Playin' Outside

Thankfully, we and our gardens have survived the worst of a summer and are moving into the cooler days of fall, and still I haven't posted about the amazing Garden Bloggers Fling in Portland I was fortunate to attend back in July.  As always, the writing and photography of our talented group have captured the best of our annual gathering so well I've preferred to simply relive the fun through their posts.   However, I do want to play a little game with the many orbs I kept seeing in the various gardens.  Some were split open to form fire pits or planters or rain basins, some were stuck on fences or poles, and others simply sat on a table or on the ground.  Oddly enough, one of the plants I brought home was Cotyledon orbiculata var. orbiculata - yet another "orb"!  There were so many, it became a game for me to find them.  Here's just a sampling.    Look up against the fence for the smaller one, too! If you