Wild side

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Memory:

We stopped by Winn Dixie early on Sunday morning to pick up a few items. My husband tasked me with buying toilet bowl cleaner while he headed over to the produce section.

"Meet me at the checkout counter."

I recognized the brands Tidy Bowl and Vanish, but which one was superior? As I read the ingredients on the labels, I noticed that some were similar and others were different. I compared the number of uses per product, and computed the prices per ounce. I compared the frequency of application. I wondered if the shape of the container offered any advantage. I considered how blue water would look in a bathroom with gold tile.

Suddenly, a face loomed over me.

"Are you still here? Take a walk on the wild side. Get the Tidy Bowl and let's get out of here."

Here's a wonderful walk on the wild side.

The driveway garden may look disheveled to some, but I love the abundance at summer's end.

In the driveway garden, I ripped out Coreopsis tripteris and planted a spicebush in its place, but it came back and bloomed in spite of my abuse.

Beside the pavement, the beautyberry takes on magenta colors. Later in autumn, the leaves turn a lime tone, a lively combination.

Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' blooms behind Salvia farinacea in a rare sunny spot in my garden. Bees love the salvia and tiny pollinators flock to the solidago.

You can see where 'Fireworks' gets its name. This explosion holds its own between the passionvine and the crossvine.

Rudbeckia laciniata, green headed coneflower, blooms in a shady spot, where few flowers dare.