A few of our Mirror Lake ladies got together for our first annual Christmas Goody Swap at the home of Sally Lyle. We each brought enough of our chosen treat for snacking before lunch, enough to send each participant home with a dozen or so of those yummy treats and a copy of the recipe. I gathered my treats and headed over to Sally’s house. Sally’s house was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. Gunnar, the plot hound was a wonderful host to Ellie Mae, a visiting pup. We especially loved the poster Sally’s family had worked together to color. Sally had it framed and displayed over the fireplace. How sweet! Sally prepared a delicious lunch for us. We enjoyed the food and the fellowship. Ellen brought a special treat for us—coconut cake. It was as delicious as it was beautiful! Sally had us all try this fun Christmas game—identify the Christmas song. I got all but one! We took a selfie in front of Sally’s Christmas tree... ...and loaded up our goodies to take home. What an enjoyable treat of a day! I hope we continue this new tradition. Thank you, Sally!
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This year I decided to give very special gifts to my adult children, Phillip and Jennifer, to honor their dad who passed away on October 14th. Phil was a wonderful Bible Study teacher. He had been teaching at our church in Highlands for a couple of years. Prior to that he taught for decades in Alabama. Phil would dive into a book of the Bible and teach it scripture by scripture. He worked on his lessons from Sunday night until Saturday night each week. Phil wrote his lessons by hand using different colors of ink to emphasize certain points or scriptures. So when I pulled out stacks of his past lessons, I knew I had to do something very special with them. I wanted to have them bound into two books—keeping his handwritten lessons as the pages in the books. So I visited several businesses and explained what I wanted. I was discouraged when each business said they could only spiral bind the pages and put plastic covers on. That wasn’t what I wanted at all! I started calling businesses I found on the Internet and I asked multiple friends for recommendations, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. Then one day I decided to google “book binding Asheville NC.” And up popped a promising lead....Azalea Bindery. And as I read on her website, I knew I had found the perfect place. I immediately called Mary Carol and explained what I wanted. She said this type project was exactly what she loved doing. I made an appointment and started gathering everything to take with me. Mary Carol said we would design the books together. The next day I drove to Mary Carol’s house. She had turned her garage into her studio. Mary Carol was a joy to work with! I decided on a bonded leather cover, selected beautiful marbled paper for the inside of the books, and chose a bronze imprinting for Phil’s name. I asked Mary Carol if we could use one of two photographs for the first page of the book. She suggested I use both photographs for this project—-one for an embedded photograph on the cover and one as the first page of the book. Perfect! In the picture below, Phil’s Bible is opened to his favorite verse—Romans 8:28. It is displayed on a trunk by his favorite chair along with a craft he made years ago. A wooden cross is embedded in a rock with the word “Tetelestai” painted beneath the cross. Tetelestai, uttered by Jesus on the cross, is translated “It is finished.” It can also be translated “Paid in full” and, during Jesus’s time on Earth, it was written across a bill once the debtor had satisfied the debt. Mary Carol suggested we add Romans 8:28 to the photograph and she set to work on the computer to show me how it would look. I left with a detailed invoice and a hope that these books would be what I envisioned. Weeks went by and then Mary Carol called to tell me the books were ready. I drove back to Asheville wondering how the finished books turned out. I was ecstatic! The books are beautiful! Look how precious... I hope my children will cherish these books as much as I do. Merry Christmas, everyone!
I’ve been a bit off my game since Phil passed so forgive me for this late post sharing our November 6th hike to Chinquapin Mountain. We had a nice size group of ladies for this hike. We decided to visit Chinquapin Mountain. The trailhead is right beside the trailhead to Glen Falls. Energetic hikers might take on both hikes the same day. We started out walking and quickly came to a bridge crossing a nice babbling creek. That was a nice foreshadowing of what was to come...lots of water crossings. It felt good to be back in the woods, walking alongside a rushing creek and letting that pleasant sound mingle with the sound of us walking through fallen leaves while talking and laughing. As always, we stopped to look at interesting sights...like this tree which I felt kind of reminded me of me! Or this large moss-covered boulder. We crossed multiple creek points. Pam said the recent rain had raised water levels. Kelly made good use of her piles... And we continued on the leaf-covered path... ...until the next creek crossing. We continued climbing the path, crossing wet spots, and following signs... ...until we reached the top. We sat a long time taking in the beauty. Ginie had an app, Peak Finder, which identified the mountains in the distance. Finally we headed back down the trail as we talked about our next hike. I hope it’s soon. There’s something healing about being in these woods.
Remember the wonderful start Phil and I had to our 2019 gardening? We were off to a great start but in May Phil’s voice was hoarse. We were sure it was the sinus problems that plague him each year. The physician’s assistant prescribed him steroids. After a couple of weeks it wasn’t any better so we went back to the doctor’s office and he was given antibiotics. A couple of weeks later his voice was still hoarse and he was having trouble swallowing. Our doctor ordered a swallow test which he passed. But the choking issues continued and he was now having problems breathing when lying down on his back. The doctor referred us to an ear, nose, throat doctor to have Phil scoped. Nothing was detected in his throat, larynx, or vocal chords. By now it was early September and Phil was noticeably weaker. His voice was weak and breathy. I asked for a chest X-ray and a lung function test. When the results came back our doctor called and said we needed to see a pulmonologist. I made a decision to go to Emory. In Late September we saw a pulmonologist at Emory. She said the chest X-ray was abnormal and she was ordering a cat scan and, because of Phil’s past cancer, she ordered a cat scan of the abdomen and pelvic areas, too. She also mentioned that she noticed a difference in his arm strength and leg strength and wanted to bring in a neuromuscular specialist. We went home afraid that the cancer had returned. The next day Phil had an attack where he couldn’t breathe. We raced to the Emergency Room. He settled down at the ER and they decided to go ahead with the cat scans that had been ordered. I braced myself for the results. But the doctor came in and said that there was nothing found. The doctor told us, “Keep searching. These tests can’t show everything that’s going on.” Phil was released and we went home. Five days later we saw Phil’s cardiologist who said that he didn’t believe his heart was the issue. He encouraged us to pursue the neuromuscular aspect. By this time Phil was using a walker to move around in the houses and his head was always hanging down. He had begun drooling. That afternoon Phil had another breathing attack and we raced back to the Emergency Room. This time lab work showed his sodium levels were very low. The ER doctor recommended that he be taken to Gainesville, Georgia to the cardiac hospital so his heart could be monitored closely while bringing the sodium levels up. Phil stayed in the hospital a couple of days. Meanwhile Emory called regarding an appointment with their neuromuscular expert, Dr. Jonathan Glass. But Dr. Glass had no openings until late November. I begged. I pleaded. I was desperate. Phil was going downhill so fast and he needed help. He was now using a wheelchair to get around. They promised to call if there was an opening sooner. On Sunday evening my good friend (our pastor’s wife) brought dinner to eat with us. Phil took a bite and choked. It was horrible. Teresa jumped up and started the Heimlech Maneuver but it wasn’t helping. I called 9-1-1 and an ambulance was dispatched. As the ambulance arrived, it finally cleared his throat. Phil was ok but we were left shaken. Phil whispered to Teresa, “I hope God will allow me to teach the Bible again. It’s all I ask.” His lack of voice was still his primary concern. The following Monday, Emory called again. They had a cancellation which meant an opening the very next day! On Tuesday we drove to Emory. Dr. Glass walked in with a small group of professionals. They poked. They prodded. They asked lots of questions. After about an hour, Dr. Glass said, “I have bad news. You have Lou Gehrig’s disease. It’s fatal and there is no treatment. I don’t know why you have it. I wish I did.” We sat there completely numb. He asked Phil if he had any questions. Phil said no. He asked me if I had any questions. I wanted to scream, “Yes! I have a million questions!” But I didn’t want to ask questions for which Phil might not be ready to hear the answers. I just shook my head no. And my tears began to fall. We spent a couple more hours at Emory as they started connecting us with resource people to help us cope with this devastating diagnosis. The one resource they were most encouraging about pursuing was the VA. Phil had served on a submarine in Vietnam. They had traveled up waterways inside Vietnam snorkeling and surfacing to drop off marines. Phil was most likely exposed to Agent Orange. Anyway, veterans who have seen active service are twice as likely to get ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Dusease) as the general population. Therefore, the VA recognizes ALS as service connected. Phil would qualify for 100% disability compensation along with other things that would help us—-such as a grant to adapt our home for his needs. We would need an elevator installed and a generator in case of power outages. On the way home I asked Phil again if he had any questions. He whispered, “I don’t want you to suffer.” He had just been kicked in the gut with the worst possible diagnosis a person could receive and he was worried about me. I will never forget that. On Wednesday morning after we got back home I threw myself into completing the mounds of paperwork required by the VA. My goal was to make sure we could keep Phil at home and I was driven to make that happen. Time was ticking. By now Phil could only whisper a couple of words at a time. He was getting weaker by the hour. Late Friday afternoon the doctor from Emory called. “The lab results from the bloodwork we did on Tuesday came in and I have a concern,” he said. And immediately I thought, “Oh dear God, please don’t let this be genetic.” It wasn’t. But Phil’s sodium levels were down even further and the doctor said he could go into seizures and I was to take him to the ER. So back we went. They admitted him to bring the levels up. We stayed until Sunday morning when he was released.
This hospital stay had taken its toll on Phil. He was barely vocal, extremely weak, and seemed mentally disengaged. Could it be hospital-induced dementia? He wanted to go home and I wanted him home so he could bounce back. I texted my friend to let her know we were going home. I forgot it was Sunday morning and she was in church. But she quietly gathered three men and two of their wives who were in the medical field to leave church and come help get Phil up the stairs to his favorite chair. As they stood to leave church our pastor instinctively knew it involved Phil so he stopped in the middle of his sermon to have church wide prayer for Phil. When I drove up to the house there was a team of people waiting to help. They helped Phil out of the car and into a dining room chair they had brought down. The men worked together to lift Phil in the chair and carry him up the stairs. After about an hour they left, but they came back later that night to make sure I could get Phil to bed. That night was horribly rough. I rested with my hand on Phil so I could feel when he sat up on the edge of the bed to breathe. Each time I came around and sat beside him rubbing his back until he was ready to try to lie down again. Phil was now completely nonverbal, but he plopped his hand heavily on my leg and, with jerky movements, tried to console me by rubbing my leg. It was one of our final tender moments. The next morning I was exhausted as Phil and I struggled together to get him to his recliner chair in the living room. He refused to eat or drink anything. I crushed his medication and placed it in a little applesauce. He tried to take it but choked. I felt totally defeated and overwhelmed as I thought of all I needed to accomplish through the mental fog of exhaustion. Suddenly I heard the ding of my phone. It was a message from Hannah—one of the young women who had helped us the day before. “Did you sleep?” she asked. “Not much,” I replied. Hannah was quick to answer, “I’m off work today so how about I come over and sit with Phil while you catch up on sleep?” I felt a bit of the weight lift off my shoulders as I thanked her. Five minutes later the phone rang. It was Kenton, a member of Phil’s bible study class. “How’s that VA paperwork coming?” He asked. “I hope to work on it later today, Kenton,” I replied. Kenton answered, “I’m coming over in five minutes to pick up what you’ve done. I’ll take it to the VA office in Franklin and have them help me finish it for you.” And I felt more weight fall from my shoulders. The phone rang again and it was Teresa, my pastor’s wife. “Angelica and I were talking and we’ve decided to come every week and clean your house so you can devote your time to Phil. Can we come later today?” As I hung up the phone I looked up and said, ”I know this is You, God. Thank you for meeting every need I have.” I turned my attention to Phil once again. His breathing was labored. He was nonverbal. He was slumped forward and unresponsive to me. “This just doesn’t seem right,” I thought. I sent a message to his doctor via Emory’s patient portal. Within fifteen minutes they called. “Take him to the emergency room and have the doctor call Dr. Glass immediately,” the nurse said. I did the only thing I knew to do. I called my pastor, Mark. “I will have some guys there in five minutes,” he said. And they were here. They dropped everything at work to race to our aid. They took Phil down as they had brought him up the day before— carrying him as he sat In a dining room chair. They loaded him in the car and we took off. I ran into the Emergency Room to get help in getting Phil inside. Once again I received another confirmation that God was with us when I saw the nurse was Jessica, another member of our church family who had been so good to Phil. As Jessica helped get Phil into a bed and propped him up with pillows because she knew he couldn’t breathe when laying down flat, in came Anna Claire to check on us. Anna Claire is another member of our church family and is a nurse at the hospital. She pulled up a chair to sit with me as we watched Phil. Jessica hooked up Phil to the equipment and alarms started sounding indicating his oxygen levels were low. That was new...usually his oxygen levels registered fine. It was his ventilation issues which caused problems. They gave him oxygen and the number started climbing, but when they tried to wean him off, it would plummet again. His breathing seemed jerky and he was not responding to any of us. Jessica stood by his bed and stroked his head. Anna Claire leaned over and whispered to me, “This doesn’t look good at all.” My pastor soon arrived to be with us. The doctor ordered an arterial gases test. I had read about that test. It was painful as they would draw blood from an artery. Phil didn’t flinch. They took the blood to check for gases building up in his body which was possible if he wasn’t ventilating properly. After a bit the doctor came in. “He motioned at my pastor and asked if he could speak in front of him. “Please do,” I replied. “We have the results of the test. He’s not going to survive.” I struggled to comprehend what he had just told me. Not survive? Carbon dioxide and other gases his body needed to expel were instead building up in his bloodstream. The doctor said that I needed to make a decision if we would have have him put on a ventilator. It was the only way to keep him alive. I told him I needed to speak to my children and he said I had time to speak with them before making a decision. I called my daughter and she was understandably upset but she trusted whatever decision I made. I called my son and he wasn’t sure if refusing the ventilator was the right thing to do. “Have you talked to his doctor at Emory, Mama? What if it might be a temporary setback?” I asked the ER doctor to help me reach Dr. Glass. He came back with Dr. Glass’s personal cell number for me. I called and he immediately answered. “I’ve looked at the lab reports and talked with the doctor there,” he said, “I have no doubt that it is end stage ALS. You can decide to put him on a ventilator and he may continue to live. It will be a permanent decision and the ALS will progress.” I called my son and relayed what the doctor said but he was still unsure. “Phillip, here’s his number. Call him and talk to him. Ask any question you want to ask. This has to be the right decision for you, too,” I said. Phillip called him and spoke at length with him. When he finally called me back, he said, “I’m in the car and on my way. Please don’t let them do anything that might hasten his death. I want to say goodbye.” I told the doctor our decision. Anna Claire told me that they could move him to a hospice room in the hospital where hospice could care for him and it would have an adjoining bedroom for me and other family members. “It may be days or weeks or months,” she said. At that time, Jessica called me into Phil’s room. “It will be any moment,” she said. “His heart is slowing and his breathing is, too. You can talk with him now and say your goodbyes.” I fell to my knees beside his bed and held his hand. I thanked him for the life we built together. I told him how much I loved him. “I’ll see you in the morning, my love.”...those were the last words I spoke to him. And my life’s partner of 43 years was gone. Six days after his diagnosis, he was gone. Unbelievable! Remember Phil’s request to teach the Bible again? Looking back I can say that Phil taught the Bible all the way until God took him home. He lived by faith and trusted God every step of the way. Sometimes actions truly speak louder than words. I messaged my girlfriends to say I desperately needed a hike. We decided to hike to Pickens Nose—-a new destination for us all. We met at Ginie’s and took our signature before-hike selfie. Pickens Nose is in Otto which isn’t far from Highlands, but it is several miles on a back country road to get to Pickens Nose. No problem! We talked and rode along enjoying the fall scenery. We realized we might be a little bit lost so we approached one of the several bear hunters out that day. We had missed a turn so after he told us how to find the trailhead, we turned around to backtrack. And we finally found it! It wasn’t a bad hike at all and it felt so good to be back in the woods. And what would a hike be without friends to talk with along the way? We weren’t really sure what views we’d have, but we were seriously impressed! We ooohed and ahhhed for the rest of the hike. We hiked along the top of the mountain and surveyed the beauty from several vantage points. We came across a group of rock climbers and enjoyed watching them scale the big rocks. We climbed down to the bottom to get a better look at the rock. We climbed back up and went back to Pickens Nose for our photo opps. Who can come to Pickens Nose and not take a picture standing on the nose? I just had to get further out on the nose so Pam joined me for moral support and we scooted on our butts out further.... But when Darla struck this pose we were all put to shame! I went out a little further and stood for a picture. Ginie had a picture taken, too. One more look before we said goodbye... Oh, how I’ve missed these hikes! We’re planning another one for next week. I can only hope this rain and wind doesn’t completely strip the trees of all their brilliantly colored leaves!
What a beautiful day for a hike! Pam, Ginie, Sally, and I decided to visit Eastatoe Falls, a privately owned and soon to be sold waterfall located near Rosman, NC. The present owner has graciously shared his land and waterfall with visitors for many years. No one is sure if the new owners will be so accommodating so we decided to visit now. We drove to the house, parked beside the road, and walked up their driveway towards the falls. As you will soon see from the upcoming photos of the signs, we could have driven right up to the falls! These people are so very welcoming. I’d like to think that I’d share like this if it belonged to me, but I don’t know if I could go this far... We were the only ones there today so we walked across the pasture and onto the path leading to the falls. The path soon narrowed... And there it was! Someone’s personal waterfall! After enjoying Eastatoe Falls, we headed out for our next destination— Dill Falls. We followed Pam’s directions and found the trail head where we parked and began the hike. It was another easy hike through a lovely wooded area. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed talking with each other as we hiked. Before long we came to Dills Falls. Have I mentioned how much we love waterfalls? We lingered a bit at the falls before we returned to the car. We had planned to visit Skinny Dip Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway but the parking areas were jam-packed with cars and vans. Far too crowded to be enjoyable so we headed on down the Parkway to the Mount Pisgah Inn Restaurant. We had stopped there on our last outing but it was late in the day and was an hour wait so we didn’t stay. Today was still almost an hour wait but we had extra time so we decided to stay. We enjoyed the views and soon we were called to a table. Did I mention that all this loveliness could be seen from inside the restaurant? And speaking of loveliness— the food was wonderful, too. I had a chef’s salad with Parmesan Peppercorn dressing. It was worth the wait! I know I say it after almost every Girls Only Hike but today was perfect! Easy hikes, nice waterfalls, good conversation, and perfect weather! Ok Pam... get busy planning our next trip!
My gardening buddy, Teresa, and new friend Ellie took off on a day trip to Transylvania County. Ellie wanted us to visit Owens’ Orchids—-the home of the largest orchid selection in North Carolina. Actually there are two orchid greenhouses sharing the land. Both owners worked for the original owner for many years. When the original owner retired, he sold 1/2 the business to one employee and 1/2 to the other employee. Only one of the orchid greenhouses was open. We opened the door and we were immediately smiling. How can you not smile when surrounded by gorgeous orchids? Ellie told us that her garden club members love this place because they go, pick out an orchid beginning to bloom, and take it home to enjoy. When it’s finished blooming they take it back and receive credit towards another orchid. In this way they always have orchids blooming in their homes. Brilliant! So let me show you some of the gorgeous orchids available. We made final selections and then drove into Flat Rock to Flat Rock Village Bakery for lunch. It is a popular lunch spot with lots of people enjoying lunch. We ordered a pizza and a salad to share between us. The. We went outside to eat. Yum! The freshness of this food was so good! It was a great day out with these ladies! I can’t wait to take another day trip with them soon.
Pam, Darla and I set out to see Eastatoe Falls near Brevard, North Carolina. Eastatoe Falls is a privately owned waterfall in the backyard of the owner’s home. For years the owner has graciously welcomed people wanting to see the waterfall. But the word on the Internet is that the owner has sold the waterfall and the new owner plans to close it to the public. We decided to see it while we could. We drove up to the driveway and parked on the side of the road. Imagine our disappointment when we walked up and saw this sign... We had come a long way so we began walking up the driveway hoping we could hike around the bridge area. The owner met us and told us we couldn’t go further. We told him that we had learned that the waterfall had been sold and would soon be closed to the public. Then we thanked him for his generous sharing of his gorgeous waterfall all these years. He asked if we could come back next week to see the waterfall before the sale was closed and we jumped at his offer! So there will be another Girls Only Hike next week. Yay! But have no fear— Pam had lined up a visit to other falls in the area. Our first stop was on NC 215 at Living Waters— a private religious retreat which allows public access to three water falls: French Broad Falls, Mill Shoals Falls, and Cathedral Falls. We took a short walk down a path and emerged at an old mill house which is now part of the retreat. Mill Shoals Falls is below the old mill house. Off to the left is the French Broad Falls pictured below. The video below will allow you to see where the two falls are in relation to each other. And this is the view downstream... Pam wanted us to see Cathedral Falls downstream so we started down the walking path. We stopped often to take in the lovely views... ...and then we would walk a little further. A beautiful sight should have welcomed us around this rock corner, but instead it had been vandalized with graffiti. How can someone do this to such a lovely spot? We kept walking and soon we focused on more beautiful spots. I love big rocks and water existing side-by-side in nature! And I love my hiking buddies, too! We quickly arrived at Cathedral Falls. There was beauty around us all the way to the end of the path. But Pam had another stop planned for us so we returned to the car to travel on. Our last hiking destination was to Courthouse Falls. It’s located in the Pisgah National Forest just off of NC Highway 215. The trailhead is three miles up a bumpy forest service road (FR 140). The hike was pleasant as we walked alongside a nice babbling brook. We came to a log with “falls” written in white paint which marked our turn off the main trail. We began our descent to the bottom of the falls. Steep stairs took us the rest of the way down to the base of the falls. The water plunges about 45 feet from a narrow chute into a deep pool. A small group of teenagers/young adults were leaping off the top into the pool below! Watch the video of these daredevils! After watching the group jump one by one, we returned to the trail to hike back to the car. Next we drove onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for a short drive as we headed to the Pisgah Inn for a late lunch. It was 2:30 so we thought the lunch crowds must be over. We arrived to discover a one hour wait. Not today! We were hungry! So we enjoyed the views and decided to try again next week when we visit Eastatoe Falls. Maybe this group decided to relax and enjoy the view as they waited for a table. We decided to drive on into Brevard where we ate at a good little BBQ place, Hog Wild. We enjoyed our late lunch and started planning our next hike together.
Gardening is a passion of ours and hosta are a big part of our garden. Hosta plants seem to thrive in the cool damp climate of Highlands. So as part of our garden documentation I decided to share pictures and hosta names. We inherited a few hosta and I’m not sure of the names so let me know if you recognize any of our unnamed varieties. This is the Guacamole Hosta. The large leaves are apple green bordered by dark green margins. Bright light will encourage the brightest colors. This hosta is the 2002 Hosta of the Year. Fragrant Bouquet Hosta is the 1998 Hosta of the Year. This large leaf hosta has apple green leaves with a cream border. The Rainforest Sunrise Hosta is the 2013 Hosta of the Year. It is smaller in size reaching a height of 10” and a width of 25”. It has lovely goldish green leaves with dark green margins. Summer Music Hosta is a sweet medium-sized hosta reaching a height of 1 1/2’ tall and 2 1/2’ wise. My only complaint is that the slugs adore this plant as much as I do. It’s rare to see one of my three specimens without nibbled leaves. The Abiqua Drinking Gourd Hosta is the 2014 Hosta of the Year. It has deep blue-green seersuckered leaves that are deeply cupped. It is a large hosta growing to 22” high and 46” wide. It is delightful to see some of its cupped leaves holding a puddle of water after a rain. Potomac Pride Hosta has large, dark green, and shiny leaves. It reaches a height of 50” and 28” wide. Golden Tiara Hosta has heart-shaped small leaves. The leaves are green with chartreuse margins which gradually soften to yellow. I don’t have the name of this hosta but I like how it brightens up a dark spot. Does anyone recognize it? Here’s another unnamed hosta. This one was here when we bought Two Holt, but I don’t know it’s name. I first had this large hosta in the tub planter in our back garden, but it quickly grew too large and overpowered that planter. We moved it to the ground, but I lost my marker and now I’m not sure if its name. Maybe it’s a Sagae Hosta? This hosta was here when we bought Two Holt. I’m almost positive that it’s a Francee Hosta. This hosta has been popular for decades. Little Lemon Drop Hosta is in our window box in the Kitchen Garden. It’s a miniature hosta. Elevating it into a window box allows it to be noticed. Blue Mouse Ears Hosta is another miniature hosta which we planted in the large tub planter. This is another unnamed hosta which was already here before we bought Two Holt. Could it be a Sum & Substance Hosta? Isn’t this Anne Kulpa Hosta gorgeous? It’s a medium sized hosta with a white center. I think it’s a standout hosta! Autumn Frost has a blue green center with a yellow margin that gradually turns creamy white. It’s also slug resistant. This Stained Glass Hosta is the 2006 Hosta of the Year. The prominent veins give this hosta the stained glass effect. It would be hard to find another gold and green hosta as beautiful as this one. It grows to 15” tall and 34” wide. Forbidden Fruit Hosta is a stunning medium sized hosta with golden-yellow-orange centered leaves with blue green margins. I added two of these hosta to our garden last year and promptly lost the name tag. Do you recognize it? Night Before Christmas Hosta has elongated heart-shaped leaves with a creamy white center which gradually turns to a bright white. My plants are young but they will grow to a height of 48” and width of 25”. I bought these hosta from Home Depot. Unfortunately they were only labeled “Hosta.” I needed the color at the top of a garden wall to brighten the spot. I bought a flat of these unidentified hosta from Home Depot for a mass planting on either side of a bed of Hakone Grass. They are a blue green hosta with cream margins. I bought another flat of these unidentified hosta at Home Depot for another mass planting at the top of a garden wall. Home Depot is notorious for not labeling Hosta, but their flats of hosta are bargain priced! And finally I share with you one last unidentified hosta. I love this big boy! Presently it’s in a holding place at the edge of my hybrid rhodie bed, but I plan to move it soon to the edge of my woodland garden. I surely wish I knew its name! Did you know hosta comes in such a huge variety of sizes, shape, and colors? I’m so glad it’s happy here in Highlands. As our first contractor, Joe, said, “Them’s just Carolina weeds!” Well that’s one “weed” I’ll take anytime!
Our gardening started with a flurry of activity in May this year. Most of our work was concentrated on our new Firepit Garden. With great delight I realized parts of this garden were bathed in full sunlight for most of the day while some areas enjoyed partial sun and some areas were in bright shade. Oh, my! I hit the gardener’s jackpot. Let’s start by checking out the pots around this new garden area. We planted a Red Twig Dogwood at the end of last year to test it and we were quickly persuaded to add two more this year. These shrub type plants were delightful last winter as we observed the bright red winter stems from the living room and kitchen windows. Butterfly bushes are a favorite of mine. I love the bloom and the way hummingbirds and butterflies flock to it. But the bushes can get big and spindly and I wasn’t willing to give up the prime sunny spots around the firepit for them. Then I happened to see dwarf butterfly bushes at a garden store. These beauties have regular sized blooms on a smaller bush—-reaching a mature size of 2’ high and wide. Score! I added three to the firepit garden. I also added three Stokes Aster which I hope will appreciate the sun enough to give us purple blooms for most of the summer. And of course we needed some lower growing plants at the top of the wall with all the bigger plants behind them. I added lamium and perennial geraniums which give continuous purple blooms. Three Brilliance Autumn Ferns went in this sunnier area. I wasn’t sure if I’d have to move them into a shadier spot, but they seem happy where they are. These aren’t our only ferns in this garden. I also added Ghost Ferns in a slightly shadier spot. It still gets enough sun to support our new hardy hibiscus which you can see in the picture below. We love native azaleas so we added three flame azaleas... ...and Weston’s Innocence, a white blooming variety... ...and Weston’s Ribbon Candy... White is a welcomed color in the shady areas of our fire pit garden and the woodland path that winds around the backside of it. We selected white blooming hybrid rhodies to wrap around the back of this garden. I added three of these Bridal Veil astilbe but I am already hoping to add more. On each side of the Astilbe I placed a grouping of these Night Before Christmas Hosta because no shade garden is complete without hosta! In the back of the firepit garden which is more visible from the woodland path, I planted woodland phlox and three of these Ruby Slippers Hydrangeas which are a dwarf oak leaf hydrangea. This ligularia was recommended by a gardening friend as a “must-have” so I added two. We placed three of these Fern Leaf Bleeding Hearts around some trees. And now we’re moving into a partly sunny area where I planted a Bloomerrang Lilac Bush... ...Rainforest Sunrise Hosta with Cardinal flower behind it... ...Lenten roses and perennial geraniums. We added two of these Kaleidoscope Abelia at the steps leading to the woodland path. We planted four different types of blueberry bushes and are hoping the black bears don’t find them! Speaking of bears, we hired a chainsaw carver to create Big Mama. She’s six feet long and lounges on our bedroom balcony. We love her! Here’s how she looks from the road... ...and did you notice our new bed of hakone grass in front of the Garden Bell Garden? I love hakone grass and it shows! We added another bed at the top of the wall of our kitchen garden. Now I can see it anytime from my kitchen window. I may need to rename the Kitchen Garden to the Hosta Walk Garden. We completed planting along the stone walking path there with these Golden Tiara Hosta. That pretty much catches you up with our 2019 gardening work. The incessant rain has kept us inside for over a week now. We’re anxious to get back out there soon! Happy gardening, everyone!
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Phil & SharonMarried 40 years and hoping to enjoy many more! Archives
December 2019
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