just now - starlings!!!

Make sure you have the sound on!

September is the month when flocks of starlings appear suddenly, take a dive into the vine, feed on the grapes for a few seconds, then fly away... We have already harvested the grapes, but there are still some odd bunches left... 

It is breathtaking to experience this, I wish I could write a poem about it...

 

and then there are surprises

I bought this hydrangea last spring, thinking it would be a white mophead hydrangea (one of my favourite flowers ever). I was very excited to see the first buds this early summer, but to my surprise they didn't resemble the round heads I knew! 

I found out this was another type of hydrangea, called paniculata (panicled) and I was very disappointed at first, but have grown to love it. It is less sensitive than the mophead type, which is harder to grow in our area because of heat and drought, and the blooms last much longer. 

I also waited in vain for all the tiny flowers to open, until I learned each panicle had sterile (big showy flowers) and non-sterile little flowers almost hidden beneath, very interesting... They shine like little white stars in the shade beneath the vine, I can now say I don't regret anymore buying it, on the contrary! 

Come September, the blossoms are slowly turning brown-beige, and the leaves have started to show signs of yellowing, but it is still very lovely, I think... 

seed time

finally ASTERS

I have long dreamed about asters, even wrote a paper about this flower name in poetry (not to be confused with the China asters from an earlier post, these ones, the true asters, are perennials). And now I finally have them in my garden, this pretty lilac variety. I've grown them from seeds and even if it was said on the package that they would bloom the second year, to my utter delight they have already flowered! They are supposed to get quite big and bushy, I can't wait... ah patience... :-)

(a half of zinnia is visible too :-)

still going strong

Portulaca grandiflora, Moss rose, still blooming though less profusely. I adore these little flowers. 

september pastel

China aster (terrible name in romanian: ochiul boului, ox eye):

a few, very frail (they haven't grown well from seed, they should be 60-90 cm tall ha!) - but still immensely beautiful (some gaillardia seeds got mixed up, they are the ones with the black center :-)

white little stars

  

 

The white little china aster, glowing in the dark, a last petunia 

and the fluffy seed heads of gaillardia - among the scattered vine leaves, 

summer and autumn entwined...

first day of autumn

last day of summer