That Fall Sedum

Sedum sieboldii is doing its thing, turning red as it blooms pink.  It lives happily in this rather shallow trough in full sun on the deck, with semps, soapwort, pasqueflower and another small sedum.  

The bees were all over it today, except in the photos.

It's so well behaved that it has fall color.  I love it.

It's Not All Alpines

Not everything I grow in hypertufa is a precious miniature.  Above is an electric purple aster from Home Depot, stuck in a quatrefoil trough that's looking for a home.  I'm a sucker for purples in the fall.

I found a katsura sapling at a plant sale this spring and couldn't resist bringing it home, even though I have no room for it in the yard.  I'll grow it for a couple years in the planter and then find a home for it.  The fall color is charitably called 'apricot', but I like it.

These sarracenias were still babies last year but have steadily bulked up this year.  I have high hopes for them next year.  The hypertufa bowl is formed around a plastic liner in order to have a barrier between the alkaline planter and the acidic planting medium these guys need.

Back to alpine programming next week.

Happy Birthday to Me

I'm constantly backtracking in the garden, trying to find the trowel or knife or pruners that I just set down...somewhere.  When I saw Wheeler Munroe's handmade leather tool belts profiled on Gardenista in early August, I knew what I wanted for my late September birthday.  

I sent the link to Wheeler's Etsy site to my wife, then nagged her until she ordered for me.  Thank goodness she did, as Wheeler had decided to take the fall off from tool belt orders to work on other projects, but she took one last order...mine.  Wheeler and my wife had a very pleasant phone conversation to work out the details of what I needed, as I wasn't sure.  Wheeler makes every belt custom so we sent in my measurement and waited. The belt came weeks earlier than expected.

No more will my phone and my trowel be illicitly co-habitating in my back pocket.  My knife, pruners, trowels, and twine are now always at hand.

The belt is beautiful and will last a lifetime.  I smile when I put it on.

Wheeler sent a nice note with the belt.  

Unending gratitude to you, Wheeler, for making such a gorgeous and functional tool belt.