Autumn in a Texas garden

Hello, fellow bloggers!

It's that time of year when Texas gardens are shaggy and in need of serious cleanup, yet so many plants are still full of blooms.  Witness my Mrs. B.R. Cant rose, a sample of which is shown here. 

If that isn't an in-your-face rose, I don't know what is.  This bloom is about 3 1/2" in diameter and smells so heavenly sweet.  I paused frequently in today's labors to enjoy her.  I'm not showing the whole plant because she was severely deformed by a huge oleander rudely growing all over her but which now isn't huge anymore.  Trust me when I say the 7 ft. rose still has many blooms on it.  I pruned back the oleander, which was probably 10 ft. tall, and a giant pittosporum that had covered up a living room window.  And now the living room has more natural light once again!

The stars of this fall Texas garden are the lovely asters.  

 Oh how I do love asters.  They grow like weeds here in the full, blistering summer sun and wind with nary a complaint.  A single hard trim in mid-summer ensures blankets of blue (really purple, but "blue" in the plant world) for Halloween.  I started these three plants (and yes, they really are only three plants, two in front, one crowded one in back) from cuttings 3 years ago and put them in the ground 2.5 years ago.  From single cuttings.  THAT'S how fast and big they grow.

 I will be digging them almost completely out after they bloom and sharing them with neighbors and anyone else who wants a friendly, uncomplaining guest to their garden.

Note: I see the head gardener left her wheelbarrow and oleander cuttings in full sight so as to mar the picture.  *sigh*  It was a working day.

Today's card is a simple one since the designer was hard at work earlier in the day on the aforementioned garden cleanup.

I used the same "Grunge Resist" method as yesterday's card with different stamps and inks.  I discovered that distress inks work better as they have more "slide" than SU inks which tend to grip the paper too much, dry too quickly, and leave too many streaks.  I used So Saffron for the base coat, then TH Vintage Photo and Victorian Velvet for the additional colors.  Stamps used were Flourishes Witching You a Happy Halloween and All That Glitters, Penny Black (candle), Gourmet Rubber stamps (chair).  CS is Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, and glossy white.  Inks used are Versamark and Staz-On Black.  Two SU rhinestone brads finish things off.  CAS all the way!

Thank you for visiting me in my garden, and I hope you have a lovely day.  Happy Crafting!!

Challenges entered are:

FOSTV Challenge #43 - Halloween or Harvest
Simon Say Stamp Challenge - Eerie
Charisma Cardz Challenge #41 - CAS
Fussy and Fancy Challenge #74 - Anything Goes
Drunken Stampers Challenge #102 - Napoleon's Buttons (buttons and/or brads)
Creative Inspirations - Anything Goes