Gardens at Waters East: September 2013

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:

www.gardensatwaterseast@Yahoo.com

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:

www.gardensatwaterseast@Yahoo.com

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:

www.gardensatwaterseast@Yahoo.com

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.