This week in the garden - #35

Brugmansia aurea, member of the family Solanaceae, or as we prefer to call them, "Angel Trumpets." The angel trumpets are at their best in my garden at this time of year and they've reached their peak this week. This old, established plant that's been in the garden for about ten years, has blossoms on every limb and twig. In the late afternoon, the entire corner of the garden where it stands is filled with the scent of the sweet perfume of those blossoms.

I added four new brugs to the garden this year. Two of them have bloomed and a third one now has buds and will be in bloom soon, but all are enjoying the somewhat cooler days and nights of autumn and are putting on a late spurt of growth. They will all, like the old plant, die back to the roots this winter, but next spring they should be back stronger than ever, and by this time next year, I hope to have wonderful angel trumpets "blowing" all over my garden.

This week, fall cleanup of the garden continued. At mid-week, I walked through the garden one afternoon and realized, to my surprise, that actually things look pretty good. Not that there isn't still a lot of work that needs to be done. When was there ever not a lot of work to be done in the garden? But progress has been made and as we meander into late autumn and the leaves begin to carpet the ground, I'm not too displeased with where I am at this stage of my gardening year. In less than two weeks, I'll be leaving on my fall vacation and, as things now stand, I may actually be able to leave in good conscience!

The five goldfishes in my little pond enjoy lazing in the late afternoon sun, as do I. How pleasant it is to sit and watch and listen as the day winds down. I hope you've had time to sit and enjoy your garden this week. It is something that I'm afraid we gardeners too often forget to do.