Lifesaver

Margaret W. saved my life today. 

Last weekend, she came with her sister Ellen to pick up an Amelanchier obovalis that I put up for adoption, as my garden offers insufficient sunshine for a proper home.

As I showed my guests my eleven new hostas, Margaret glanced up into a stand of oak trees and noted a gigantic limb suspended loosely in the branches 50 feet above the azaleas.  I resolved to stay away from the azaleas on windy days.

This afternoon was damp with occasional drizzle, suitable for spreading buckets of leaf mold under the evergreens.  As I worked under the azaleas, I remembered Margaret's warning.  I glanced skyward and noticed the limb directly overhead.  I backed out of the tangle of shrubs and two minutes later, the branch fell with a crash.

The impact of the branch left a deep hole, which is still there, waiting to twist my ankle. 

Thank you, Margaret, for being so observant.  Instead of poking around the azaleas, I should have been appreciating the autumn flowers in the front and side gardens.  

Beside the driveway, pink impatiens planted themselves in a large container of  clethra that I rooted from cuttings.  

Nearby Madagascar periwinkle gave a shot of color all summer.

Near the street, Lantana "Miss Kim" blooms from May to October.

The last flower of the native passionvine Passiflora incarnata is as beautiful as the first.

The tangle of yellow and blue flowers beside the front walkway is buzzing with tiny bees today. Flowers include Solidago "Fireworks", Salvia guaranitica, S. farinacea and Aster "Bluebird."