Seasonal: October Page 2

Seasonal: Mid-October On

Page 2

The picture next to the title is of some of our Jonalicious apples. They are neglected, small and blemished, but we picked them anyway (a little sooner than I'd prefer...but the crows would have ruined them all if we didn't move quickly). They make nice apple crisp, etc. I haven't done as much as I'd hoped with the remainder, and am hoping they will keep until the garden work is done. Many of them could end up in the dehydrator...the kids LOVE them that way.

As we get toward the middle of the month and the nights get more chilly, you can see the leaves turn from one day to the next. It is over almost as soon as it's begun...but so glorious!

Although this is also a Red Maple, it turns different colors than the one in the lower field. It is one of the earliest trees to change. This one is situated between the barn and the back yard.

This was taken while standing on the Alley Bed path leading into the back yard. I admit, I cheated. Using Photoshop, I removed the ugly green rose fence post that ruined the photo. I just wish I could make the real one invisible! I do like having roses and not giving them all over to the deer, so it will have to stay for now. The brilliant red shrub toward the left is the Highbush Cranberry (Viburnum).

This is a shot of the barn and the Norway Maple in the upper field, taken from the Oak Bed area in back. It was a lovely misty morning...another feature of fall weather. My Sedum 'Autumn Joy' clumps look like they could use some organic soil amendments!

This Chrysanthemum 'Daisy Red' (I think...could be bronze) is still blooming its head off. It's been going for the last half of the summer. Right behind it is a Witch Hazel 'Arnold Promise' and its changing leaves compliment the mum very well. Finishing off this ensemble are the dusky smaller leaves of the Purple-leaf Barberry. It will turn color during this next month and drop its foliage...revealing beautiful scarlet berries.

This is another shot of the fall foliage of Hamamelis intermedia 'Arnold Promise.' Doesn't it look wonderful with backlighting? In the late winter it will have fragrant wisps of flowers all over these branches...smelling a bit like fresh squeezed oranges (to my nose).

I've shown this already, but I loved the misty appearance of this photo! It doesn't appear that the Miscanthus is going to have seed plumes this season. Some years they don't have enough heat and light to form. It's still beautiful without them.

Poor little fallen flowers (we had a night of wind)! They came from the Penstemon 'Garnet' and are resting on Artemisia canescens. This is my favorite Artemisia of the lower growing varieties. I was afraid I would lose it when digging this area up, but the pieces I reset have come along nicely and this is the result. They will make larger mats next spring.

Love it or hate it for its seeding tendencies, this is Borage. I love it. It really adds a nice touch of clear blue and the leaves, with their boldness and size, break up some of the monotony of a border with too many grasses and smaller leaved perennials. This one was sprawling over the pathway in the back bed and since the picture was taken, it's been clipped back.

Since this part of the West Perennial bed never got reworked this year, I didn't expect to see these Nerines come back. What a surprise! This color carries from afar and they last for a long time. One of the more striking bulbs of Autumn.

This little critter speaks of my childhood. We always had a fondness for the Woolly-Bear Caterpillar. How could you kill anything that is so cute! Now...tent caterpillars are an altogether different story.

This tiny garden mum is 'Bronze Elegance.' I should put it to better use as part of a color coordinated ensemble...maybe next year?

In the Fall, the Leycesteria berry clusters pick up the tones of the Ash tree overhead...kind of a claret color.

Here's a view of the back again from near the Ash Bed. The little daylily in the foreground with the pretty golden foliage is 'Raindrop.' Notice 'Hella Lacy' by the Ash tree trunk. It is small but I was thrilled to salvage some when the bed was redone this season. I thought I had lost it altogether.

At the front edge of the Ash Bed grows this Dahlia. I purchased it from Dutch gardens and used to remember the name! Doesn't it look nice with the Carex buchananii growing behind?

These will look better when the leaves come off, but I thought I'd show them to you at this stage. This is Callicarpa 'Profusion'...Beauty Berry. Can you see the bright purple clusters at the leave axles? They are gorgeous in the Autumn until the cold freezing temperatures finally ruin them. There is a pretty soft blush-white mum in front of this called 'Innocence.' It was one that Pamela Harper, garden writer and photographer, introduced into the trade. I hope to get a decent picture of it soon. It's always kind of shady in this spot when I got out to film.

'Alfred Grille' has been putting on such a show all summer, that he's getting pooped out! Here he rests his head on Ruta graveolens 'Blue Mound.'

I wish this were planted in the ground instead of blooming in a gallon pot...but here's a Schizostylis 'Mrs. Hegarty.' I had one before and think it's lost in the weedy mess out back. It's a beautiful clear pale pink and has larger flowers than the 'Oregon Sunset' that's blooming in the Oak bed. I'll rerun that one so you can compare...

See what I mean?

Leaves....just leaves and grass. Isn't it pretty?

This is a stage that the Norway Maple goes through that I love...the tipped stage with most of the tree still being green. Actually, all stages following this one are stunning (until you get to the bare stage!).

This was taken from the front yard looking toward the White Bed and the corner of the deck. The bright reddish spot is the Purple Smoke Bush...Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple.'

We've had these come up in the lawn every year in October...only the colony has grown a bit. They start out flat and gradually become fluted and cupped...catching rain water on their tops. Finally, they deteriorate into a gross looking mess!

I couldn't get this to look decent with my scanner so Robert took it downstairs and did it on his. I'm frustrated that they lowered the price on his model by $100 soon after we bought our lower end one (and I could have had his for nearly the same price). I like my scanner, but there's no doubt...his does a better job. Anyway...this was taken from the road that runs past our house and property. The trees along the fence are Hollywood Junipers (drought tolerant), Smoke Bush/Cotinus coggygria (the species and actually, prettier than the purple leafed one at this time of year), and Michael's gift Flowering Plum 'Thundercloud.' I want to draw your attention to the crow that is in the middle of the road part way down the hill. He is in the process of cracking some of the neighbor's walnuts. The crows drop them while flying at high speed in a forward motion and eventually get them cracked open. They really are very intelligent and destructive birds!

I'm not tired yet...take me to page THREE!

This page last updated on October 27, 1998.