Wow, frost already? I love fall and can't wait for the leaves to turn and the air to get more crisp.
That's neat that your butterfly bushes are still going. I'm on my third attempt at rooting some, and I am expecting two newer kinds to arrive tomorrow :)
My cosmos had trouble in the high winds, so those are all winding down, but I have some lush, beautiful coleus types as big as bushes and totally in their prime.
I have daylily pods ripening like teensy pumpkins, Plum Crazy hibiscus putting out its last blooms, and Panicum "Cloud Nine" looking very pretty despite being transplanted.
I sowed 2 kinds of baptisia and some balloon flowers, crepe myrtle, and Echinacea. All the rain is making this a good time for transplanting, etc.
That's basically it :)
My brother-in-law just visited after a trip to China, so I've been drinking a lot of paper-wrapped tea buggers or blooming teas he brought back with him.

Hi Folks! Sorry I haven't been here, but checking in now. Read a few tea posts back that several of you have had to put your pets down--so sorry to heart that and my heart goes out to you. Big hugs!

We are just coming out of a heat wave that had temps in the triple digits for days on end. Yesterday, there was a major power outtage in the southern part of the state, desert included--but luckily our county's power stayed on!

Not too much going on in my garden, roses blooming here and there is about it. We are looking forward to a cooler weekend and coming week, with temps only in the eighties, and fall is just around the corner for us--YAY!

I made some rose and jasmine tisane to share with you all--I hope you enjoy a cup with some fresh baked scones or blueberry muffins!

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XX Becky

I just stumbled upon this forum. I accidentally clicked the mouse and found myself here.Was just about to click away quietly, feeling like an intruder, then decided to say hello instead. Just came in from working in the garden for 5 hours. Been hard at an all out garden redo for days now. Posted on the reg Cottage garden about my "Big Dig" Planted daylilies, 3 Clematis and a rose today. Weeded as I went. It was garbage day today so I did a lot of pruning of neglected bushes to bundle up the prunings to go. It was only 60 today which made the work so much easier. No frost yet here. Our weather is tempered by Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. In Niagara Falls NY you are in the middle effected by both. I don't expect a hard frost till Oct. The only bloom now is a Sweet Autumn Clematis , Autumn Joy Sedum, a Red Cascade rose, and a trumpet vine still pumping out the trumpets. Had some phlox and coreopsis with some bloom but I cut them down to make transplanting easier.
I joined you all for tea and didn't realize it till now. I made myself 2 cups this morning. Something I haven't done since the weather turned warm in June. Aahhhh, was so good. Well thanks for listening,I'll just pop back out. Elizabeth

Welcome to tea time Elizabeth, I'm sorta in redo mode myself. Redoing old beds, removing all in some beds, some things in others. The bed I'm working on right now was originally done back in the 80's and now needs a major overhaul. I'll be working on this one right into next spring, removing landscape cloth with tree and grass roots running under, on top and through Uuuuurggghhh!!! Whoever talked us into putting landscape cloth down and planting through it, well, tar and feathering comes to mind.

Here over a cup of tea all sorts of topics come up, not all necessarily garden related. It's fun to sit with a cup of tea and chat about what's doing, what's new, what flea market finds you've bought. We just got home from a trip down island, came home with 2 kneeling pads, 3 michaelmas daisies, a hand tool with 3 prongs on one side and a pointed hoe thingie on the other. I have one somewhere but it disappeared into that black hole we have.

Soooooo, drop in anytime, someone is usually here waiting for the kettle to boil.

Annette

Thanks Annette, I will.

Hi, everyone! Elizabeth, I'm so glad you stopped by...I hope you'll 'pop in' anytime :)

It's been so busy, here, I haven't had any time to garden the past few weeks. I'm hoping to get some work done tomorrow, after work. So much weeding to do...but I know the deer will find and eat my roses, so I'm waiting a little longer to pull out the cosmos and little daisy weeds. They're so cute, but they do spread! Luckily, I have very well behaved deer (so far) and they don't walk into the beds, just stand on the grass and nibble what sticks out past the lavender. The taller roses are the ones I'm hiding behind the weeds! LOL It's been a long week, so I'm going to relax with a nice cup of Earl Grey and play with my garden plan.

Elizabeth- I saw your post, on the other side and I think your new space is going to be wonderful! How nice, not to have frost until October :)

Annette- My mom hates weed cloth too, for the same reason. She inherited a bunch at her old house and swore never to use it, again. Your shopping trip sounds like fun, especially the daisies!

Becky- Your photo is beautiful and I would love to share a cup of rose and jasmine tisane with you...it sounds so good! Your rose is such a lovely shade of pink. Is that from your garden? What kind is it?

Cracking- I hope your butterfly bushes root, this time. They're so pretty, with the roses and cosmos, blooming in front of them. I think your tea from China sounds very interesting. Do you know what kind you have?

I know it's Thursday, Sept.22 already, but I decided to post to this tea thread. Lass is probably creating a new Thursday Tea as I type. :) Anyway, I finished painting the new birdhouse I had built this Spring. Except, there are nooks and crannies under the roof and in other awkward places that I am unable to reach without turning the house upside down. No easy feat by myself. I did manage to tip it end on end and was able to paint a bit more, but I really need to use an artist's brush. Some other day. I took a break at 3:30pm. and made a tea tray and sat on the back porch. I was going to put it by the birdhouse but then that WOULD have been staging. ha.

Beautiful day today. Dark clouds came in and left. Still lots of warm sunshine left at 5pm. Paint is put away, I'm washed up and now to wash brushes. ugh.

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Schoolhouse- Thanks for posting! I've been running behind all week, so I'm just finally getting a cup of afternoon tea. Earl Grey, of course :)

Wonderful bird house! Where are you going to put it? By the house or out in the garden?

Today is cooler and a little breezy. I finally feel like digging again...but there's SO much to do before winter. The gardens actually look pretty good, but I have a lot of weeding to do in the fairy garden. I think I may have to move a few more roses up to my mom's. I have two Indigo roses that are nice, but don't bloom much and really attract the deer. I think I may put some peonies there, instead.

Well the rain is here, it poured this morning but looks like it's trying to clear up, at least it's still mild. The kettles on, it will be a cup of english breakfast tea for me today, no treat, to close to supper time.

School, your martin house looks smashing :), is it going up on the pole again?

Lass, sounds like you have your garden under control and ready to put to bed for the winter, lucky you, I wish.

Our city is now allowing us to keep up to 6 hens now, we used to keep a few bantams, ducks and we raised show rabbits when we first moved here but the area wasn't inside the city limits back then.
DH and I are toying with the idea of building one of those small portable doll house type coops that you can lift up and move around, sit down on the lawn or right in the garden itself, anyone else do this? I only want 2 or 3 bantams, not interested in going into egg production.

Annette

Thanks. Yes, the birdhouse is going back up on the pole where the old one sat - IF I can find someone to climb up there. I still haven't washed the paint brushes, they are in a plastic bag on the sink. ha.

Chickens? I get "chicken fever" every year, but then decide not to buy them. I've never raised any fowl before. A coop like you are talking about is common around here, the Amish build them. Sorry I can't give you any advice about them.

Well, I'd better go put the wicker chair on the back porch away. We might get some of that rain overnight. I have mums to plant, should have done that today then they would have gotten a good watering. Also a very small Magnolia tree needs to be planted. When I say small, I mean small - just a foot high. Hope I'm around to see it tall and beautiful.

OOOh, Magnolia trees are lovely!! I was so sorry to see two beautiful o es go to make apartment buildings where they stood. I saw a dwarf ginko I really wanted, but thought planting it in a container right before winter might not be a wise choice. I think it was called "jade butterflies " (What a great name!)
Lavender lass, the tea was in these dark, paper-wrapped pellets and were pronounced "poo-yar". Tasted sort of like herbs and hay? In a nice way. Lol
Also love the birdhouse! Very cool with all the little windows. I was considering getting some English thatch-roof ones or such to hang on our ivy wall over the winter.