First Week of November in the Garden

St. Francis Garden from the south side, pink chrysanthemums and roses still in bloom as are the white sweet alyssum. There really hasn't been a hard frost yet. I really like the miscanthus "Morning Light" in this shot too.

Holly, fothergilla, sedum "Autumn Joy", and those geraniums are still blooming!

Cannas pulled and drying out in the sunroom. Will be stored in the basement, probably in some sphagnum moss.


Chrysanthemums still blooming.

Monday Nov. 2, a gorgeous warm sunny fall day for working in the garden. Here I am doing some fall cleanup, planting some crocus and minnow daffodils at the front of the border, and spreading some Mole Max to make it all unappetizing to those @#$% voles!

Oh yes, that electric leaf blower I bought last year was worth every penny! I can't believe I resisted getting one for so long.


Morning mist on November 3.


Yesterday's completed work.

Chrysanthemums

Last week of October. The weather has been more typical for this time of year. Temps in the fifties during the day and quite a few showers or rainy days.


Lucy's Mom's yellow chrysanthemums putting on quite a show. Fragrant too!!!


The pink single hardy chrysanthemums I bought in Hadley doing very well also. I have a feeling they are going to want to take over the St. Francis Garden next year!!



They smell delicious! I love fall in New England, even if it is sometimes dark and dreary.

Snow!

It feels more like November around here. This morning it is snowing. The flakes look nice with the sweet alyssum which is still blooming despite the frost and freeze we've already experienced here.

More flakes falling in front of the shed. It is too warm for the snow to stick but it was pretty.


I picked my "Bright Lights" swiss chard that I grew in the two containers. Here it is starting to cook in a small amount of water. I cooked it until it was almost done. Meanwhile in a small frying pan I sauteed about half a chopped small onion in a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil until golden brown and added almost an equal amount of dried zante currants to it and cooked a few more minutes. When the chard was almost done I added the onion+current mixture to it along with about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and cooked it all together for another ten minutes or so. Then I added sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. A yummy fall treat for a cold evening.

Swiss chard with onions and currants.

Freeze

Ice in the birdbath on the morning of Oct. 14, 2009 signals the end of the growing season here.


Leaves are turning and starting to fall.


Hardy garden mum from Randall's and a pumpkin from Atkins.


"The Peck" (far right) checks out a fallen leaf on a sunny fall day. Garden mum, potted hot red pepper, pumpkin and potted rosemary are also in picture.


Castor bean plant foreground with anemone in background.

Early Fall 2009

Notice anything? Yes, the last of the mulch pile is finally gone from the parking key as of Sept. 25, 2009.

Now mulch is behind the barn on a tarp. Still, some must be moved because Frank says it shouldn't be touching the barn. Oh well....


Picture of front yard taken Sept. 30, 2009. Leaves are starting to turn color and fall...


Back perennial border and shed. The big plant in foreground by railing is a variegated artemesia or wormwood. It all came from the original two inch pot I bought at Dickinsons in Granby two years ago. And it was on sale too. A bargain!


A gorgeous hardy garden mum in the foreground came from Randall's in Ludlow. The color starts out almost red as the buds open, then as the petals open there is also orange and yellow.


Container cilantro and basil doing well. These are ready to come into the sunroom in the event of frost.


Containers on lower deck. The petunias have finished blooming. The helichrysum petiolare is out of control! Wow! The ornamental grass looks pretty good too. I think it was called "Prince" and I got it at Andrew's. Now there is an ornamental purple cabbage in the same pot with it and it looks really good together. Persian Shield plant “Strobialanthus dyerianus” in container nearest camera did very well too after a slow start. I'd do these combos again except the heliotrope really got overpowered by the licorice plant. It smelled good though. Maybe it should have its own pot?



Swiss Chard "Bright Lights" and romaine in containers. All were starts from Andrew's Greenhouse.

Phlox and asters continue to bloom.

Castor bean, ornamental grass in background, anemone, butterfly weed, with Lucy's mother's yellow mums about to bloom in foreground.


Anemone in full bloom


Asian chicken and noodle salad prepared using my homegrown cilantro, thai basil, thai hot peppers, and romaine on Oct. 5, 2009.

Chopped chicken, cuke, onion, cilantro and basil, romaine, bean sprouts, and rice noodles (cooked according to pkg. directions then rinsed and drained). Any noodles can be used. Any combo of veggies can be used (napa, purple cabbage, spinach and red, green and yellow bell peppers are some suggestions) and chopped toasted cashews may be added.

Dressing:
juice of 1 lime
8 Tb. peanut oil
2 Tb. toasted sesame oil
6 Tb. light soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tb. fresh minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
2 hot peppers minced (use gloves!)

Whisk all together and pour a few spoonfuls over salad. Toss to combine. Any leftover sauce will keep a couple of days in the fridge.

Early September in the Garden

I've been working in my garden a lot since I retired. It feels really, really good to be able to do this.

I'm working all the time on this mulch pile. I'm spreading as much as I can before the snow flies. Whatever I can't spread will be moved to a tarp behind the barn and used on new beds next year.

Saint Francis Garden was weeded, enlarged, edged, and mulched during the first week of Sept.




The combination of plants in the St. Francis Garden is pleasing. The miscanthus, roses and lavender go well with the annuals blue ageratum, white sweet alyssum and the free pink portulaca I got from the French Hall Greenhouse.

"Rock Garden" near the parking key needed weeding bad!!! Next year (?) remove gravel, put down landscaping cloth, and replace gravel with interesting river rock perhaps. I like the Japanese garden effect of this.


Daylilies by the road weeded and mulched first week of Sept.

On Sept. 10 I finally planted that deliciously fragrant Muscadet lily that I bought at Surrey Gardens in Maine during the first weekend of Aug.!!! It is planted by the step that goes up to the deck.


Foxgloves started by Cheryl Howland were planted here, then the bed was weeded and mulched during the first week of Sept.

Back yard at 5 p.m. on Sept. 6


Fall asters (from Library Courtyard Garden divisions) and some garden phlox that the @#$%& voles couldn't kill!!! in front of the hot tub. I like the purple and pink colors together.

The anemone starting to bloom on Sept. 6. This plant is about 5' tall! Purple coneflowers in front and an ornamental grass behind.

Back perennial border on Sept. 6.

Mild jalapeno (I think) from Andrew's has finally set a fruit. Better late than never, I guess.


Hot peppers!!! One of my more successful crops this year.

A dwarf pomegranate bought in the spring at Hadley Garden Center. It is doing really well and has a ripening fruit that is about 1" in diameter. It will come inside for the winter.

New cilantro and basil starts planted in containers on Sept. 13.

"Bonsai" trees: a prostrate rosemary about to bloom again and two dwarf conifers from Andrew's Greenhouse that I've had for a few years now.


Back perennial border and step edged during first week of Sept.

Mulched on Sept. 13

Front of house edged on Sept. 10.

Mulched on Sept. 13

Note to self: This was taken at 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 15. There is no sun where the tomato boxes were placed. By this late in the summer this spot is in shade most of the day.

White Flower Farm

Luicinda's garden needs weeding and mulching. But a nice drive to White Flower Farm on Sunday Aug. 30th with Frank was a much needed diversion. It was a gorgeous day for a drive through the Litchfield Hills.

Late summer. Some ornamental cabbages and kale for sale.


Dahlias

The big perennial border in late summer....

I like the way these colors and shapes look together.


A row of planters on the low stone wall in semi-shade. Beautiful!