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I just love it! The air is cooling off - no longer highs near 100, the highs are closer to 90 now. The leaves are beginning just to turn and some are falling. The cooler nights and days have lead to slower growth of grass and weeds, so the routine maintenance has slowed down a bit. I have started doing some fall clean-up projects. I pulled out the summer veggie plants - that, I might add really were a total disappointment. Perhaps I will have better luck with my fall garden. i will put seeds out for that in the next couple of weeks. I am also starting to clean up spent perennials and foliage, as well as keeping up with the watering. In the next week or so, I plan to go purchase some ammendments to begin top-dressing the beds. Here are some pictures of fall, etc...around my garden:
Before we know it, we will all be picking pumpkins and planting mums!
It has been extremely hot here, just like everywhere over the past month. We did have a nice rain last night that cooled things off a bit today. So, I decided to get out in the garden and take some photos of the early signs of fall in the mid-August garden.
We begin our tour with a view of the front as you come up the walk:
As you walk around you will see to your left, the bed with some nice fall color:
Then to your right you will find the Red Bud with all of its seedpods:
Mo
st people find these to be a nuisance - and they really can be when they sprout all their babies, but they do provide a nice contrast of colors for the early fall garden:
Then
we walk around to the back to see some more early fall showers:
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The
n we head back to the veggie garden where we are finally starting to get some ripe heirlooms!
Also some nice color in the veggie beds with the purple basil and the new marigolds:
T
he creek greets us behind the veggie beds, where we can see lots of weeds, but some very happy elephant ears:
Then we curve back around to make our way back inside and spot some petasites that doesn't seem to mind the heat:
As well as some nice fall color with the japanese blood grass:
I make my way back to the house to find all three dogs wondering if it is time to go back inside where there is no humidity!
We
head back in for a little blogging break - now, back out there to mow the lawn :)
Happy gardening weekend everyone!
-soapHOUSE
Successes:
Hydrangeas: I have been adding to, transplanting and babying my collection of hydrangeas over the past couple of years and this year I really started to see their potential and envision what they will be given a few more years.
Cast Iron Plants: Same as above, except I tried something a
bit different and watered the tar out of them this season so that I hopefully
wouldn’t have to watch their tips brown like they always do – it worked! They
are still lush and green and make me smile. All the extra water prompted a
mystery canna to spring up out of the ground near one of these – so weird…I will
move him to a sunny spot in the fall.
Caladiums: Tried growing these from discounted bulbs and they have worked beautifully – I suppose I will go to the trouble of digging them this winter and try putting them back out next spring…
Here is a shot, from a distance, of the bed where the above mentioned plants are:
Mountain Oats Grass, Salvia, Sedums and new Butterfly Bush are all filling in nicely and making my sun bed lush:
The lawn in the front: Only my check book can take credit for this one, but I am so happy to have a nice fluffy lawn – the brown spot is where we are still waiting for the Bermuda to fill in. The guy that comes and fertilizes it does a great job!
Ichiban Eggplants: They are a proven winner for us. We love them and they are always reliable. May try to grow the striped variety from seed next year – they are just so pretty.
White Eggplant: LOVE these, wish I had planted more than one plant.
Yellow Crook-neck Squash: Finally grew squash successfully and we have really enjoyed it!
Cucumbers: My first year growing them – hubby hates them. BUT, guess what – he likes them now!
Bush Beans: So easy and fun.
Edamame: Even easier than bush beans – want more of these next year.
Marigolds: Put in a new double variety from seed this year
and they are so pretty – they almost look like carnations. I am wondering if
they will self seed like my single variety…
Failures:
Blue Cypress: The two that went on either side of the drive totally bit the dust – It was a rapid death at that! I think for 2 reasons – that area gets full sun ALL day long, with no shadows and I planted them about one week later than I really should have – but hey – they were on sale!
Weeping Pussy Willow: We moved him a bit late in the season and the prognosis is not good – but I will wait until spring to officially declare his death.
Fern Spray Cypress: Suffered quite a bit of brown out and I
finally couldn’t’ stand to look at it any more, so I pulled it out. Plus, I got
him for free, so not too big of a deal – I will try again next season.
Tomatoes: Well, between the Chihuahua, the squirrels and the fact that I only planted heirlooms – we have yet to have a ripe tomato! ARG! I suppose I can’t say for sure that they are failures and I am sure I will be jumping for joy when I am eating garden fresh tomatoes on Thanksgiving! BUT, I want some now :( So, next year I will be planting some hybrids as well.
Jalapeno Peppers: I think I just didn’t give them enough room this year and they got crowded out by one of the aforementioned tomatoes….
Artichokes: Maybe b/c we had such a hard winter, they never came back this year – I will try again.
Yet to be determined:
My late plantings of white patty pan squash, zinnias and purple pole beans. They are all looking good, but I have yet to see if they will produce anything in time.
Other things I have learned this season:
And my aspirations for fall:
Speaking of fall veggies, maybe I should pull out some of those “failures” and replace with something new and more hopeful! Stay cool everyone!
-soaphouse
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