New project: fish pond

I’ve always wanted a fish pond, but I was younger then.

It's right off the back patio. This part was easy. Since I was conserving energy by not pushing the gravel any farther than I had to at this stage, the bricks are just to keep the gravel from falling in. It's a "new" secondhand 200-gallon kit I found on the local forsaledotcom for 40 bucks. Trying to go cheap.

Another view, mess included.

I really like this view.

And then I started digging. Sometime about now (after 3 or 4 barrowfuls) was when I said to myself, "I don't want to do this anymore." Typical.

Roots!!!

Done for the day. The experience was very much like going to the dentist.

I should have been making room for roses or planting some or something else on the existing garden to-do list. Instead, I went off on this tangent. All I can say is, "Sherry, I hope you pull it off, and it's really spectacular...and pretty."

And just for beauty’s sake…

Clematis 'Henryii'

David Austin's 'Bow Bells' (1991)

Griffith Buck's 'Quietness' (2003)

Scipion Cochet's 'Maman Cochet' (1892)

Benjamin R. Cant's 'Mrs. B. R. Cant' (1901)

Jean Desprez's 'Marchesa Boccella' (1842)

Peter Lambert's 'Leonie Lamesch' (1899)

Peter Henderson's 'White Pet' (1879)

Rain drops

'Maman Cochet'

'Chrysler Imperial'

'Madame Abel Chatenay'

'Le Vesuve'

'Quietness'

'Maman Cochet'

'Serratipetala'

Garden views

I may have just missed the fabled 'golden hour' of photography this evening, but it was very pleasant walking in the garden as the sun went down. There were a few near tragedies and irritations, some sweet surprises and even one or two at-a-girls! Not too bad for an in-between-bloom time.
 

Definitely irritating! These rototiller-armadillos are so obnoxious!

I got a kick out of this month's raffle question in the Marion County Rose Society newsletter, Rose Rambler. It came from an article called "CIDES: a few things to consider before using them". The list included algicide, avicide, bactericide, and on it went. The raffle question for this month's meeting is, "What “cide” is used to deal with Armadillos?" Boy, did I run to find that answer!! Eagerly, I read to the end of the list, seeking the antidote to my garden terrorist. It was the last one, and not exactly what I was hoping for. For armadillos use pistolcide.

 

Even in the face of this tragedy DH won't let me walk around with a loaded gun. I guess the world is a safer place, but...

'White Pet' - can't hold her back!

'Frilly Bliss' - that's two flowers in case you weren't quite sure.

Silly 'Mrs B R Cant'. Doesn't she know she's in the shade?

'Indy Indy' is my new fave! It's the sweetest rosy color. I just love it and will definitely be getting more..

'Maman Cochet' starting again.

Having bloomed spectacularly on her one and a half canes, 'Quietness' is adding new growth and getting ready to impress again. For a non-OGR her health is as impressive as her blooms. She's 12 inches away from the west side of the house. Not exactly ideal, but the poor thing loves it.

'Souvenir de la Malmaison' and a couple of clematis 'Princess Diana' flowers. The Princess has presumed her way onto SDLM. Those are her leaves in the lower right and elsewhere. Okay by me.

I haven't shared much of 'Le Vesuve' this year. She suffered a great deal from dieback that left gaping holes in her. I have never practiced "pruner hygiene", and it has never been a problem. However, when the dieback started, I noticed it occurred where I had made cuts and spread downward. So I cleaned the pruners with alcohol, but the dieback continued.

I more or less decided to never touch her with clippers again, but the dieback was going farther down the canes. I was afraid it was a live or die situation, so I carried a cup of Clorox with me, and after every cut I dipped and shook and sometimes blotted on my old shorts. What the heck - didn't know if the rose would be bothered by the bleach so the shorts were sacrificed.

Thankfully, the dieback seems to have stopped.

And 'Le Vesuve' is hopefully making a recovery. She's starting her next flush anyway.

'Duquesa' is blooming in earnest. She's a gorgeous bush, but sad I am to say that her flowers fade and go brown too quick for me. Yesterday she surprised me though which some very nice peachy flowers, and tonight there were even more.

Here she is from the other side. Quite lovely, don't you think? We'll see how big a flush this turns out to be.

Duquesa's flowers are on the small side - less than two inches but very pretty and sweetly fragrant.

Here's a sweet one.

Believe it not, I don't know the name of this daylily. I have no memory of it blooming last year and vaquely thought it was a yellow one. Well, I guess not. I'll have to look at my list...and take a wild guess.

Even blown, 'Madame Abel Chatenay' steals my heart.

The bush form of 'Clotilde Soupert' is making her presence known.

'Fred Ham' is the daylily along with 'Peach Drift', Clotilde and dahlia 'Lucca Johanna'.

'White Maman Cochet' in bud...

...and blown.

Purple coneflower. Name notwithstanding, I love her shade of pink.

A scene I've been dreaming of since I started this garden... leaves AND flowers.

This makes me think of a flower arrangement for the table. I think Mother Nature must have taken a class.

Maybe the anticipation was simply too much, but the daylilies seem to be less prolific this year. This is encouraging though.

Talk about anticipation...

I thought I'd knock your socks off at the end. These caladiums are not quite as bright as this in real life, but that's what the camera saw so who am I to argue.