Around The Garden

I didn't think I would be doing this in November, but as I moved around the garden, there were quite a few plants that were either still blooming or had put on their fall colors.  Before blogging,, I don't think I appreciated these subtle changes in nature.

The alley garden looks really good this fall, filling out and developing fall color enhanced by the leaves that pile up against it.

Eupatorium Chocolate is at it's peak.  It really likes the cooler weather!

Sedum Autumn Fire is in the alley garden.  It is not quite as showy as Autumn Joy but it remains erect all winter.

Miscanthus Udine has already begun to flop.  I have learned the hard way to cut this down before the snow hits.  It is almost impossible to cut it down after it is smashed into the raised bed.  I know, it looks so good!

Panicum Northwind will stand through the winter, usually ready to cut down by March.  I love the tan color against the snow.

It is difficult to believe that Pink Beauty is still putting out a rose every so often and an almost perfect rose.

Can you believe this Rainbow Knockout?  It is a difficult rose to find, and all of the ones I have growing are from http://www.gardenvalley.com/  Their roses are bare root and have never had a problem rooting and taking off the first year.  In fact, I have just placed an order with them to ship the first of April.  Home Depot had a small shipment of Rainbow this year but quickly sold out.  They are not promoted by the nurseries because they don't look eye-popping in their containers.  However, they are the only rose blooming profusely in my garden.

This is Ernest Markham blooming on the south side of my home.  I planted it this spring, didn't do much in the hot summer, and now decides to put on a show.  It is a Type 3, so I will cut it down in the spring and give it a bigger trellis.  It is supposed to be a very floriforous hardy clematis.

Henryi has put out one more huge bloom, can't believe it has any more.  This is the Type 2 clematis that I cut to the ground so that it would rejuvenate.  It certainly looks like it has.

White Swan is my only coneflower that is still blooming.  Why didn't I plant more White Swan?  This deserves to be interspersed throughout my garden.

If you can stand to look at your allysum all winter it will reward you over and over again.  In the spring, just pull it out and sprinkle it wherever you want allysum.   It reseeds very easily.

Wow, was this a lucky choice this year, Heuchera Southern Comfort, a real star in the fall garden.

Heuchera Southern Comfort in another location, love, those great fall colors!

 

Penstemon Hamlin (not to be cut down until spring)

Rose hips from Pink Meidiland, also difficult to find, but I have ordered one more from Garden Valley Ranch.

 

Little Henry's Garnet Sweetspire looks better than ever this fall.  It has never been as healthy and colorful.  I did use a systemic this spring, and it seems to have done the trick.  I was ready to replace it.

Limelight Hydrangea will have plenty to show off this winter.  I have never left so many flowers on the shrub, but I will use some for the holidays,, maybe even spray some for my indoor displays.

I hate to end this on a downer, but this is my yellowing yew.  It was a very large one that I have trimmed, turned off the water that sprays on it, worked in peat moss way down fed it and we'll just wait and see until spring.  It will look great when we get the Christmas lights on it!

The Mad Bulb Planter

It is not too often we get all of this planter's delight weather to clean up our garden and move the plants that didn't do well in certain locations.  Can you believe I have moved some of these plants three times.  They had better work out next year or they are gone.  I know it is not the plant's fault, it is mine, but I have run out of places to move them.

Betty Corning in the shade of neighbor's lilac

The Duchess Of Albany has lush foliage but not many blooms.

Individual flowers looked good but there were not many of them.

I received another bulb delivery last week, this is the fourth and I am having trouble keeping up with the planting.  I am trying, but I still have some bulbs left to put into the soil, along with cutting down my garden and putting it to bed. 

I want to move Duchess Of Albany Clematis, it is huge and in too much shade.  This will be the third move for the Duchess and the last.  I have already moved Betty Corning to a much sunnier location and cut down Sweet Autumn Clematis (I know it is a type 3, cut in early spring, but it is overpowering on the pergola).  My bet is it will survive because it is so tenacious and goes wherever it feels like.

Clematis Duchess Of Albany (how it should look and with the darker variations)

Clematis Betty Corning (lots of blooms and a lovely blue under the correct growing conditions)

I put in a mixture of Orienpet Lilies in between the Happy Returns Daylilies which are in the raised bed and added several more in front of my Panicum Northwind in the back garden.

Mixed Orienpet Lilies

Allium Schubertii was so fascinating at my garden club presentation, I was actually hesitant to plant it because the sphere was so large, but it is only 16" tall.  Needless to say, I ordered some for planting out in my front garden.

Allium Schubertii

Allium Globemaster added to the back border

I planted a new species tulip in the back border after reading many glowing reports about its beauty.

Species Tulip Tangerine Beauty

There is still time to plant some bulbs, as long as the soil can be worked,  How exciting it is to see something new coming up in the spring!



Halloween Weekend

Boo!  I have given a Halloween Party for more years than I can remember.  As I mentioned previously when I was working full time, it was difficult but somehow I was much better at planning ahead and always was ready to give the neighborhood party.

This is the children's table, sort of mid century with Jadite, Ruby Red Glassware and McCoy pottery.  I like to use my collectibles instead of having them on a shelf to look at.  The McCoy vase was from 1948.



This is the Shell Pattern produced by Anchor Hocking from the 30's to the 70's.  This was produced in the 60's.  The Royal Ruby Glass was also produced by Anchor Hocking in the 40's and 50's.

Ruby Red Glassware by Anchor Hocking

I love the colors that show up inside the cabbages after some time being exposed to the cooler weather.

Miss Bateman greeted me when I went into the back of the yard the other day.  I could not believe it was still blooming!

This year, I am all decorated outside and inside, have made apple pies (with Cortland apples from Door County, Wisconsin), chocolate cake and brownies.  I have also made what I call "kids lasagna," and barbecued ribs.  Of course, we will have appetizers, salad, homemade feather rolls (from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook) and garlic bread.  It's a lot of comfort food this weekend.

Pies can be made ahead of time uncooked and frozen.  Put in the oven frozen at 400 degrees and cook for approximately 45 minutes.

Solomon's Seal

Peacock Cabbage

The kids lasagna was a recipe from my former neighbor (who has left us way too young) that all of the kids and grownups loved.  It is quite a departure from the Italian version, but I feel I must share it with you since my granddaughter insisted I make it for Halloween:

           1 lb. of ground beef
           1 large can of crushed tomatoes
           1 large can of tomato paste
           1 medium onion
           2 cloves of crushed garlic
           1 teaspoon each of basil, oregano and parsley (fresh is better if you have
           any left in the garden)
           1 package of Swiss cheese, 12 oz or 16 oz
           16 oz carton of small curd cottage cheese
           16 oz package of no yolk egg noodles broad, cooked, rinsed and drained
           Salt and pepper to taste
           Parmesan Cheese shredded

The lasagna has been frozen uncooked ready to put in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour until lightly brown and bubbly.

Brown beef, onion and garlic, add tomatoes, paste and herbs, salt and pepper to taste.  Boil noodles, rinse, layer half on bottom of 9x13 pan, layer half of beef mixture, layer half of Swiss cheese, half of cottage cheese and repeat whole process beginning again with noodles, sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese, cook at 350 degrees until bubbling and Parmesan is light brown.

Have a BOOtiful weekend!

The Great Pumpkin

Carving pumpkins into Jack-O-Lanterns is a centuries old tradition which began with the Irish carving turnips and beets as lanterns placing them in their windows, lit from the inside with a lump of coal.  They were used as a welcome for those who had passed on and as a deterrent to evil spirits. When the Irish immigrated to the United States in 1848 during the potato famine they could not find many turnips or beets, but found an abundance of pumpkins.  From this time on, the carving and lighting of the pumpkin became a tradition in the United States on All Souls Day.  This tradition later became transferred to the day we celebrate Halloween.

A traditional Irish Halloween Jack-O-Lantern from early 20th century at Museum of Country Life, Ireland

Did you know that pumpkins are not a vegetable - they are a fruit!  Pumpkins, like gourds and other varieties of squash are all members of the Cucurbitacae family, which also includes cucumbers, gherkins and melons.  Pumpkins have been grown in America for over 5,000 years.  They were unknown in Europe before the time of Columbus.

If you are going to carve a face in your pumpkin it works very well with an elongated pumpkin rather than a round squatty one.  It is so much easier to carve if you have a very ripe pumpkin, hard to know this until you stick in the knife.  Sketch out your face on the best side of the pumpkin,, cut a circular lid on top (large enough to insert an LED candle) scoop out all of the seeds. Separate the stringy fibers from the seeds and wash the seeds in a colander.

I think the children are better artists than I am

If you are doing this with children it is fun to let them tell you how it feels when they scoop out the seeds, talk about shapes, colors, ask them how many seeds they think are in the pumpkin.  Help them lift the pumpkin, how much do they think it weighs, show them on a scale.  I think you get the idea, this can be a multi-level integrated experience for children.  Lay the seeds out on paper towels and when dry, it is a great activity to count them by ones and then tens.  It is always amazing how many seeds are in a pumpkin!

This is certainly not a professional carving job!

You can't stop eating them!  This is a child tested recipe for pumpkin seeds.

     Make sure the seeds are dry
     Put them in a frying pan with butter and salt
     Cook slowly until brownish stirring often
     Drain on paper towel

Yum, Yum!

LED candles fit inside and are safe.  I have a six inch one in this pumpkin.