Zinnia was the star of the Garden Pageant

It frosted here in Indiana last week. Fall and I have a long standing mutually satisfying romantic relationship, but I still like to get as long as possible with my Boy Toy Indian Summer. That little bitch did not show up this year! Instead he sent his super hotty cousin Summer Satan and we went through a drought and record temps of 100+ for multiple days of multiple weeks.

The long way to the point being the participants in the Garden Pageant had to all be badass to survive. The rabbits ate the new plants, the mice moved their compound to under the raised vegetable beds and subsequently had to be taken out. This involved the creation of multiple devices for murdering small cute rodenty creatures with traps made from Googling “how to kill insert cute rodenty animal here” internet. My karma may never feel 100% right again but it had to be done! I still feel bad every time I see a chipmunk and then “Why stupid chipmunk did you have to move under MY porch?” Anything with a vine got the spreading funkity funk and caused all 4 of my baby pumpkins to flop off and die. The vegetables had just taken off when the watering ban went into effect. The bugs invaded the vines. The blossoms rotted off or went on strike, Shall I go on?
It’s bad enough that I never do a good job of tracking what I planted where. What kind of peppers or tomatoes eventually get to grow is always a surprise. The seeds I do a better job with but I always think I will remember and yet I never do.

The runners-up this year were the cucumbers I grew on a trellis and the smuggled South African Pappadews. The real stars of the garden this year were definitely the Zinnias. I captured them in their fall glory last week both in sunlight and at the evening magic hour. I love how they get all multi colored and spiky this time of year. The Envy’s started slowly but by the end were a nice row of lime green. The Zahara Starlights my Mom sent me for my birthday were stunning and the White Weddings have become this amazing creamy yellow color. Even the mix on the side if the house in the less than vibrant colors looks nice for Fall.  I’m too exhausted and strapped for time to label  these tonight. I threw in a few Gerbera Daisies and one of the last roses as a bonus.