Garden Note

Fall has set in and despite my relaxed timetable for gardening, I am actually closer to ready than I am most years. Must be the extended fall. There are very few plants left in pots and even less bulbs not yet in the ground. Today I planted hens & chicks with blue sedum (from the green pot) next to 'Big Daddy'. Unkown tulips are planted between the speedwell and liatris in the front garden. The sun stone, green pot and blue butterfly metal stake were brought into the house with the sand sun dish. The little girls metal summer pens are packed up and stored in the shop. The red sun pot and all of the plastic pots are in the shop as well. Snow was forecast for today but never arrived. I am really hopeful it will stay away another couple of days.

Shorter Days

The days are getting shorter but that just seems to have launched me into action. I have finally been getting the last of the bulbs and shrubs in. About half of the things going in for the winter are in and leaves are covering everything. One more day and Judy's garden should be finished and put to bed for the winter as well. Maggie is still suffering from her allergies and I am at a loss as to how to help her. Test after test and we still don't know what she is allergic to! Poor baby is what she is these days. She looks all beat up from scratching. Fall has definitely arrived and every day we go without snow now is bonus.

Coral Bells

For years, I have been back and forth on coral bells. Mostly because they look like this in my garden and they look stunning in Linda's garden. If I could grow coral bells that looked like Linda's, it would seem well worth the effort. Plus, they often winter-kill in my garden. I am sure they are one of those plants labelled for my zone - just barely. The kind of plant that makes you wonder if someone is snickering into their sleeve when they label them! Of course, everytime I think of giving up on them, I catch a scene like this. With the light coming through the leaf, this little thing is a fall stunner! Now if I could only get it to grow taller than 3 inches and have more than 3 leaves.

Fall Colours in the Yard

The yard is showing signs of fall everywhere. I came around the corner to find the sun hitting these willows seemingly to remind me that winter is coming. The boardwalk Dogwood is also turning and everywhere you look in the Valley there are reds, golds and oranges. 

Sunset

The time change must have confused me and midnight came and went! This was today's photograph though not quite what I had hoped. By the time I noticed, the light was really changing so I had to take it from the deck with the branches in the way. Sunset out the kitchen window... bright pink sky and the fields were all orange-gold. It was prettier than this but you get the idea.

Closing Up for the Season

Got the roof put on the Love Bus today and most of the black plastic pots organized. Aside from a few final fading blooms, Fall foliage is all that is left to look at. We have snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow. I hope not too much because I still have things to get into the shop for the winter like chairs and a wheelbarrow.

Days are getting shorter....

This is 6:30 p.m. today.

Judy's Rose Garden

We have finished moving Judy's roses and there is nothing left to do in her Rose Garden this season except to cover a couple of the more tender roses but that has to wait because it is still too warm to cover roses. There are also things to do that are best left until Spring so for now, they are moved and composted. Everything else will wait until next season.

Getting Ready for Winter

The box under Sol is full of books as well. Starting to haul in winter supplies and one of Judy's contributions to fight the boredom was books! Between you and her, I should be set for reading which is awesome :)

Lift in Fall is Lifted!

Easy record notes today... it's done! Whoo Hoo!! Everything lift in fall is inside. All that is left is a few Iris and Lily to get in and a couple things to move if I don't run out of time. Then, of course, general clean up and the garden is put to bed for the Winter.

More Fall Garden Record Notes

Another busy day in my garden. Fall chores seem endless but it was a beautiful day for gardening again and forecast is for a few more of those yet. Good thing too because despite getting a ton of work done today out there, I probably have twice as much to go before I can say the garden is put to bed for the winter.

Lifted Dahlia 'Parkland Glory', 'Ferncliff Cameo', 'Hy Cutter', 'Taratahi Ruby', 'Yvonne' and 'Wine & Roses'. My Spring map was good but not quite good enough. I have two Dahlia tubers of which, one is 'Taratahi Ruby' and one is 'Hy Cutter' but I don't know which is which. Good thing 'Hy Cutter' is white so it will go with anything and I will figure it out next year when they bloom.

Lifted Gladiolus 'Passos', Border Gladiolus, Calla 'Picasso' and all the Freesia. Potted up two more Geranium cuttings. Planted Speedwell from Judy which is different than the one I have here already. I put the Speedwell beside the two patches of German Purple Iris at the rock edge towards the Knautia. Planted Bouncing Bet in two spots: beside the Stargazer Lily in the Bird Sanctuary (to the house side) and right off the front deck beside the trellis where the Euphorbia was planted this year. Planted Monkshood beside (lawn side), the Knautia that went in the Bird Sanctuary. Moved the 'Angelique' Tulips marked in Summer to two places: in front of the furthest Delphinium in the Front House Garden and immediately right of the sidewalk where the bushline was taken down. Dark came too soon today. I was on a roll.

Garden Record Notes

It would seem that between my notebook, my maps and my blog journals, I have once again lost complete track of my garden. No time to figure it out now though. Still things to lift and plant. Was a busy day in my garden despite the cool weather and wind today. I planted the Knautia 'Mars Midget' in the Bird Sanctuary at the start of the rock edge behind the chiminea. Planted another patch of German Purple Iris beside the first that went in that same garden next to the new 'Henry Hudson' Rose. Planted the last patch of German Purple Iris left to go in at the Saxifraga 'Purple Robe' in the Sun Gardens. Put four of the Geranium cuttings into pots to root. Lifted 'Kari Fruit Salad', 'Babylon Purple', 'Baron Katie' (all dahlia), the yellow Calla 'Flame' and several of the Calla 'Crystal Blush'. I would have got them all but it appears I have lost track of a couple for the moment. Time to read my notebook. Planted my new Explorer Shrub Rose 'J.P. Connell' which is a yellow climber from Judy, in the Bird Sanctuary top level towards the house from the yellow/purple Columbine. It needs something to climb. I need to remember that.

Aster Blooming

The Aster is blooming at Judy's today. They are really pretty. I have to get the divisions she gave me into the ground tomorrow. I also got some Bouncing Bet she was going to compost for the new front garden that will need to go in tomorrow as well. There were Clematis blooming in her sideyard, Sweet Pea on the back fence and Geranium everywhere! She has a lot more blooming that I have out here. More about that on intwogardens.com later tonight.

Everything Darkens in Fall

The Dropmore and Catmint are still blooming. Along with Sweet Pea in the front, Hope for Humanity Rose and Viola, of course. I have noticed from these that everything seems to get darker and deeper in colour in the Fall. Must be the cold. I managed to get a lot done yesterday... planted 'Dragon's Blood' sedum inside the little hole in the cement block with the 'Kabitan' Hosta in it, planted half of the German Purple Iris from Judy in the front towards the house from the 'Henry Hudson' Rose, separated the Geranium cuttings and hope to get them in soil tonight. I also lifted the 'Gerrie Hoek' Dahlia which has probably tripled in number from what I planted originally. Then general clean up like moving branches to the firepit and other maintenance things that are not very exciting. Today was a different story because I had to go into town and give Judy a hand with errands. It is supposed to get warmer again though and be +20 by Thursday so it looks like I might be able to get another weekend to garden this Fall. Good thing too because just over half of what I have to lift is still in the ground or pots!

Nerine Opening

My Nerine Bowdenii is opening and there are two!

Sunday, Fun Day

Today was an awesome day. The weather was beautiful as we seem to be getting our long awaited Summer this Fall. Better than +30 today but I wasn't keeping track so I don't know how much better. We went into the city for my Dad's Birthday Bash. A good time was had by all and I got great photos of smiling faces. Then we popped over to Gordon's and took photo's of Herb for him. Sean was there so we visited for a bit before heading home. I did manage to get the Henry Hudson Rose cutting in the ground, watered and mulched so now it is just cross my fingers until Spring on that one. Still drying Dahlia, Calla, Begonia and Ranunculus. Still more to dig. If we have many more days like this, it will be no problem. It has been absolutely perfect gardening weather for more than a week now. I am lovin' it!

Fall Work Begins

Well, I finally got started in my garden today with the Fall work. I got about half of the dahlia in pots lifted as well as the 'Raeann's Torch', 'Hot Lips', 'Ferncliff Fuego' and all of the gladiolus in the front garden and bird sanctuary. I planted the Lamb's Ears in Benedict's upper level where the Coleus 'Coco Loco' was pulled out. I also pulled out the Diascia that was with the Japanese Painted Fern and covered both Benedict's upper level and the Painted Fern with leaves. I started covering the lower level boardwalk garden with leaves as well and when it gets a little colder, I will put mulch bags on the Painted Fern and on the Boardwalk lower level Coral Bells.Tomorrow we have a brunch in town for my Dad's birthday which is the same as Sean's birthday so it will be a dual celebration. Sean is working all weekend so it will be our only chance to get together with him.

Pushing the Deadline

See, this is exactly what happens to me. I give myself a Wednesday deadline and by Tuesday at bedtime, I have not even started and I have to go into the City tomorrow. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Guess I'll have to push that self imposed deadline back. Watch, I will be digging in snow again, trying to save something I forgot because it all came down to a rush!

Garden Schedule Reminder

By Wednesday, all my lift in Fall tubers and bulbs need to be lifted. Not that I need a reminder but at this time of year, I tend to try hard to deny Winter is coming and have been caught digging in the snow in a previous Fall or two. This is to keep reminding me that there is a deadline that is not mine to set. I need to dig potatoes as well. Today was beautiful. +26, sunny and hard to imagine snow.