Winter Blooms

Yes, that's right.  I still have flowers blooming!  For those of you who would doubt the claim, I have photographic proof.  I snapped these shots about 20 minutes ago.  It's unseasonably warm (60 in the sun) here.  You won't catch me complaining!

These petunias were the deal of the century.  Lowe's had them marked down to 25 cents per basket!  I was willing to pay up to a dollar a piece, seeing as how it was the weekend before Thanksgiving, so imagine my surprise when they were a fourth of the cost!  I'm sure people thought I was a loon, buying plants so late in the season, but there was no forecast of frost that week, and I wanted to gussy up the porch for my house guests that would be arriving Thanksgiving Day.  We had fantastic weather on turkey day and everyone got to go outside and get a glimpse of these pretty flowers up close.  I think we had a frost this week, but they must have gotten protection from the house.  I'll take the blooms as long as I can get them!

I got these pansies from Lowe's just a markdown away from their final clearance.  I paid $3.00 for a gallon container of red and yellow, which I split between two large pots on my front porch.  And I paid $3.00 for a flat of "vining" two-tone purple pansies.  I feel a little taken though, because when I went back right before Thanksgiving, they were all down to 10 cents per pot and 25 cents a flat.

I can't resist a good deal.  Since I didn't need any, I picked up a flat for my mom.  I don't know if she's put them in or not, but if she did, she's guaranteed a winter's worth of good color and then another flush in spring.

The pansies I put by the street in September are still going great guns.  I've been so pleased with them that I have decided they'll be part of my annual fall planting.

Around the Yard in October

The mint lives!  After a long, hot, dry summer, I was sure it was a goner.  But here are the green sprigs to prove it pushes on, and that you really can't kill mint.

The Superbells have come back to life with cooler temperatures.  The foliage was green all summer, but the blooms were far and few in between.  I don't think this plant is partial to humidity.  To convert this planter into a fall arrangement, I transplanted the knockout rose and added a mum, and a pumpkin Tyler picked out at the Home Depot.

Oakleaf hydrangeas are gorgeous in fall.  All of the leaves turn a lovely shade of red.  I am still hunting for a good location to put another one... or two.

Toad lilies are a wonderful surprise in fall.  You definitely forget about them until they bloom, since the foliage is very plain.  It actually looks like a weed that grows around here.  The blooms are about the size of a quarter.  I got 6 plants by mail order in Spring and the blooms on two plants are actually two different colors.  This one is white with purple spots, but the other one is purple with dark purple spots.  Interesting.  The established Toad Lilies I've had for years completely dried up in the summer.

This photo doesn't do these mums justice.  They are intensely bright yellow.  They were here when we moved in, and I've never had the heart to tear them out, even though they are in a good location that I could plant several other things.  I guess it's worth the wait at the end of the season.

This photo is a little blurry, but at least you can see the color.  The wind was blowing pretty strong this evening and it was hard to capture anything.  This is one of many small oak trees that have turned bright red around the perimeter of our yard.  It's odd because all of the mature oak tree leaves go straight to brown and look crusty all winter.  I wonder if this is a different variety.

Don't worry, this isn't poison ivy!  It's either skunk brush or gooseberries.  I can't remember.  All I know is that it grows wild here, and turns a wonderful brilliant red-orange in fall.  There is a hedge of these bushes behind one of my flowerbeds that sits against the woods.  Lovely.

I couldn't help myself.  My favorite nursery was selling these gorgeous pansies for a good price, so I got a flat and put them in the new garden I've been working on since mid-summer.  There's not much else in there yet, so these have added some good color for the past month.  They will bloom in the snow, too, so I think this was well worth the money.

Check out this lovely clematis flower that has sort of mutated.  It's very odd and beautiful at the same time.  If you look closely, you can see the petals are green and pink.  I've never seen it bloom this late before.  There were four blossoms like this on the vine.

What I've Added this Fall

Finally!  My order from a wholesaler arrived a week ago, and I just got a chance to put the plants in the ground yesterday.  I got 20 bearded iris.  5 Immortality (white), 5 orange harvest, and 10 variegated (foliage, not the flower -- flowers are purple).  The white and orange iris are short, and rebloom.  I'm looking forward to having flowers in both the spring and fall, especially since I don't have much blooming right now.

In the past month, I've also planted 3 catmint, 3 variegated Jacob's Ladder, a blueberry bush, a hot pink dwarf phlox, and a white daisy.

I've also been busy rearranging the plantings.  I moved two peonies, and gave one to a friend.  I also transplanted a double pink knockout rose from a container by my porch to a bed in the back, where I hope it will get enough sun.  That's always a challenge living on a wooded lot.

Of course, all of this work leads me to thinking about what else I can squeeze into an existing bed, or where I might install a new one.  I spend a few minutes each evening pacing the yard, checking things out.  I have a lot of ideas that will have to simmer over the winter!

The Monarchs are Migrating

Sitting in a meeting this morning, I was completely distracted from the topic of discussion by the view from the conference room.  We were on the fourth floor of a new building on my campus, surrounded by two sides of floor to ceiling glass, overlooking Maryland Heights.

As I was gazing out the window, I saw a Monarch butterfly slowly float past the window.  It swooped up and down, catching a little breeze as it went.  It steered around the corner of the building and flitted away until I could no longer see it.

I saw a second Monarch about 20 minutes later.  I had to stop and think for a moment.  Could it be the same butterfly?  It took exactly the same path as the first one.  Was it just flying around the building in circles?  Surely not.  They must be migrating south for the winter, and this building was in their path.  Every 20 minutes or so, I proceeded to see a butterfly flutter past the windows.  It was such a great sight.

What does this have to do with gardening?  Well, if you want to attract some Monarchs to your yard, you need to plant the right "host" and nectar plants.  Milkweed is the food of choice.  Any variety will do.  When you're at the nursery, look on plant tags for the word "Asclepias" in the plant's name.

My favorite milkweed is "Asclepias Tuberosa", native to Missouri.  Flat, bright orange flower heads cover 1-2 foot stems in late summer.  They're hard to find in nurseries because they're hard to grow (I assume).  But you can order them online.  Once you plant them, and they get established, don't think about moving them.  They have a deep taproot system that is not easily transplanted.

Ah, those very smart butterflies. While we will be battling snow, ice storms, and bitter cold temperatures in single-digits, they will be basking in the Mexican sun.  There is always something to learn from nature.

The Summer Roundup

Let me just say this was one HOT summer, and it went quick!  How can we be in the middle of September already?  The temperatures literally went down 35 degrees, and have stayed there for the most part.

The end of summer means clean-up time in the garden.  My task list includes cutting back dead foliage and pulling out dead plants, trimming up shrubs, weeding, and tearing out the veggie patch.  I also like to plant a few perennials, since this is the best time of the year to plant.  And don't forget popping in some annuals here and there.  I haven't yet purchased mums for my front porch, but I probably will give in to temptation and do that in the next week or two.

The tomato plants had about 30 green tomatoes left on them, all about the size of a golf ball.  Their ripening has almost come to a halt, so I tore out the plants and picked the tomatoes.  They are sitting in my kitchen so they can try to ripen up.  My volunteer tomato plant was a bear to tear out.  I wrangled with that thing for 10 minutes and finally got my arms around it well enough to drag it into the woods.  There was enough foliage there to create a home for a few rabbits, and let me tell you -- it was the greenest, healthiest foliage in my garden.  It hurt my heart to tear it out.  But I know the first frost is coming and I needed to get it done.  The amount of foliage on the one volunteer tomato was equal to the amount of foliage I pulled out for the 10 purposefully planted tomatoes.

Today, I planted some pansies.  My favorite nursery is selling them for $14.99 a flat.  I picked out three pairs of 6-packs -- pale yellow, orange, and a ruffled lavender.  Lovely.  It took me about 10 minutes to decide on the colors I wanted since they had all of them to choose from.  I planted half of them in my new bed by the street.  I suppose I owe everyone a mug shot of the new garden, now that it's all prettied up with mulch.  I will put that on my to-do list for the next post.

I'm going to plant the other half of the flat in my neighbor's yard.  She was diagnosed with Cancer last year, and her chemotherapy routine doesn't allow her to dig in the soil.  Every year she plants pansies, and I know she'll miss them if they're not there.  It's a small thing, but I know she will love seeing those colors going until Spring next year.

Obnoxious Morning Glories

Don't get me wrong.  I don't hate Morning Glories, but I'm far from loving them.  When they get established, it's with a vengeance.

We moved in six years ago in late Winter, and there were a few tell tale signs that Morning Glory vines had been up the front porch, and strangled a few of the shrubs on the side of the house.  I didn't think much of it.  I thought they were annuals.  I cleared away the dead debris and looked forward to having a clean, blank canvas to work with.  Wow, was I wrong.

We have lived in this house for over 6 years and they continue to come up every year!  How many seeds to these things produce?  Not only do they continue to come up, but they sprout at different times.  For the past few weeks, I've been pulling up seedlings in the same location.  You'd think they'd all sprout at once, I'd get them all, and we'd be done.  But no.

Let this serve as a warning for those of you who can't resist those powdery blue blooms on the side of the seed packet.  You're planting for life.

Dreaming of a Garden Shed

After buying our house 6 years ago, I've been patiently waiting in the never ending line of home improvement projects to get a new garden shed.  This project keeps getting pushed back for more pressing items, such as the night it was pouring rain and I could hear water dripping in our basement from the main level!  Did I mention we bought a fixer?

We don't have any projects right now, so it's the perfect opportunity to make a case to my handyman extraordinare.  I've downloaded photos, looked at plans, and even considered the possibility of purchasing and customizing a prefab shed.

What makes this project sort of desperate is two factors -- 1) The shed is falling down; and 2) It's a graveyard for motorcycles and other assorted items, leaving no room for me to access my gardening items.  I don't know if I can resolve #2, but here's to hoping.

Let's talk about features.  You should always know what you're going to use a space like this for, so you can do the best planning for it.  I need to store tools and a wheelbarrow, and need a bench for potting up plants.  I'll also store potting mixes and pots in there.  And someday I hope to convince Eric to let me buy chickens, so I'll need an annex on the back for a roost.  The shed will also have to be positioned in an area where I can attach a run for the chickens to be in during the day.

It's hard to see because of all the plantings around it, but I love the rustic charm of this design.  It looks like a small cabin.  I love the star hanging on the side, and the cedar shakes are great as well.

The double doors are very practical.  I like the transom windows and door hinge style.  I'd go without the window boxes though.

This one is a little fancy for my needs, but I like the detailed trim and the roofline.  Colors are nice too.  I could imagine this in pale yellow with white trim, to match our house.

This one has a nice little covered area for storing firewood... and maybe some old motorcycles.  I like the color and simple design.  It would be easy to embellish the side roofline with a star, like in the first photo.  I might trim the windows in a different color though.