When I was pruning the salvia in front, this skipper was languidly sipping from the same. You can see its proboscis going right down in. The creature was definitely not feeling skippy… I wonder if skippers die in winter? Did it lay eggs somewhere already?
So much is going on in the garden. These irises really should have been divided again — but, already? I’m afraid they will have to wait until next year.
I ended up with so much lemon verbena — what wealth! This is a very nostalgic herb to me, because of when I was in Turkey riding non-air-conditioned buses across Anatolia, and first experienced its delicious scent, though I didn’t know what it was. The bus attendant would walk up and down the aisles every hour or so with a big bottle of something like cologne, and if you held your hands cupped he would sprinkle a tablespoon or so into them. I 
followed the example of others and quickly splashed it on my face and neck for refreshment. Later, when I returned home, I brought an empty bottle with me and kept it for many years, just so I could take a whiff from time to time.
It was decades before I matched that scent to the lemon verbena plant. I mentioned in the summer how I had made lemon verbena paste, and last week I made lemon verbena simple syrup, trying to use a lot of the leaves before they fall off when the bush goes dormant. Now I wish I had just dried them. Making tea is the obvious thing, but for some reason I never did, though I had dried a few leaves last year and they were sitting on the counter. Last week I made a pot of tea with them and loved it. It’s wonderful just “plain.”
A few months ago my neighbor Kim broke a big stem off a plant on her patio and handed it to me. “Stick this in the ground,” she suggested. Instead, I cut the stem into three parts and put them in water, wherre I noticed they had made a lot of roots pretty quickly. One day I spied this huge flower cluster at the back of the jar by the window. Kim says this is a Plectranthus ecklonii, and her plant never gets blooms like that. I don’t know what I will do with it, but I found out that it is not terribly frost tender.
The olive that I repotted with great effort is looking healthy again. I guess my pruning wasn’t too bad, either. I do enjoy pruning, but I’m glad I don’t have to do all of it, or get on ladders anymore for that task. I can just prune the smaller bushes and leave the big ones for my helper.
Recently I did prune all four dwarf pomegranates, in advance of their dormant pruning that will happen later, because my new landscaper consultant told me I should “lift their skirts.” Ahem… is that common parlance in the gardening world? I had never heard the term, but I knew what he meant.
I am thrilled that my Japanese anemones (below) are putting on their best show ever, though they still are not robust — I gave the four of them extra water this year, and they have been getting more sun since the pine tree was thinned. If I feed them a little maybe they will do even better next year.
I have lots more to do before I will feel prepared for winter, but that skipper put me in touch with the reality that I, too, am slowing down. Most likely I won’t get “everything” done. And I guess that will have to be okay!
Gladsome Lights 
Oh, how I love every word of this post! I can practically smell the lemon placed in your hands and I’m glad you saved the bottle and finally matched the scent! It’s all so lovely. Today we are supposed to be rather warm, if not tremendously sunny, at least not wet. I need to get an outdoor day in to cut some things back and it looks like today!
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Gretchen, I just love reading about your garden and all your wonderful observations. I’m envious, of course, of your long growing season, and your fruits!! Here there is already a litt
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The Plectranthus ecklonii is native to South Africa 🙂 🙂 I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this post – a timely reminder that we need to accept the limitations of ageing while still doing what we are able to. Joyfully, it has been raining here all day – a wonderful excuse to sit in a comfortable chair after lunch and read!
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I hoped you would pop in here to tell me that, Anne! When I researched the plant I saw that it was African, but I can’t remember if I got far enough to learn if it were native to South Africa. I can imagine it is beautiful when covered with flowers. My neighbor’s is in a shady, protected area on her deck, so she doesn’t get any flowers, and grows it for the beautiful leaves with purple undersides.
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I have made a note to blog about it sometime – when I have some suitable pictures 🙂
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Your narrative of the things growing and produced from your garden was a pleasure to read. I came to a yard full of beautiful things with no idea how to tend them late in my life. I should bring a gardening person here to walk about and tell me what to do. I identify with your last few sentences. 🙂 Slowing down is a thing. 🙂
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What a beautiful blue Iris and in late October!! I like your white Japanese Anemone and may look for one next Spring to plant near my pink ones.
I don’t think I’ve ever grown Lemon Verbena but there’s another plant I should look for. I do have Lemon Balm that pops up here and there along the edges at the back of the flowerbeds that are hard to weed. Because its so common and easy to grow I don’t appreciate it as much as I should.
I smiled when I read that you like pruning. So does my husband and I try to keep him away from all my overgrown shrubs lest they end up decimated.
Thank you for a delightful post💗
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I have Lemon Balm, too — at the moment it’s confined to a pot, but at times has escaped and wants to grow profusely *everywhere*. Lemon Verbena has a slightly different scent, which I prefer, but my grandchildren like to make tea with Lemon Balm. If I introduce them to Lemon Verbena, I guess it must be before it loses its leaves in winter…..
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Lovely flowers. I have a dwarf pomegranate too but I didn’t know about pruning. Maybe I should do that too. How long have you had yours? Have you had many fruits? What fertilizer do you use?
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I prune them all over after they lose their leaves in the winter. To lift the skirt I removed the lower limbs so that there are now a few inches of vertical space underneath.
My pomegranates were planted nine years ago; I’ve never fertilized them. They make lots of smallish fruits, but where I live it’s not hot enough for them to get fully ripe.
Here is a post that includes a photo of a couple of them when they were leafing out, in their fifth spring in my garden, 3.5 years ago:
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Thank you for that. I have some fruit right now and one that is almost the size of my hand and orange red. I’m guessing I need to wait a bit until it gets darker red. That was a great post of your garden back then. I like the post about the pitcher-looking plants. I didn’t know they can grow in your area. I thought they are only for warmer regions. Great post!
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And here they are in December 2020…
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Those figs look good, too bad they dropped off. My figs kept getting eaten by my dog so I have no idea what my ripened figs tastes like!
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You have a gift for gardening. And writing about it!
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Thank you, Sandi — it makes me happy that you enjoyed the story.
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My friends grew lemon verbena into a small tree. My attempt wasn’t nearly as successful and I had to give up. You certainly made me want to try again. I do love the scent.
What a pretty plectranthus! Might be too tender for your area, but what sweet blooms.
I wonder if it would help if you grew your olive in a grow bag inside the pot. It would make it a little easier to pull out for its occasional root pruning.
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I certainly never thought of that strategy with the olive, but maybe I will try it with the one that I haven’t re-potted yet — whenever I get the gumption to tackle it ☺️
Thank you!
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Are you really “slowing down”? Am I to believe this? Post after post, I am at awe with your energy, inspiration and creativity, to mention just a few of the things I admire in you… Glory to God for all things! Keep up the good work! 🙂
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Thank you for your kind note, LCH. I mostly write about all the things that I love, or that make me think, and I don’t love slowing down 🙂 What happens is that when I feel strong, I accomplish a lot, and often immoderately, from an excess of enthusiasm, I guess… Often the busy and productive periods are followed by days of being completely worn out and on “limited duty.” It is hard for me to face the reality that yes, with age do come changes, and I have to prune back some of my branches.
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