Fertilizer Friday Sept 6th.

September is here... It doesn't quite have the same feeling in the air of fall being just around the corner that I am so programmed to feel from living in Alberta Canada... Here in Michigan it means that the tempertures might actually stay around 83 or maybe in the high 70's but the lawn is still growing just as fast and the perennials blooming beautifully. I can however stop deadheading and just let my garden now run its course. I have a "to do list" forming in my head but not yet on paper. Last year I went into fall clean up mode in about the middle of September and it was too early...This year I will wait and let the weather dictate when I start doing the usual fall clean up chores. 

There is still an abundance of colour in my garden. Some perennials are really only just now coming into there own. Stealing the stage and perhaps its the next to final act of the 2013 summer show. Did you have any favorites this year? Did something grow particularly nice and surprise you or even disappoint you?

 This Ligularia has been blooming for a good 6 weeks now. Its a pop of colour viewed from the deck in a darker corner of the pond. Its starting to look a bit ragged.

This Caryopteris is a new addition and just started blooming in time for the tour. If you didn't see the pictures from the tour click HERE

This is suppose to be a real butterfly magnet. The blue really stands out and its stealing the show in the butterfly garden

Dahlia's are blooming

Morning glory has been slow with the cooler tempertures we had in August

Butterflys are delighting us everywhere. Swallowtails, Common Mormans, Red Admirals, Monarchs and some I have yet to identify. I haven't managed to get photos of all of them yet. I will keep trying. Im thankful for digital cameras and not having to be too worried about how many shots it takes to get a fairly decent one.

My what huge eyes you have!

I've always been fascinated with Dragonfly's

Sunflowers have always seemed like "happy flowers" to me.  Do you have a happy flower?

 Hibiscus are really blooming and I should go out the night before to remove the spent flowers for a better shot but just have not been able to find the time. I've been in a laid back mode after the tour.

 Beware of the snapdragons...

 Roses still going strong an smelling wonderful. They had a bit of a rough start with something eatting their leaves earlier on in the year.

I started these stepping stones a while ago. This one is the first stone and the "quick setting cement" set up far too quickly! I should of thought to of at least put a hand print in the empty spot but I didn't. Now Im trying to think of a saying or something to print there before I seal the cement.

 Then I created this one with the butterflys made out of shells and rocks and gems.

I moved quickier and used shells and bits of coral in this one...

Then I read on Pinterest how to do another type and used this method inbetween to join the two stones...

So the walk way into the butterfly garden is getting finished. I have learnt a lot doing it. It was my learning area before tackling the larger part to be done inside the garden as a sitting area or patio type place.I wanted to practice on an area of less prominent vision.  Planting creeping phlox or some other ground cover at the edges will add to the finished look of the path. The round rocks were left over from the chimney in our house and the shells etc I collected from trips so the only real expense was the bags of cement and sweat equity.
It feels good to get another project well on its way to being finished.

Thanks for stopping by. I have the house to myself for the next four days and Im looking forward to some alone time. I might even tackle a couple other projects that have been on my wish list.
Have a fantastic week.
P/S  I spent Friday actually working in a Dahlia field so Im late linking up with Tootsie Time!...
I do have a post about the day though for the future... I learnt a lot...

Kate