Nature Wins Again

The thing about nature is that there is a dependability to it - seasons, cycles, rhythm. The cycle that's starting now is the one where I admit that my garden was not what I hoped it would be this year, and it's right on time.

The best thing about this time of year is the appearance of the Autumn Joy sedum flower heads. These are so hardy and so plentiful that I divide them using a hacksaw. I throw some away every year because I just don't know enough people to give them to. There are several reasons that I'll always have these in my garden:

• they are perennials
• grow themselves
• they are pest-free
• they are drought, flood, and heat tolerant
• they shrug off the first frost
• when they first emerge in springtime, the look like a mound of little cabbages

I know all that and I say all that but right about now when things are looking particularly dreary, I am always so glad to see their giant pink blooms. Two downsides:

• the giant blooms are so giant that they pull the stems over
• bees love to crawl around on them all day long

And not the cute little chubby bees, either. They attract the slim, serious don't bother me, fool bees and they are very, very busy with these flowers.

The early hours, best for bee-avoidance, accounts for the varying hues in these pics. The truest color is the one above that is threatening to tip over the birdbath. They spill onto the grass and make Sami curse when he tries to cut the grass but I like the image of overflowing abundance and I try my best to plant them where they will do just this thing.

Here is the whole sad picture where you can see the true extent of flowerbed failure. Pitiful strangled lilies, anemic cleomes.  I've already started making plans for next year, involving a complicated plan of lifting the root bundles, digging in compost and replanting. However, even in the days when I was in better shape, kneewise, I never did that so chances are pretty slim that's gonna happen now.

Please note that I am using the term "pic". I read an article that those  who use the terms "picture" or "photo" are the same crowd that is likely to be found dialing phones or playing records. "Pic", apparently, is the modern term of choice to refer to an image and I am making a consistent effort to use it. Because I'm hip.

Comments

[pam]

Nature may always win, but at least there are those who struggle against -or with- her. Me, I sit with a glass of iced tea and watch her take over. ;)

[Ree]

Oh, I have Alyssum Hyssop that's like that. Bees/bees/bees. Bumble bees. Honey bees. Covered.

And they fall over. I thought they were going to be about 2 ft. tall? They're pushing 4 ft. Have to learn to read those little tags better!

[tina]

the sedum you gave me is thriving... they and the deer are doing so well.
bring me more sedum when you get to pa. next time.

[Jim - PRS]

I'm hipture.

[The Pump Jockey]

I bought some of those expandible ring thingies to hold up the flopping irises. They'd probably work on your stuff as well.

Our pest du jour are yellowjackets who like to eat the rotting crabapples in the driveway. They live underground and come after me when I cut the grass over top of them. I can understand they get upset at that, but last weekend I was stung 6 times.

Upside: all that bee venom is good for your arthritic joints.

[dogette]

I have hyssop FULL of hyperactive but humans-are-so-last-season bees. I mean I can walk right through masses of these little twerps and like, totally disturb their train of thought, and make them fly hysterically around trying to remember what they were just doing, and they pretty much just ignore me except for giving off what I would describe as a slight air of disdain.

[dogette]

I have hyssop FULL of hyperactive but humans-are-so-last-season bees. I mean I can walk right through masses of these little twerps and like, totally disturb their train of thought, and make them fly hysterically around trying to remember what they were just doing, and they pretty much just ignore me except for giving off what I would describe as a slight air of disdain.