POSTED BY KIM — I took my camera outside at work the other day (along with my umbrella) and noticed this beautiful combination of colors in the garden behind the gift shop.  (That’s Maria and Wendy’s garden.)  The red leaves from the Japanese Maple and the bright lime foliage from the Heuchera ‘Citronelle’ almost glow in the dark — stunning.

I know some people will think this hosta looks sickly, but I think against the red foliage of the maple, it’s really beautiful.  Besides, I can’t cut back the hosta foliage yet — there’s probably a dozen baby bunnies living in there. 

In the same bed, the beautiful fall color of Acer griseum, Paperbark Maple.

She hates having her picture taken!

POSTED BY KIM — The good girl Chloe spent the weekend at the Reiss-Litton house.  8-year-old Maya decided to try her hand at dog training, so she discovered that if she held a small piece of cheese up, Chloe would jump to get it.  They went through many pieces of cheese to get that one trick down — good luck with the results of that, Roxanne!

Chloe’s only other trick this weekend was when the boys walked her down to Blackburn Park.  They tied her up as they played tennis when Cameron noticed that Chloe was chewing through her leash.  He caught her with only three threads left — she’s such a rascal!  But I will admit, that’s an old trick.  Chloe has chewed through many, many leashes. 

POSTED BY KIM — Oooh, the boss is out of town and Michael and I have been busy busy busy.  Yesterday we planted four new trees at the nursery, and in 50 years, they’ll be spectacular!    Maybe sooner than that.

We also planted along the drive (pictured above), and down by the entrance to the nursery.  This little corner actually belongs to the neighbors, I think, but nothing grows happily there but weeds.  *Not anymore.*

We popped in an ‘Incrediball’ hydrangea, and Michael’s truly inspired suggestion of Lobelia chinensis as a groundcover.  It’s quite aggressive, which is exactly what we need in this spot.  Zone 6 — fingers crossed that it makes it through the winter.

This is our neighborhood hawk. He's, like, 7' tall.

While we were planting, Michael pointed out this hawk that was sitting on top of a telephone pole watching us. He’s spectacular!  Michael said there are a couple of juveniles in the area, too.  I’ve also been checking for Persy, the owl, but no sign of him yet.

No shovel for Michael! His planting tool of choice: the pickaxe.

POSTED BY KIM — Cabbage and kale are cool-season standards in St. Louis gardens and containers, and they’re also very popular with the *varmint population.*  In the photo above, you see two purple kale.  The one on the left has been a). chopped up by a weed-eater; b). torn apart by the hands of a bored 2-year-old, or c). nibbled by a rabbit.

I think we all know what happened here.

If you look closely, you can see the indentations in the pot where the rabbit put its feet.  Good eye, Michael!  Below is the “salad bar.”  The moral of this story: Plant your cabbage and kale up high, or get a very large, hungry dog. 

POSTED BY CALEB

This is Morris, one of five cats who are the actual owners of the Melchior family farm down in Perry County. As you can see, it's a pretty good life for cats down in the country. Plenty of things to explore - especially in the kitchen garden where the goldfinches come and eat on the sunflowers. Let's go on a little walk with Morris and see a cat's eye view of the garden.

The Exotic Garden is one of the cats' favorite places to hide. They lurk beneath the leaves and imagine that they're tigers - or something equally ferocious.

Occasionally, there are obstacles...

But if the exotic garden is too busy, a cat can always go for a refreshing walk in the woodland garden. Here's a native blue carex, a 'Burgundy Lace' fern, and a 'Dolce Licorice' heuchera.

If you want to venture further afield, you can go hunt mice among the long grass in the fields. If Morris does so, he might encounter Sabatia angularis, a rare wildflower in the Gentian family. Its flowers only last for a few days, but they're spectacular.

When Morris gets tired of wandering, he can come back to the front porch and rest under the beautiful blooms of a 'Miner's Claim' brugmansia.

While sitting beneath those fragrant pink trumpets, Morris can gaze across the porch at this stunning 'Bonita Shea' begonia. Pretty nice life for a cat, isn't it?

POSTED BY KIM — I overhead my kids talking about the bird’s nest on the front door — more specifically, in the *wreath* on the front door.  So my husband says (in crabby dad voice), “I think it’s time we took the wreath down because it’s attracting too much wildlife.”  He doesn’t know it, but I snuck one of those eggs under his bed pillow to incubate.

My limited Internet research shows that they are probably sparrow eggs.  Look below for a peek.

Looks innocent enough...

Upon closer inspection...

The babies-to-be.

It's been scientifically proven that Chloe's fur is the softest material known to mankind.

POSTED BY KIM — Former long-time employee Chloe Cronin had a sleepover at my house this weekend.  For those of you who don’t know Chloe, she worked at Sugar Creek for years before finally retiring to a life of luxury last season.  Many of us who worked with her really miss her!  Every few months, I call Roxanne (Chloe’s mom), and set up a visit.

Chloe’s weekend activities included:

o  several long walks
o  many Milk Bone and sliced cheese treats
o  extra naps
o  visits with the neighbors for more treats

We miss you Chloe!

Persy?! No, just a pretend owl hanging out in our gift shop.

POSTED BY KIM — It looks like our feathered friend Persimmon the owl has left for warmer climes.  He hasn’t been around for the past month or so, although we continue to look for him to pop up.

Even if he doesn’t return, it was SO fun having him here.  I was in bed last night with the window open and I heard a screech owl!  If it hadn’t been for ol’ Persy, I would have never been able to recognize that trilling sound.  (In fact, after a while it got kind of annoying because I couldn’t turn my ears off.  I couldn’t NOT hear it…)

Good luck, Persy!  Visit us anytime!

POSTED BY KIM — Our friend Chloe came to visit this weekend.  We’ve been missing her!  She is a very funny dog — she does *not* like to get her picture taken.  When she sees the camera, she turns her head so she can see you out of her peripheral vision, but you can’t take a decent picture.  I know, because I tried all weekend.

She was also very *tired* this weekend, and spent a good deal of time sneaking naps in 7-year-old Maya’s bed.  Whenever someone would walk in the room, Chloe would totally act like “Whaa?  How did I end up in this bed??”   Smart dog — Maya has a great bed, and I’m sure when Chloe lays down she can feel invisible hearts, rainbows, and butterflies surrounding her.    I know I do!

Nope, nothing to see here. Keep it moving...

Maya's bed full of stuffed animals -- and Chloe.

These ears -- scientifically proven to be the softest material in the known world.

Here’s Chloe trying to not get her picture taken.  Notice the ear action.

POSTED BY KIM — Al Smith from Bridgeton stopped by the nursery the other day to see our owl, Persimmon.  Al brought his camera and took some fabulous pictures!  In fact, we’ve had several photography clubs pop in to see the owl, which is really delightful.  I think Persy has cooperated with every one so far, and by that, I mean he ”showed up” when a camera was out.    He does tend to sleep in the mornings and come out for fresh air after lunch, so he’s not out all the time, obviously.  (I just took a peek — it’s 12:30 p.m. — and he’s not up yet.)

FYI — Al has more Persy pics and some very cool hummingbird pics at this site.

Is that lunch I see hanging out of your beak?

The world's most beautiful owl.