Limited time in the Garden

I have not had much time in the garden these days. At least not much time to enjoy it. I just weeded the other day for the first time in probably a month or more and I didn't really pull that many weeds. While I was weeding I of course was checking out my huge Elephant Ears and trying to decide whether or not I wanted to cast one of them. As I was doing this the Humming Bird Hawk Moth came a buzzin' by so I ran in to get the camera. This is the only shot I was able to get. I also go another picture of a huge dragonfly with aqua and pink coloring. I had been wondering if and when this shell flower was going to bloom. I had been watching it and only recently have been able to see some buds as you can see here. It is unfortunate that this vine blooms so late. It is nice to have the fall color but we will have a frost before it is in full bloom. Of course this is not really the right climate for growing this plant. I think this will be my last year for this one. Here you can see what the blooms look like. It is actually very beautiful. But I think next year I'd like to grow mini pumpkin gourds on this obelisk. Every year as fall approaches I notice that I don't have much fall color. I am getting better or should I say the gardens are getting better but I still need to begin planning for fall in the spring. Here are the Elephan Ears I am planning to cast. Actually I have one in the studio that I cast on Sunday. I have not taken a look at it yet. I want to be sure it is totally dry before I unveil it. The largest leaf is 28 inches wide by 37 inches high. I also got a great deal at the end of the summer last year on some raspberries. Little did I know they were fall bearing. Here they are in bloom, large fruit with a great taste and there are still lot's of buds.