I’m loving the cool nights and days with low humidity. It’s enjoyable to work outdoors.

I do quite a few ornamental pots and window boxes. I use several perennials in those containers. This past week I took many of them apart and popped the perennials into the garden beds. There are several that I’ve used for years with success.

In a shady location, coral bells and certain hostas perform well. One of my favorite hostas is Praying Hands. It is upright and is great in the middle of a pot.

I like to use the apricot colored coral bells like Caramel or the Lime Green Rickey. They make the pot brighter. This year I was pleased to see the reemergence of the true impatiens. As you may recall they were unavailable for a few years as they were afflicted with a soil-borne fungus. They’re back and they’re great. I prefer them over the New Guinea variety.

Pumila astilbe is a short, late blooming cultivar. It spreads nicely and still looks good this late in the season.

Both Blue Cloud and White Cloud calaminthas do very well in containers out in the full sun. Unlike their cousin nepeta (aka cat mint), they do not require deadheading. They, like the aforementioned nepeta, smell bad to deer. Sometimes I place them close to daylilies and other favorites of those little jerks. Occasionally, it works.

Speaking of deer, my family owned a hunting camp. It slept 12 or so people. We ate a lot of venison growing up. I’m not a huge fan except as burger meat, however I appreciate the effort and always am grateful. Here on the Vineyard I’ve been awakened at night to dress out a road kill. It pays to know how to do stuff.

Back to plants that are still holding their own late in the season. Coleus is a revived favorite. For years I used them solely as houseplants but now prefer them out in the beds. They continue to look their best if the flowers are removed weekly. It’s not an attractive flower and seems to detract from both the form and color of the plant.

Lantana is another worthy annual. Even when it goes to seed it forms an interesting teal berry.

My favorite fall plant is the true garden mum. The three best cultivars (in my opinion) are Penelope Pease, Clara Curtis, and Sheffield Pink. They are at least three feet tall, spread and choke out weeds and are beloved by bees. They are so much nicer than the popular “bomb” types.

The garden at the Triangle in Edgartown is particularly nice. Now that traffic has lightened I have less time to enjoy it.

At the end of Cooke street about to turn onto South Water there is a noteworthy pale pink crape myrtle. Check it out.

I honestly think DJT believes himself. He is so used to getting away with bad behavior that he doesn’t possess a moral compass. His latest kerfuffle, which has led to an impeachment inquiry, is just one more thing. He believes he can bluster, intimidate and point at others. The Hilary email situation has been revived.

Let me point out to his enablers that Richard Nixon did not go to jail. He went back to sunny California. However, the following went to the Grey Bar Hotel: H.R. Haldeman, Charles Colson, John Ehrlichman, John Dean, Howard Hunt, G. Gordon Liddy, John Mitchell.

This is just a reminder to Mike Pompeo and William Barr. Donald Trump mocked a disabled reporter and was rewarded with the Presidency.