Saturday, September 28, 2013

Last Week of September 2013


September has had many beautiful blooms in the gardens here on the shores of Lake Michigan.  In the future, some of the photos taken this month will be seen in different postings such as the series called “BLOG SHOTS”.  As the month now comes to and end, many gardens have lost much of their color by this last week of September.  However, here in the Gardens at Waters East – lots of plants are still blooming, even showing their best this time of year, while it is true others are beginning to fade.


Formal Garden - Autumn Colors
Lake Michigan in the background

Here are a few final blooms all taken this last week of September, some found in groups, others simply sprinkled around the gardens.  Notice the combinations that enrich the landscape this time of year with their associated colors from different plants.

 Native Aster & Marguerite Daisy

 Rain Garden
field of flowers and colors
Sunflower - Maximillium, Asters, Goldenrod, etc.

 Sunflower - Maximillium & Sedum - Autumn Joy

 Native Aster with Bee
beginning of Engleman Ivy turning red

 Goldenrod & Purple Coneflower

 Red Poppy
still going strong

 Native Aster & Native Snapdragon

 Special hybridized daylily #X13 - Morning Sunburst
hybridized at Gardens at Waters East
the last daylily blooming this year

 Natives in field

 Closeup of above - Native Rudbeckia

 Succulents in pots
Asian Patio Garden
turning Autumn color

 Obedient Plant & Native Aster
(Hosta has seen its better days!)

 brown seed heads of Siberian Iris
purple of Native Aster
blue of Lake Michigan in background

 Phlox

 Rudbeckia & Sedum Autumn Joy

 Honey Bee on Native White Aster

 Russian Sage (at the end of its blooming season)
& Sedum Autumn Joy


 Sunflower - Maximillium
reaching for the Autumn Sun

More than 250 photos were taken these last days – hard to post only a few!  Now as we move into October, the leaves will start to be the focus of color.  Those beauties will be posted in a couple of weeks.



 Native Aster

NOTE:   Since this Blog is meant to be an accurate journal of the gardens;
no photos are “staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.
What is posted – is what it here.  It is what it is.

If you wish to email a message or share photos of your garden
please do that through this Blog site or with an email to:



Reference Note:  For a complete list of the ten (10) Principles of Design plus the special “Golden Principle of Design” used throughout Gardens at Waters East, check out the archive postings for November 14 – 24, 2010 and May 2, 2011.


Monday, September 16, 2013

Abundance & Beauty - Watershed #15


This past weekend was a great time to get outdoors and hike one of the nearby nature trails.  The sky was blue, lots of sun and perfect temperatures for a five mile hike along the Ice Age Trail.  The trail is easy to get to and only ten minutes from the property of Gardens at Waters East.  The segment hiked this weekend follows an abandoned railroad bed for thirty-one miles.

The Ice Age Trail

Here are a few photos from the day’s hike.

There was a super abundance of berries, fruits, and grapes.  Indeed it was a good year.  The winter creatures that depend on these food sources will be happy for such a bounty!

 Anyone know these berries ?

 Miles of grape vines along the trail

 Highbush Cranberries
a full posting of these interesting berries
is found in the archives
August 2, 2013

Anyone know these berries ?

This apple tree hanging over the trail, now covered in apples, is one of many that have sprouted up.  Years ago when passengers on the trains would throw out their unfinished apples as they traveled along, the seeds took root and in time the apple trees were born.  There are dozens growing along the few miles walked this day.  If these trees could talk, they would tell stories of the people and the past that traveled this way.

 Apple tree hanging over the trail

Closeup from another of the many trees along the trail

There were also many autumn flowers in the fields and along the trail.  Lots of  color at this time of the year. A real joy just looking here and there.

 Asters & Goldenrod

 A different native Aster

 "Fruit" of the Cedar Tree

 Further along the Ice Age Trail

 Three different Coneflowers
Purple, White, Yellow

Mushrooms on stump
notice the shades of brown and texture

One of my favorites that bloom this time of year is Gentiana andrewsii.  The shade of blue and the shape of the flower is fascinating.  It is named after King Gentius of ancient Illyria who it is said discovered the medicinal value of these plants.



 Others out enjoying the day, walking the dogs, riding bicycles.



NOTE:   All photos posted on this Blog are always taken on the property of Gardens at Waters East except for those posted in this series titled Watershed.  This series takes the Blog beyond the immediate gardens to the fuller area that nourished it and its “neighborhood”.

If you wish to email a message or share photos of your garden
please do that through this Blog site or with an email to:


Friday, September 13, 2013

In Your Face #2


In Your Face!!!

Me, me, me.  Look at me.  No, look at me.  Better yet, skip all those and look at me!  Walking through the Gardens at Waters East, one almost hears this constant refrain.  Every plant wants attention.  Every bloom is screaming – “I’m so beautiful just look at me!”  In many cases they are right.  Take a look at some of the beauties basking in the sun and calling to be the center of your attention. Checkout the detail of some of the garden residents.

All of these “portraits” were take here in the gardens.  Self centered though they may be, the flowers do make you stop and stare.  They seem to be doing “their thing” just for you.  So why not indulge them for a few moments while walking the paths.

Here then are photos for this posting

First will be the full bloom followed by a "close-up"

 White Daisy

 Notice the pattern

 Flemish Poppy

 Notice the pollen

 Peony - red

 Notice the Ghost Spider

 Daylily

 Notice the shadows

 German Bearded Iris

 Notice the inner detail

 Tardia

Notice the visitors 

One last look at Lake Michigan
from the Gardens at Waters East
late afternoon clouds 9.13.13
Another Beautiful Day 

NOTE:   Since this Blog is meant to be an accurate journal of the gardens;
no photos are “staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.
What is posted – is what it here.  It is what it is.

If you wish to email a message or share photos of your garden
please do that through this Blog site or with an email to:


Saturday, September 7, 2013

BLOG SHOTS #48


GAWE - BLOG  SHOTS

Each month Gardens at Waters East (GAWE) will post a few never before seen photos of “garden life” called - - BLOG SHOTS.  The photos for this posting were all taken during the last days of August 2013.  Two of the many special day lilies that were hybridized here at the Gardens at Waters East are shown at the end of this posting.  They outdid themselves this year, blooming for much of the summer.

moments in the garden - - enjoy



Pink Mallow
Lake Michigan in background

 Purple Coneflower

 Balloon Flower

 Succulent Pot
in the Asian Patio

 Rudbeckia & Phlox

 Cosmos
Gift from Hanna of Sweden

 Native Monarda, False Sunflower, Russian Sage, etc
along Lake Trail

 Sea Holly
with large wasp

 Native Cup Plant

 Daylily #X1 - "Inspiration"
hybridized at Gardens at Waters East

Daylily #10 - "Summer Smile"
hybridized at Gardens at Waters East


NOTE:   Since this Blog is meant to be an accurate journal of the gardens;
no photos are “staged”, “arranged”, or ”photo-shopped” in anyway.
What is posted – is what it here.  It is what it is.

False Sunflower
along Middle Walk


NOTE:  All photos use in this posting were taken on the property of Gardens at Waters East.


If you wish to email a message or share photos of your garden
please do that through this Blog site or with an email to: