kind, so go as heavy as you can afford if you chose to use these. The one at this link says its also reusable which usually means its pretty thick. I plan to use these outside come spring, and indoors overwinter as the room theyll be stored in is going to be threateningly cold and Ill probably use burlap there as well. Ill be taking cuttings for backup just in case worse comes to worse.

Those of you in the US have a much greater option on these then we do so youll have to do your own shopping for the best kind and deal. ;)

Just planning ahead, the best brug flowering season is still ahead! -Sandy