Persicaria "Firetail" blooms all season long for me. If it gets ratty looking all you do it whack it back and it comes back in no time. Here is a picture of it amongst other things including a brugmansia that is just now coming into bloom. Down lower right is Salvia 'Hot Lips' that also blooms all season long. Dr. Moy, a hardy ginger for me at least, also blooms late in the season for me. Just yesterday cut a few of the flower stalks and brought them inside and the scent wafts through the house. While not a perennial flower, the male gingko tree also adds its presence in the fall garden. As do witch hazels.

I am currently germinating seeds for this year, first in damp/wet paper towels on a heat mat and then transferring them to 3.5" peat pots as soon as they form radicals. I have been fighting way too many squirrels lately to want to risk direct seeding (squirrels are easily the most destructive, tenacious and overwhelming of all urban pests). After agonizing for weeks and weeks this winter about which plants to grow in my limited space, I decided on the following to provide a nice range of shellies and snaps: 1. Giant Red Tarka (bush shelly). These have been germinating steadily and vigorously. I am surprised by how HUGE and FAT these beautiful seeds are once they soak up water. I already love this variety and it hasn't even grown yet, LOL! 2. Withner's White Cornfield (pole snap). Recommended by Carol Deppe as a good producer for heavy shade, and I plan on putting her claims to the test. This is another vigorous germinator. Has white sickle-shaped seeds that do not swell up much when hydrated. 3. Bosnian Pole (pole snap). Germinating somewhat reluctantly for me. Unusually beautiful seeds that swell by about 50% when hydrated. 4. Tennessee Cutshort (pole snap/shelly combo). Germinating reluctantly. This is another one that swells up to a surprisingly large size when hydrated. 5. Soissons Vert (pole shelly). One of my most anticipated beans and, of course, the one that has been most reluctant to germinate. Only one seed shows signs of a tiny radical so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed... When hydrated, these are much larger than I thought they would be, being about 75% larger than a typical flageolet bean. 6. Caruther's Purple Podded Pea (pole shelly). Ok, they are not beans, but the seeds swelled up to a nice large size (for peas) when soaked and the little plants are beautiful so far, with glaucous-tinged foliage. I sowed these outdoors back in March, squirrels destroyed half of them and they are now barely 4-5" tall. They are behind by several weeks due to the erratic weather we have been having this spring, and I hope they will be able to produce something before the summer heat begins. I have other wonderful seeds in my refrigerator that will have to be planted next year...sigh.

Here's a note from this morning's forecast discussion at the Seattle NWS office. Climatology...Seattle is currently on a streak of 5 consecutive months of below normal temperatures ( through August ). July and August ended up pretty close to normal...just a half a degree below normal for the two month period. The hot spells over the Summer have masked just how cool it has been for Seattle. Taking a look at the number of days with highs 70 degrees plus so far this year the number is only 54. The average number of days with highs 70 or above during the year for Seattle is 84. On average Seattle will get another 11 days before the end of the year with highs 70 plus. The record for the least number of days 70 plus in Seattle at sea-tac is 46 days in 1955. The top 5 is rounded out by 53 days in 1954...65 days in 1980 and 1964 and 66 days in 1956. 1954...1955...1956 and 1964 were all La Nina years. It is certainly possible that this year will end up in the top 5 for the least number of days with highs 70 plus. Felton ...thinking back fondly of the lovely summer we had in 2007....LOL. Actually, it's not so bad, because the slower my plants grow, the less I get behind on potting them up.

Guess what came in the mail today! An invitation to Nina's wedding for Thing One and FMTO. Now, she did ask me for their address, and I can't swear I ever got it to her. But she could easily get it several ways. But so what, who cares, that's not what's funny. What amuses me is that this time she got Thing One's name wrong! Remember how she hyphenated my name, even though my name isn't hyphenated, unlike my children's names, which are? Well, Thing One Doe-Smith's invitation came to Mr. Thing One Doe (she got FMTO's name right). So we came out even -- he got my name, I got his. What is strange is that Thing Two is on neither of our invitations, nor has she received one of her own (I am positive Nina does not have either Thing Two's current address in Israel or her school address for the fall). It doesn't matter, because of course none of us can attend, but it keeps things interesting. Back to Thing One's wedding ... FMTO sent me proofs of the invitations. They are lovely! They have a pretty tree at the top. What a thrill it was to see their names in the formal text. This is getting so exciting!