Just finished the monthly orchid society bulletin and am now working on the last show accounts. Toting up the moular and making out cheques.

Just about to water my orchids, maybe do a bit of repotting .
Have to tidy things because the Dragon Woman has invited people over tomorrow.
Gee i'm busier than when i worked. LOL Who has any free time???.

Just got back from spending a week away. Two days in Boston and four in Maine. We had arranged to have some major construction done in July, but contractor didn't show. He called on our last day of work to announce he was starting on Monday - first day of our vacation.

I had to move all my plants out of my sun-room and left them on my deck. We left for our 'vacation' while he tore my house apart. Came home to a mess, fried orchids and 'sticker shock.'

I am so glad we don't go back to work until Wednesday. Tomorrow I need to see what plants can be salvaged and move them all to some shade. It hasn't rained one drop in over a month so all my gardens, including vegetables are parched. I can't believe what a disaster this vacation turned out to be. I also can't believe it is almost over.

I need a vacation!

Jane

Having been forced into "retirement" by illness and an accident, my time is mine... but I'm not able to plan too far in advance. I do what I can, when I can. I do have solid plans to attend the Chicagoland Orchid Festival this fall, though. That, I'm attending no matter what!

Today, I got a little bit of grass cut, and I hope to finish up tomorrow. Laundry Mountain is staring at me, as is its neighbor, Dish Mountain! I'll try to tackle those...

The husband has plans to do a small plumbing job for a friend, and I'll go along as "Tool Manager", to help!

That's my weekend! Oh, and I'll hover over my orchids for a bit... I really should re-pot some of my bulbs, too... and garden prep for winter will begin shortly, so I should think about what needs to be done there, too...

With the normal housework that I've been putting off, and the plumbing job I'll help with, well... Labor Day Weekend will be filled with... labor! It's aptly named!

This is such a sad, but gorgeous time of year. Even though the garden is past its peak, I still love working out there. The days are certainly numbered and I want it to look its best until the bitter end.

Went to the farmers market today and loaded up on good stuff - corn, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, raspberries. Since I really have no interest in cooking during the summer months (which is kind of a shame since everything it at its peak and cheap), I'm going to do some good simple meals. Even went to the grocery store and bought some of those yellow, little shortcake things. I know there are better options for shortcake, but I love those little numbers. Raspberries & strawberries together with a whole mess of cream should be delightful.

The only other thing I should do this weekend is get the second floor porch ready for the orchids. The sun has shifted and nights are starting to get cool. They'll need to go up there until the final move into the house for winter.

Some things are past their peak out in my gardens, it's true... but I have to say... all the Roses, and a few Clematis, plus the Rudbeckia and Russian Sage, are all in full flower right now! I'm very impressed by the Miniature Roses I put in this past spring!

I forgot that I also need to set up this little table top fountain to help with humidity, and rearrange the indoor plants, so the few that went out can have their spots back.

Autumn is a beautiful time of year... but it signals the coming of the cold weather... which I don't deal with very well, physically. Winter to me is more pain! I'm glad I have my indoor garden to take my mind off it, and keep the winter blues at bay!

The seasons pass by too fast...

My 3 day weekend started Friday night at the Nine Inch Nails concert. Not sure if any of you are fans, but the show was amazing and it was well worth being crushed and having difficulty breathing for a moment.

Sunday is hiking and running with a friend in the park. Monday will e spent buying a few needed things for the vacation I begin on Friday, where I plan to purchase an orchid or two.

Sarah

Just came back from a 2 week long vacation in California...didn't make it to a single orchid place which has me a little pissed but oh well - traveling with family entails sacrifices. Before I left on this vacation, I had ominous feelings concerning the immediate time after my two weeks away. I almost felt like I didn't want to leave because the time spent catching up afterwards would be soo hellish. Thank goodness for the long weekend.

Like Jane I had some orchid misfortunes. Before leaving I rigged up a misting system and dunked all the plants real well. Everything was automated, but because of the rush job (yes, I was screaming "ONE MORE SECOND" as I frantically filled the reservoir for the mister while my ride to the airport honked outside) I neglected to ensure that the mist was hitting everything perfectly...so despite my 2 hurried test runs, I came back to find some things bone dry despite the automated 3x per day misting. No casualties, but some growths definitely severely set back. A depressing welcome.

Schoolwise, I have 2 wks of work to catch up on before the next week unfolds, not to mention cleaning out my house downtown for the new tenants for Sept 1. In my own home here, I'll be busy cleaning the toilets which have been neglected (gross), vacuuming, like Jodik I have my own little laundry mountain to deal with, and I'll be sorting out my wardrobe so I can get rid of all those clothes I no longer wear. I'm going to be spending a whole lotta time indoors once winter shows it's face, so I want my nest to be neat and tidy - being cooped up in a messy home for months is torture.

The garden's a mess - our cherry tree is dropping leaves prematurely, I have bindweed everywhere on the lawn (how the hell do you get rid of that stuff), my compost bin is lethargic and there's some sort of earwig infestation going on... so that'll be a good workout. But at least it's nice and cool, so it should be a pleasant time. This will be the last autumn I spend in this garden (we're moving), so it will be especially sad - I'll have to say good bye to all the nice plants I put in two years ago, most of which are finally getting established this season. I can only imagine what the place will be like next year.

Jodik - you have clematis in flower? Mine were done months ago! : )

-Cal

Forgot about the most important event of the weekend. Viewing the last episode of season 5 of the wire.

When there is nothing much else on TV I'll borrow the series again from daughter and this time watch the lot with sub-titles on.

The mess of a garden is in spring bloom and it looks pretty good. It is mostly self sown and the same stuff comes up every year. I just do a lot of transplanting.

Arthur

Wasn't the final season just great? I finished the 5th about a week ago and was truly sad that was the end. I know it was fiction, but all that political stuff rang so true. Being a bit of a neighborhood activist myself, I have a potential clash planned with my city council person next week. If I succumb to some unfortunate "accident", the orchids are up for grabs.

Cal, just to jump in on your question to Jodik, the clematis I have in the front yard garden was just in bloom. I think the flower may have fallen. This Clematis seems to be very sporadic. Flowers for a couple weeks or so, then nothing for weeks, and then another flower will pop.

Sarah

Calvin I have several clematis that will also rebloom in the fall. Madame duBouchard (light pink) is one I can remember the name on because the name tag didn't fade :>) I also have a small blue bloomer, a small magenta bloomer, another that is a dark pink bell shaped bloom. They are all blooming now after a spectacular bloom this spring.

Sweet Autumn clematis is a fall bloomer with a great fragrance but the blooms (very small white) only last about two weeks and it is a "weed". I have to constantly stay on top of it to keep it from creeping over to neighbors and eating them.

Anything that can bloom in the drought we are having, is a great plant.

Brooke

Kevin, you have to wonder what the good citizens of Baltimore think about The Wire and The Corner.

Same experience with clematis here. Most of mine have continued to throw out a few blooms all summer and will probably have a larger flush of flowers later this fall.

Sweet Autumn just finished and I MUST remember to cut it back or all those seeds will sprout next year and take over the State of MN. Heavenly scent, but my Lord is it invasive!

My Clematis tangutica is just starting to bloom. Doesn't look like a clematis at all with all those little, yellow bells.

We REALLY like to get off topic fast, don't we?

K

Several of my Clematis bloom in late spring/early summer, and continue to bloom sporadically for a while... there's quite the array of Clematis types growing on a large fence we have... some are early, some mid-season, and some later... I couldn't list the names, but right now there are several beauties blooming! Many have lots of unopened buds!

There are two different pink bell-shaped ones, a deep purple, a white with a fuzzy center, a pink with a fuzzy center... all in heavy bloom now. The tags are either faded or gone, so I'm not sure of names. What I do know is that the different types require different pruning techniques... some bloom from old wood, some from new... it has always confused me somewhat!

The only one we don't seem to have is the Autumn type with the clouds of white blooms... I've had it in the past, though, and it's wonderfully scented! An aggressive grower, to say the least!

I really need to learn more about them...

These are in bloom now...

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Wow Jodik those are impressive! Aren't there different 'groups' of clematis out there that require different pruning practices, and could it be that bloom habits differ depending on group?

I only have one clematis - it's the common 'Jackmanii' and it produces a huge flush of blooms for about 2-3 weeks in mid summer, and then it's over. I'm not too happy with the shape of the flowers (yours are much nicer!) so I'm looking for replacements..for the new garden that is.

On a related note,has anyone grown clematis indoors? Is that possible?

(Maybe I should move this discussion to the clematis forum..)

PS - so I only got done half the things I was hoping to get done this weekend...luckily I planned for that so I don't feel too bad about myself : )

Thank you... they're grown on a fence with north/south orientation, so they get full sun pretty much all day.

Yes, exactly so... Clematis are arranged in Groups... they have different bloom times, and different pruning is required as some bloom on new wood, while others bloom on old wood, etc...

That's the part that always confuses me... the groups, and the pruning!

I have seen some Clematis sold in smaller pots with decorative little trellises, sort of like miniature roses are sold, as gift plants... and while I'm sure you could grow them indoors for a time, I think they're best planted in the garden where they can spread out and get the seasonal dormancy they need. They like their faces in the sun and their roots kept cool.

I have a Jackmanii, too, and I love the huge flush of blooms it produces! I do wish it would bloom for a longer period of time, though. There are so many different varieties of Clematis available now... so many bloom shapes and colors... it's a fantastic plant, whether trained on a fence or trellis, or allowed to creep around on the ground...

Here's a white flowered variety peeking through a Knockout Rose...

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This past weekend, I went along to help my husband with a plumbing job for a friend... the original job went well, but we ran into another plumbing problem that needs fixing, in order for the entire system to work as it should. We got home late on Sunday... and loaded up the car with tools on Monday to go finish the job... and wouldn't you know it... the car broke down a few miles from home! I walked back, got another vehicle for the rescue, and we towed our little Ford home...

I'm in no physical shape to be walking that far in that kind of heat... today, I'm one hurtin' puppy! So... I guess you could say my weekend was a bust. A costly bust!

I forgot to mention that I tackled Laundry Mountain, and I won!

So... I guess the weekend wasn't a total scrub, no pun intended!