The Witch in the Woods

 A while ago, Christer at : http://thecottagebythecranelaketwo.wordpress.com/ showed a photo of a garden he visited where someone had placed a witch hat on the stump of a tree.  I had cut down this tree last spring and was thinking of placing a bird house on it but once I saw that witch hat, I knew that was the perfect finish for my stump.  I found this ceramic one recently at a thrift store and though it is smaller than I would like, it will do until I find another. The witch that lives in my woods uses this as her hat stand!

I went down to check out the lower gardens and saw that my lavender is still blooming.

Teddy likes to join me on these walks.

Chows have trouble with steps because they are missing a joint in their legs like other dogs have.  They have what are called stifled hocks.

She stops to look for "bad kitties".

I can't get enough of these beauty berries.

Apparently, I still have dandelions growing too.


I am keeping my fountains running and the stream flowing until after my party in two weeks.  Keeping up with the falling leaves is proving to be a major chore.

We have to skim them out of the ponds several times a day.

I have copper mushroom lights all along the path.

When Teddy gets a drink out of this pond the fish come right up to her.  They think she is going to feed them.  Little do they know how close they come to getting eaten.

Click for a closer look.  These are the only kinds of ducks Teddy will tolerate.

I have new fig trees growing up from where I buried the old ones last winter.

My espaliered apples gave me two delicious apples this year for the first time.

Roses still growing against a background of changing leaves.

The big Japanese maple by the lower pond is changing colors too.

I must clean the front porch at the guest house before the party too.

A gargoyle peeking out of the ivy.

A moss covered stepping stone in the stream.

Paper Bark Maple.

More copper mushroom lights.

And the hat again.

I just planted 300 daffodil bulbs amongst the stones for next spring.

Autumn sedumn.

And what monster do I spy through the early morning mist?

A very scary one.

Here she comes after checking out every square inch of the lower gardens.

A job well done by the protective puppy.

It's a long haul up the steps for a puppy with short legs.

She stops for a rest.

Then carefully crosses the creek.

Being careful not to slip on the stepping stone.

Then back to the top.

To guard the main gardens.

There are lots of places for bad kitties to hide.

The end.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Nice! I do like that hat!

I wish I could have those plants You've shown today but unfortunately our winters are just too long for them to cope, even if You might get it colder than we do.

Hector sort of has a route to check my garden too but he mostly looks for things to eat :-) :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
Lovely garden tour! And the witch's hat on the stump is such a super idea.
brokenteepee said…
Pricilla maaaas that she would come and eat all your leaves if she could.
;)
Debbie said…
First of all I must say I LOVE those beauty berries too! Where the heck do you get those? My favorite color is purple. You have a wonderful yard and I am looking at the previous post with the gingerbread and lemon frosting....oh my goodness does that look good. Joyce...come by my blog and get the banana bread with brown butter frosting...I am not kidding when I say it is AMAZING. I wish I lived close by you...you are so much fun! Have a great party....I will check in to see the highlights!
Robin Larkspur said…
The Hat looks great on that tree! Wonderful tour of the autumn garden. Everything looks gorgeous, love the copper mushroom lights! What a great party you are going to have. I think we all wish we could crash your party!!!
Teddy is so adorable!
I remember seeing that hat too!!!!! It kind of looked, like it was molded out of clay, or some such. Yours is a perfect stand-in, for now. I say "for now," because I betcha' you'll get a bigger one, eventually. :-)

You have made a completely magical surrounding, in which to live. How some people, have the innate inspiration, to conjure up something like this, and then to see it through to fruition, just amazes me!!!!!!!!

And oh those little ponds and little streams!!!! -happy sigh-

"Auntie"

Barb said…
How I enjoyed that tour of your garden!! I love the witch hat idea and of course Teddy adds to the photos! I can't wait to hear about the party!!
Michelle said…
Your garden is quite beautiful. I love the fountains.
Teddie's coloring is so much like Mele's and even though she is a Chow, she really doesn't look a whole lot bigger than Mel.

I loved walking though your garden with you...I always do. Mel guards us from those "bad kitties" too! :) Even during the night she sometimes growls a bit when nosy kitties come to our front porch..

Hate squirrels too! :) Yep, you and I have precious treasures in our girls.
Dang! I forgot to tell you that I loved the Witches hat idea...looks cute. You wanted it to sort of hang on the side didn't you? :) Yeah, I can see it..it's going to be really neat looking..
Anonymous said…
what a beautiful garden! Very well kept and I love the plants. Those berries are really unusual. Very pretty.
Margaret said…
I just love to tour your gardens and I love that witch's hat--what a creative touch. Teddy is an amazing tour guide too! Maggie
Cindi Myers said…
I just love seeing your garden,
and it's so great to have Teddy as a guide.
Thanks for this post.
Dog Trot Farm said…
Thank you for another wonderful garden tour. Teddy is a dear, and a delightful tour guide. I am not sure if Beauty Berries grow in Maine, I don't recall seeing them. The temperature today is in the seventies, go figure! Have a lovely day, Julie.
Amanda said…
I love the garden and the magic in it!! So beautiful and intriguing!! Cheers and happy fall!!
Laura said…
how cool would it be to have a witches hat bird house! :-) i'm gong to have to think about that one.
blessings
~*~

hugs to Teddy!
Such a beautiful yard, and adorable little witch hat :-)
Unknown said…
would you like to trade some fig tree branch cuttings? if so please email me at ediblelandscaping.sc@gmail.com I have several varieties and would be happy to trade a few 6-8 inch cuttings with you