Hosta Hatchetted and Mums the Word

The sun is out on a beautiful autumn day.  I did some more clean-up in my perennial beds.  Coleus - gone.  Another bush fenced and mulched.  The biggest job was spitting the giant hosta.  This guy is not only a giant-leafer, but also it has been in its spot for several years and the root ball was enormous.  I dug, and dug, and dug some more, but in the end I needed help from DH (Dear Husband).  Once we finally dislodged it, we chopped it into two with the shovel, and I planted one part back in the original hole, and the other half where I had taken out the "non-blooming" hydrangea.  I'm sure I could have divided it into 3 or 4 pieces, but I didn't have any other available space for it right now.  All my hostas could use dividing, but then I'd have to have a hosta flea market.  Any takers?  If anyone wants a few hostas, come on over; we'll dig and chop.

My mums are now in their full glory.  The violet mums that grow along the side of the driveway have been there a long time.  They came with the house.  They require very little care, and come up every year. Because they are so hardy and faithful, we've tried to add to our collection of mums. One year I intermixed mums of other colors in with the violets, but those "hardy mums" never reappeared the next year.  I have 2 other mums in the perennial beds - one orange and one deep red.  These are 2 out of many "hardy mums" we've planted over the years. Mums have helped me develop my plant attitude:  I only like you if you'll grow for me. 

Lavender and alyssum are re-blooming in front of the orange mums.