Fall Flowers - A Stroll In Our Yard

My husband planted our Confederate Roses several years ago and they have really grown. Today, this one is full of buds and blossoms of several shades of pink. It is a lovely site to see.

The Confederate Rose is also called a Cotton Rose and is actually a Chinese Shrub that grows in the Southeastern United States thus the name. In the morning the blooms are a very light pink and then gradually get darker throughout the day. Some of the blossoms almost look red by late afternoon.

I am so lucky to have a husband that enjoys the yard as much as I do. He rooted our Angel Trumpets and we have yellow ones and white ones. Right before frost he cuts a stem and places it in water. He puts this in our garage and it is ready to plant by springtime.

The blossoms open up completely after dark and have a very sweet fragrance. They originally came from South America and are very toxic. We truly enjoy their beauty and they make us think of the trumpets blown by the angels.

Angel Trumpets Notecard by ohmeakanancy
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The Ageratum plants come up in the summer everywhere and I usually end up pulling some out to keep them from choking my other plants. Regardless, by fall they are in full bloom and the beautiful array of fuzzy purplish blue makes me forget what a nuisance they had been through the summer.

The Perennial Ageratum is also called the Mist Flower. They are very hardy and require no care except to be kept thinned out as they multiply by the hundreds.

When I was in college my wonderful Aunt Ruby gave me some Cleome Seeds. I watched her gather them off her many plants and was so interested in what she was doing. She put them in an envelope and wrote a description on the envelope.

I guess I got busy with college and other things and didn't think about them for a good many years. After I became an adult and had a greater appreciation for flowers, I asked her if she would give me some more. She always had them blooming in the back yard and I loved to look at them. I planted the seeds the next spring and have enjoyed my Aunt Ruby's Cleome ever since.

I have purchased seed and been given more seeds from other friends but I always know that my Aunt Ruby's plants are out there somewhere. Those seeds were a gift of love.

Now I share my seeds with my friends and always remember my Aunt Ruby.

The picture below is of my dad's mother with her flowers in front of their home in LaFayette, Georgia. I never knew Minnie Fisher Tate as she died when my dad was a young man but I know I would have really loved her. She was known for her love of flowers, animals and people. She was very kind hearted and was remembered that way by many.

The picture at the right is of Minnie and my granddaddy Amaziah Bryd Tate. She called him "Dear". I never knew him either.

This lens is dedicated in memory of my grandmother

Minnie Fisher Tate
Born November 22, 1874
Died August 21, 1930

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Thank you to everyone who has visited this lens and made such positive comments. We had been out of town for the past several days and I returned today to find that this lens is Lens of the Day! I am thrilled and celebrating! (10-24-08)