Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
What a Mess!
Luckily, I didn't have any damage to any of my trees or shrubs even the apricot, below, which was still holding a lot of its leaves.
Today is bright and sunny and a breezy 45 degrees (F) --- major meltage happening! Seriously, I don't want to see any more snow until December 21st. Let's keep snow a winter happening, eh?!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Dressed in Red
Who doesn't look great in red? This plant combo outside my office window is still going strong. Autumn Brilliance serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora), compact burning bush (Euonymus alatus compacta) and bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguinem) all strut their stuff for several weeks during the fall.
Geranium
My Northern red oak (Quercus rubra), on the other hand, never turns red, just a milk chocolate brown. It's losing its leaves today. All of them. This is one smart tree, as we are expecting heavy snows midweek.
Oak leaves
What color(s) is your garden wearing now?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
America's National Parks
Looking across the salt flats of Death Valley
In response to an invitation by fellow garden blogger Pam, at Digging, I’m going to write a bit about some of the National Parks I’ve visited over the years. As Pam noted in her introductory post (here), most gardeners share a love of the greater outdoors, not just their own little patch of dirt. There’s so much to learn from, and be inspired by, the vast expanses of natural landscapes featured in our parks. Each and every one of them has at least one OMG! vista that will live in your mind’s eye forever. They are truly a gift of our American heritage.
My First
One of my earliest childhood memories is of a rare family vacation that was not just a visit to “the relatives.” Our destination was
My Most Recent
Last December my husband and I took a long road trip over the Christmas holidays. Part of the plan was to spend a day in
My All Time Favorite
Gotta be Mesa Verde. I first visited this park when I was about ten years old. I loved reading historical fiction as a child. Stories of pioneers, cowboys and, particularly, Native Americans were my favorites. The idea that this remnant of an ancient civilization had been discovered just recently by working cowboys really captured my imagination. As I grew older, my interests in architecture, fine crafts, and plants! would also be enriched and expanded by visits to Mesa Verde. My roots are deep in the southwest;
Been Here, Too
Rocky Mountain - kind of a snooze for me, I see vistas like this all the time!
Great Sand Dunes - a fun, fun family spot.
Don’t Forget our National Monuments!
They are certainly smaller, but typically quirky and fun. Check out
Happy travels!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Snowy!
We awoke this morning to our first snow of the season. Snow in October isn’t that unusual, but sunny skies and mild temperatures are the norm. As you can see, my Autumn Brilliance serviceberry has barely had a chance to show off its brilliance!
I’m feeling a bit smug that I got my artichokes harvested before this weather hit. Unfortunately, they just weren’t very tasty. Even the smallest buds were very tough, and the leaves of the larger buds were pretty much “meatless.” My plant’s label did not include a variety name, but next year I’m going to search out one called ‘Emerald’ that is supposedly is frost and heat tolerant with few spines.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Frosty!
Plants closest to the house or paving were spared Jack's icy paintbrush, but those a bit further out in the garden got a nice, light whitewashing.
Snow will be here before we know it!