Boy things have been busy around here. After the passing of Baby Dear, our 11 year old corgi, I had started an e-mail hunt to get on “the list” of a breeder for a spring litter and puppy. I just happened on one breeder website that had 5 new pups that were unspoken for,( for the unitiated in corgi purchasing, this is unheard of) .So, Bill and I took a drive to NH just to see them (yeah,right!) andended up putting  a deposit on a little female pup.

AFTER the deposit was made, (but before the puppy came home) Tigger, our 3 year old male corgi, suffered a complete mental breakdown. The loss of his leader and friend sent him into a tailspin of cosmic proportions. He developed severe fear-agression toward other dogs, fear of the rope that he gets tied on in the yard closest to the road, fear of life in general. So now in addition to puppy training I am in dog training with him trying to gain control of his behavior and move forward. Yee-ikes. This is leaving me no time to garden whatsoever.

On the plus side, the puppy , her name is Pumpkin, adores the garden. She loves the ground cover plants  to hop all over, is thrilled by the arching dangling flowers of the guara, checks out the cool nooks under every shrub, and to my great dismay, puts every plant in her mouth. Neither of the other dogs have ever done this, so now I must brush up on the poisionous no-no’s and really work with her to learn to not taste everything in her path.

Another positive of the mayhem that is my world right now, is that my time spent outside is just viewing and taking in the beauty of the fall garden. Anemones are blooming, as is the black eyed susan vine. The Huchera and Hucherella plants show their vibrant foliage colors when the weather starts to cool and they are truly stunning. Sweet Autumn Clematis evelops the porch in its lovely scent and spray of white flowers,and the pink garden is alive with vibrant dhalias, the knockout roses , and snapdragons. I can finally just enjoy all the work of spring and summer, although not guilt free, at least knowing I have a more important job at this immediate time. All the work of re-edging, moving shrubs, cutting down perrenials will either wait or get skipped altogether.

Another positive side of  current events is that we are finally getting a fence around the side garden which I think will add lots of character, and new places to plant vines, and a whole new shrub bed near the road. Hmmmmmm……what shall I plant? Criteria to be met….1.)fall color….2.)winter interest  (structure,berries,etc)….3.)cheap 😉    ……any suggestions?

sweet atuumn clematis

huchera 'stoplight'