Even though we had a little bit of a cold spell a few days ago, it warmed back up again. I’m wondering if we are going to have any fall color this year. The leaves have just been falling off the trees without changing.  It’s just been so dry.  The warmth has meant a longer bloom season, however.

The moonflowers finally are getting buds on them. I think they just might be in too much shade and that is why they are slow.

Getting a picture of the flower open can be tricky. You have to catch it either at night or early in the morning. The blooms only last through the night. They smell so good, too. Here is a nighttime picture:

I wanted to share my success with powdery mildew this year. Last year my peonies got it terribly and were covered in the mildew – which looks gray and yucky. It doesn’t really hurt the plant, but it looks horrible.  Anyway, I started early in the season with some organic neem oil:

You can pick this up at any garden store or big box garden center. I mixed it with water per the instructions and just a bit of dish soap to help emulsify it. Then I put it in a spray bottle and sprayed my plants with it.  You do have to spray after it rains since this will wash off. I am so happy that I only had a bit of the mildew and was able to control it. My peonies look like this now instead of icky and gray like last year:

The lawn is brown and dormant, but it has to fend for itself. I’m going to make the neem part of my regimen from now on. The other bonus is that it kills aphids. I sprayed a plant that had aphids and they were dead the next day and never returned. When I spray, it is only at dusk after the pollinators have gone for the day – just an FYI.

Gourd blossoms:

My baby gourd is growing! It is about 2 inches now:

The mums that are in the ground have just started opening up. Way later than the potted ones.

I’m still surprised that these keep coming back and getting bigger.

Sunpatiens in pots:

I have these in the space where I dug up and divided my irises in order to fill in the open space.

Passion flower:

I’m going to bring this plant inside again this year and see if I can get another season out of it.

John has gotten into doing stained glass as a hobby. I had a metal stem that the flower top had broken off of and it was on my list to do something with it…for years LOL. Anyway, I asked him to make a flower top and here is the result:

Now I’ve told him he has to make me more because I love it!  I need more stems, though 😀

Last, but not least, some decorations! My neighbor gave me these little ghosts as she was clearing out her Halloween stash.

So cute! They look cool by the solar lights, too.

Have a good weekend everyone!