The Falling Leaves....

I probably say this every year (I hope I do)....the trees are just spectacular this year! It is such a pleasure to go outside (even on a gray day) and see such color.



This is looking down my street. Every day it changes, getting better and better...until one day I will go out and it will all be gone...(not yet, though)

However, I don't even have to leave my yard. In one corner of my backyard, I have this little wooded area. Fourteen years ago, it was mostly just pines, but now...the hardwoods are coming into their own...


I'm standing on my deck looking at that color....I could stand here all day...







I hope wherever you are you are also enjoying such glorious colors. If it looks like this in my little part of the world, just imagine what it must look like in the mountains. One of these years, I will treat myself to a little trip to see the leaves.

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I have been enjoying this weather and getting things done. Not every thing or all things, by any means, but some. I still need a few more weeks (please) before the really cold weather comes. Anyway, as of today, I only have one more daylily to get in the ground (not including hundreds of seedlings, but let's not go there..). Still some other stuff, too, but what will be, will be.

Anywho, in the midst of all these little chores, I happened upon The Big Rock. Now, I find rocks fairly regularly when I dig, but nothing like The Big Rock. I can't imagine how I missed it before...but it explains why one of my little grasses was not doing so well...no where for the roots to go! It's out now, The Big Rock, and is resting where it will rest...as I cannot pick it up! (I rolled it to its current location, just down from where I dug it out.)

You want to see it?


It is about double the size of those castlewall blocks. Whew. It's got to have a special place, I think...one that will have to wait until I have help moving it!

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(Am I the only one who remembers that old song..."The falling leaves, drift by my window, the falling leaves, of red and gold..." Ah, it was one of the first songs I learned on the piano...I bet my parents remember it!)

Garden Reading: The Curious Gardener's Almanac by Niall Edworthy

What a delight Niall Edworthy’s The Curious Gardener’s Almanac is! Recently released here in the USA, we can now benefit from and enjoy Mr. Edworthy’s inquiring mind. Because he is right, you see, we do want to know all these things! We just didn’t know where to find it, how to ask for it, or in some cases, that it even was a possibility.

(Image courtesy of Penguin Group USA. )

Here in one tidy volume are all the answers to those questions other books don’t answer. Tied together and arranged by seasons are tips for gardeners, lists of plants for certain situations (or even categories), relevant quotes, uncommon facts (with some amusing comments from the author), recipes, lists of all sorts of things and anything else you can imagine wanting to know relating to gardening.

Maybe you have the habit, as I do, of turning down the page when you read something you know you’ll want to remember or come back to. What I didn’t realize was that the entire book is a “page turn downer”! You can see in the picture that nearly every page is marked in my book (just so you’ll know you don’t have to do that!).

I love the feel of this book. It’s smaller and fits in my hand nicely. There’s a ribbon for marking your place and, here, have a look at how charming it is inside.

Although Mr. Edworthy resides in England, this wonderful volume will be of equal interest and use to all of us “across the pond”. Did you know (I didn’t) that “Daffodil bulbs can last up to eighty years” (page 119)? Or, that “Prince Charles, AKA the Duke of Cornwall, is paid one daffodil a year as rent for unattended lands on the Scilly Isles” (page 115)?

I was surprised to learn that “ten million Britons, one-sixth of the population, are said to be dedicated gardeners, while roughly 90 million Americans engage in some form of gardening” (Introduction…which you must read…page 11). Think of that!

There are so many marvelous quotes in the book; however, given that I have daffodils on my mind, I did especially enjoy the quote from Margaret Atwood, “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” (page 39). We gardeners, of course, know the bliss of working in our soil after waiting all winter.

You won’t want to miss “The five worst things about spring gardening” but you’ll have to read the book! As I mentioned, do read the introduction. It’s very funny and will give you such insight into Niall Edworthy as well as great appreciation for his efforts in bringing together all this information into one place. And, yes, there is an index.

You know how much I love my gardening books. I am so pleased to add this one to my collection and I know you will be also. We'll have great fun (when you get yours) entertaining others with all the things we've learned. Perhaps we'll make mint juleps (page 107)!

Many thanks to Penguin Books for such a delightful read!

Looking ahead to Spring 08

I can't imagine Spring without Daffodils, can you? This winter I'll go over the pictures from Spring 07 (maybe finally organize them) and anticipate the pictures to come. Because...there will be new Daffodils to enjoy!

Here's what I've acquired so far (maybe a couple more? We'll see...):


American Rainbow
Apricot Whirl
Blazing Star
Butter & Eggs
Cavalryman
Curly
Firetail
Gold Convention
Hot Gossip
Inverpolly
Killearnan
Love Potion
Mayan Dynasty
Modern Art
Notre Dame
Pacific Rim
Pink Morn
Pink Surprise
Red Devon
Silkwood
Sugar & Spice
Sunday Chimes
Toto
Watership Down
Wings of Freedom

Most, not all, of these I ordered in Spring, the best time to acquire Daffodils in my opinion, and so when they arrive now (in Fall), it is like getting a surprise package. I'll be updating my spreadsheet, adding these new arrivals...and reflecting on the performance I saw this past Spring. It will be time to note those (not in the majority, thankfully) that don't seem to perennialize.

This year, I was able to order a number of these through the Washington Daffodil Society. My neatly packaged order arrived this week (103007). These Daffodils have come from specialist growers (exciting!). Won't Spring be fun!

P.S. I thought about this, spring bulbs and all, after browsing over on Lisa at Millertime's blog...wait until you see what she's planting! (We will all be virtually visiting her next spring!) You have to scroll down and have a look at her journal!

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I'm very excited about a book review that should be up next! I think you'll like this book, too!

Mary Washington House Update

Okay, okay...I have not been the faithful correspondent I imagined I would be back in spring. But, you'll forgive me, right? I did get my hours but I didn't spend as much time in Mary's Garden this year as I would have liked. For those of you who might not know, the Mary Washington House is the home of George Washington's mother. I am part of a group of volunteers who work in Mary's garden. Here's a list of some of the previous posts on the MWH I've done.

Anyway, last post's fig reminded me that I had some pictures from early September to share. You'll see exactly what I mean in a minute.

It's always changing in the garden (like any garden) and I find things that I've seen over and over take on a new look. The crepe myrtle petals on the brick were just very striking that day.


Mary's vegetable garden (Isn't it lovely to look at?)


The zinnias were proudly waving and very eye-catching:


Sweet Autumn Clematis...note the posts in front:


Now you know....


Here's an upward view of figs at the Mary Washington House:


And, a not-so-great picture of a very tasty and sweet fig...yum!


Now you know why I want to wrap my tree this year (the one at the MWH doesn't have to be wrapped...)!

Bits and Pieces 102407

After whining about our lack of rain, it is with delight that I inform you that it is raining!! Yes! Right now, in fact. Picture a big smile on my face....

This past weekend, DH and I attended Lilyhemmer in PA. It probably deserves its own post, so I'll just say it was so fun!

The weekend before, I attended the RADS Banquet in Richmond where Jamie Gossard was the guest speaker. Can you say Daylilies, Daylilies, Daylilies?? More on this later, too...maybe with the Lilyhemmer one.

Amazingly, I have a daylily blooming. It's BUTTERED POPCORN and this has been a fabulous rebloom it has gifted me with this month. Not a fancy daylily by today's modern standards, but a workhorse plant.


The veggies are done. The last tomato plant, Sungold, is now gone along with all the peppers. I might still squeeze a final harvest of basil. We'll see (I do love pesto...more on that....one of these days...over at Gotta Eat).



The roses have been blooming and putting on a nice display...even with no water...


My South Carolina Tea Olive continues to pour out fragrant blooms:


Here's my fig tree...which is from a cutting off of the one at the Mary Washington House. This fruit won't have time to ripen, sadly....I am counting on my neighbor down the street to help me wrap this tree for winter. I've not done this in the past and it basically dies down and then has to start all over again. She wrapped hers last year and has been eating lots of figs. I'm eager to give it a try (the wrapping...and the eating!).



This is a bit of what's going on around here....