Cool and Clear.

8-5-15 VERMONT: Today is cool and breezy with dry and clear air. We had a cord of firewood delivered last week. It took parts of three days to stack it all, even with help from Judy. There is aged wood, a small stack, that will start the season, and I hope that the new wood will be dry enough to burn easily by mid-winter.

I planted several echinacea, about eight, by the side of the pond last summer. This year only three returned. The site gets full sun and is on the bank of the pond so it’s well-drained, which should be echinacea heaven. Researching on garden sites, I found one that says that echinacea likes a slightly alkaline media, so I’ll add a bit of lime to the ones still there and add some new ones, planted with a small dose of lime.

New blooms: red lobelia, golden rod.


Echinacea cluster.

Ligularia spikes.

Lobelia in red, also comes in blue and white, the blue are about to open.