along with woodland sunflower. Actually, not that old a tree, planted about 1964.
This photo was taken about a month ago, we are now into the dry and dusty phase of autumn. The colors are spectacular at least!
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New garden! Thursday, Sep 25 2014
gardening and Landscapes 19:38
We don’t tend to go for wholesale reconfiguration of spaces around here. But the abrupt death of a tree required it. So, in a group effort today, the space where the Japanese Maple once was has been re-organized. The previously crowded Enkianthus has been joined by an ‘Arnold Promise’ Witch-hazel, which should become the dominate ‘tree’ in the space, at its feet a Russian Arborvitae (Microbiota decussata), a ‘Diablo’ Ninebark is trying out its third or fourth location just to the east of that, and then heading into the soggy area a lovely inkberry, which will demarcate a new path that leads back through the daylilies. Above and behind this is the Sugar Maple, with the benches are chairs placed to the north of it, so a nice view to the west is created.
The fall color should be spectacular. We hope!
Pictures to come, I promise.
I suppose I ought to update my tree list….
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Reverse Hibernation Wednesday, Sep 24 2014
Uncategorized 09:53
Reverse Hibernation
After months
The languid heat
The sun’s great bounty
Left me drowsing
Seeking life in the stone cold shade
So
When the nights grew longer
And the shadows deepened
Darkness fell around my shoulders
I awoke
To the cutting chill of Autumn
Frost’s bright diamonds
Glitter in the dying sun
The trees are its funeral pyre
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Watch it with the feet! Sunday, Sep 21 2014
gardening gardening, wildlife 20:30
A denizen of the woods. He and his kind have vanished into the leaves for the most part now; but I did disturb the cutest (and very put out) little tree frog the other day…in the pole beans! I had quite the time picking around him.
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Rule, Britannia! Friday, Sep 19 2014
Uncategorized 15:46
I love Scotland, but the British Empire more. Now, if they can just solve their very real problems….
(yes, I hit the ‘refresh’ button all night on my computer!)
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Now what? Thursday, Sep 18 2014
gardening and Landscapes gardening 15:15
One very dead Japanese Maple removed, possibly killed drought/winter stress/serious rot and hopefully not Verticillum Wilt*
Those leaves aren’t supposed to be a crispy brown.
But now what? The space has an entirely different feel to it, the beanpole locust in the background is suddenly prominent, as is the Sugar Maple. The paths, which bent at the tree, don’t quite make sense anymore and there is a whole lot more sun, and more distance. This will take some consideration.
*The state lab isn’t exactly helpful on the subject: ‘We can’t test dead wood’…well, the whole tree is dead, so what exactly can you test?
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Grapes Tuesday, Sep 16 2014
A lot of home grown produce tastes better than that from the store: garlic, onions, squash, chard, etc, etc.* I didn’t expect the difference to be so great with grapes though. Silly that.
Our young Concord Seedless set a fair number of bunches this year. Now granted, they are the size of garden peas, but the taste! Very close (and this year better than) the wild Concord. Hard to describe, but not anything like the grapes one finds in the store. Spicy and sweet, but without that overload of Sugar. It is the spice which is missing from the store bought grapes.
I suppose that they would make excellent jelly, and if the bunches were full size, that would be an option. But seeing as they are small….I’ll blame their disappearance on the catbirds 🙂
*Not always: sweet potatoes have failed rather badly for us. As, bizarrely, do cucumbers. Spinach is an utter disaster.
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The Yellow Pot Monday, Sep 15 2014
gardening and Landscapes gardening 21:47
I know, I know, no content here! The big garden and its pot, amazing how a focal point brings it all together.
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Random Photo Saturday, Sep 13 2014
gardening and Modern Photos gardening, photography 19:25
From some time ago (it is 50, raining, and dark): the lily is ‘Black Beauty’ and about as extreme a form as you can get it seems to me!
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Volunteers Thursday, Sep 11 2014
gardening and Landscapes gardening, vegetable gardening 22:00
Nice to have…
In this case, a whacking great clump of white phlox. In the vegetable garden of course…. Maybe next spring I’ll divide it? It is a tall, late white, with good mildew resistance. What more does one want? (It is at least in a pre-arranged spot, that little yellow black-eyed susan down at the bottom? In a row of baby kale!
Acair Fearann 