Fall garden finale

We are on borrowed time here as far as the first frost goes. Before that happens, I thought I'd better take a stroll through the garden for the fall finale look, both at home and at the studio. 

Here's what I found:

The Pieter B rose keeps going

Along with the other late fall roses

And another rose

Beautiful hops at the studio

And the wonderful patina of the remaining hydrangeas

Don't you just love the luscious colors?

Here is the fall clematis (a very reliable bloomer that spreads slowly)

The osage oranges are beginning

Lauren Liess at Pure Home Style recently did a great post on the osage orange; see it here.

Last, but not least, here is one of my favorite colors of a dahlia nestled in the collection of very prolific, white dahlia blooms:

Thank you, Cindy, at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

A special 100th celebration!

This week marks my 100th post in this blogosphere! 

I have made many friends and learned so much from all of you. I feel as if we are in it together!

To celebrate, I am offering a 24" hydrangea wreath created out of the many hydrangea bushes we have. Since the hydrangea blooms are still drying (can't rush this stage), I will have to substitute a photo similar to what I'll be creating:

credit

These are a few of the hydrangeas (as they were before drying) that I'll be using:

Simply Flowers by Barbara Milo Ohrbach

Here is how you can win.

All you have to do is make a comment on this or any post by the upcoming Sunday, August 22nd. Be sure to include your name and/or blogger name. With each comment, your name goes into the box. If you become a follower, you receive another chance. Comment every day and you'll have 6 chances to win! If you mention Rose et Lis' giveaway on your blog, you earn yet another chance to win.

The winner will be selected and announced next Monday, August 23rd. If I don't hear from the winner within 7 days, a new winner will be chosen.

And now I am off to design centerpieces for a wedding. Yes, it is a Tuesday evening wedding! Ciao!

 Unknown source   If you know who took this photo, please let me know.

Garden vignettes

The feel of fall is definitely here in Bay Village. 

The hydrangea are antiquing and some of the annuals are starting to look withered. (Could it be that I haven't fertilized in ages? :]) The dahlias are out in full force and fall anemones are blooming. I love the fall season and look forward to all that it brings us.

Check out this color combination!

Some of the dahlias (whose names I don't keep track of):

These blooms are about 8" across and such a rich rosey red.

Just as I was looking at the lantana topiary, the butterfly stopped by! It was my lucky day.

I decided to switch out the weeds under the deck stairs for baby ferns. Aren't they the cutest things?

If you want a fabulous purple trailer in your urns and containers, try the scaeveola flowers. They love the heat and humidity! 

 Garden tip #1:  When your lilies are done blooming, snap off the end portion (the seed pod) of the stem. Look closely at this plant. I snapped off all of the seed pods (end areas) on the right side of the plant. The left side still has the seed pods on the stems, some also with the stamen of the flower. Can you see it? That way, the plant will not put its focus on producing seeds, but rather into making a bigger bulb and more flowers for the next year.

The fall anemones...

My second garden tip is how to know when to harvest the hydrangeas so that the blooms don't wilt, but dry with good color. Look closely at the two center blooms of this blue hydrangea. The one on the right has 4 little lobes and has not bloomed yet. (That is the actual flower, not the blue petals.) The one on the left has a little flower that has just opened. This is NOT ready to be cut for drying yet and will wilt if you try to dry it.

Now look at the hydrangea bloom in the lower right of the next photo. Its flowers have already bloomed, especially in the hydrangea's lower section. The remnants of the center bloom are tiny and sometimes have dried to a brown dot. These ARE ready to cut. Place the flowers in a vase with their stems in about two inches of water. Let the water evaporate for a couple of weeks and they'll be dry and ready to use. You can make a wreath directly after cutting, but you may not have every bloom dry and they may wilt a bit, especially in this weather.

I am getting close to my 100th post. 

To celebrate, I am giving away a hydrangea wreath that I will make out of these hydrangeas. 

Stay tuned for further details!

Thank you, Cindy, at My Romantic Home, for Show & Tell Friday.

Thank you, Jessica, at A Few of My Favorite Things, for Favorite Things Friday.