Month: October 2008
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: Surrounded by Fall in the Malverns
What a gift to be surrounded by all the wonderful scenery that Patientgardener is! Over in Malverns, England (in Worchestershire) the chestnut and beech trees are showing their autumnal changes. You even get a peak at some sweetgum trees which are another of my favorites for fall color. (I can forgive them for the seed … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: A Garden Path of Fall Foliage
Take a Walk Down the Garden Path and visit some Pennsylvania fall color. Cindy’s pictures are an excellent example of lighting and color blended to make perfect pictures. The maples are turning and shedding their leaves creating a carpet of color. Fantastic images of fall are all around Pennsylvania!
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: An Autumn Acre and a Saturday Road Trip
Jump on over to Our Little Acre to see the fall colors! Not my acre, Kylee’s! She has viburnums, a gingko, sumacs, and many other plants that are showing some great fall foliage. The bald cypress and the beautyberry are two that I will have to add to our garden! Don’t forget to journey up … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: An English Fall and a Japanese Painting
Today I have two more Garden Blogger Fall Color Project posts to share with you! Take another trip overseas to Veg Plotting in Chippenham, England where VP has taken some great shots of the fall colors and pieced them together in a collage for us to see. Colorful smoke trees and Japanese maples are certainly … Read more
A Maple on Fire
The red maple (Acer rubrum) is one of the most beautiful trees for fall color. It leaves shone out in the fall like a bonfire beckoning all to admire. The red maple is such a great tree in the landscape. I tend to like trees that have at least three seasons of interest and maples … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: In the UK
Do you want to dig a little deeper into the science behind the magical fall colors we see each fall? Or maybe you just want to take a peak at the fall show of a Continus coggygria (Smoke Tree). Either way stop over and visit Joco in the UK at Joco Serious. Joco posted a … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project:
A sea of color is what awaits you at Tina’s blog (In the Garden). Tina is writing to us from the undersea world of foliage, with photographs of maples, redbuds, and sumac displaying their fall color. The pictures come to us from Maine, Indiana and Tina’s garden so there is a variety of pictures to … Read more
One Year in the Virtual Garden
On October 28, 2007 I wrote my first post. In the beginning it was like a newborn colt staggering up for the first time. Small posts eventually got larger and more in depth as the blog developed. I was never one who enjoyed writing in High School or College but strangely I started a blog … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: From the Midwest!
Here are two more great fall color posts for the Garden Blogger fall Color Project. These two posts come to us from the mid-west specifically Chicago, Illinois and Iowa. Mr. McGregor’s Daughter in Chicago, Illinois is observing some really fantastic fall color. The red oaks are competing with the maples for an extraordinary autumn show. … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: A Virgina View
Breaking News: Fall Color has reached Virginia! Racquel the Perennial Garden Lover has sited some fall color in her neighborhood. Photos of a red oak and the borrowed view of her neighbors’ trees herald the southward march of the fall colors. Go visit her photos and share the fall color experience in Virginia!
Sending Out an S.O.S.
“Sending out an S.O.S., a chipmunk in a bottle” Although not quite the words of Sting and The Police the alteration was definitely appropriate today. I was walking through the garage after having planted three small boxwoods and I heard a strange scratching sound. My first thought was that a lizard had gotten stuck in … Read more
Propagation Update: Echinacea, Red Twig Dogwood and ‘Dragon’s Blood’ Sedum
As our gardening season draws to a close I thought I’d update you on the progress of some cuttings and how they look now. First up is an echinacea that was a propagation experiment. I took basal stem cuttings (which come from the crown of the root) in the spring. Once it rooted I planted … Read more
GB Fall Color Project: The View in West Virginia
Kara in West Virginia, who blogs on the blog Garden Vines, posted a very nice shot of the West Virginia countryside in autumn. While we all know that fall colors can be hit or miss, Kara was able to capture a gorgeous view of the landscape despite the fall colors not being at their best. … Read more
Patio Tour Continued: Next to the House
Today I’m back to talking about the patio. I’ve been adding the finishing touches to the area just in time for cold weather! We’ll still be able to use it since cold weather in Tennessee tends to be tolerable weather. (I still use the grill even in the wintertime) Please ignore the overflowing trashcan in … Read more
The Evolution of the Birdbath Garden
Today I put the final touches on the birdbath garden for the 2008 gardening season. It’s come a long way since it’s inception last fall. In the beginning it was merely a birdbath with a couple plants next to it. A few irises, two coneflowers (‘Sunset’), and a butterfly bush made up the whole garden. … Read more
GB Fall Color Project: Cobblestone and Colors
Elizabeth over at Gardenrant, a well known writer and garden blogger, has posted some picturesque fall photos for the Garden Blogger Fall Color Project. What could epitomize fall more than cobblestone buildings and walls mixed with glorious maples in the rustic farmlands of Route 104 in New York. Farming implements and woodpiles appear in peaceful … Read more
A Garden Regular: The Tufted Titmouse
One of the reasons so many people enjoy gardening as a hobby is to attract wildlife. All sorts of wildlife can enjoy you gardening from the butterflies and bees to the deer, but few kinds of wildlife are easier to attract than the birds. One of our most frequent fliers is the tufted titmouse (Baeolophus … Read more
GB Fall Color Project: Ithaca, New York and the Mountains of Maine
Have you had enough of fall color yet? Not me! We have two more great examples of spectacular fall color from two more great bloggers. In Maine Sarah, a professional writer and blogger of Sarah Laurence Blog, takes us on a weekend hiking trip into the mountains of Maine. The photographs of fall colors in … Read more
The Damage that Deer Do
Imagine my anguish when the other day I walked around the yard and saw strips of bark peeled off the trees due to the damaging effects of the deer. These furry four-legged creatures are so majestic to watch and observe as they scamper through the fields. The problem is our yard isn’t a field! You … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project: The Maples of Maryland
I have always loved maples. When I was a kid I’d climb the maples at my grandfather’s house in Pennsylvania and watch them as they changed colors in the fall. The fall brilliance of a maple is something to be cherished and remembered. It is one of the greatest fall trees and Kim over in … Read more
My Apologies to the Sassafras Trees
Yesterday I commented on a post on Gardening Gone Wild written by Nan for the Garden Blogger Fall Color Project and said how some people consider the Sassafras to be a junk tree. Inadvertently I may have given the impression that I believe it is. The truth is that while it may not make my … Read more
GB Fall Color Project from Pennsylvania and New York
Here are two more updates for the Garden Blogger Fall Color Project! I want to take a second to thank everyone who has submitted a post so far. I’ve seen so many interesting places with fantastic colors and scenery that I never would have been able to see in one season! If you haven’t submitted … Read more
A Short Fall Garden To-Do List
There are probably a million things I could think of that need done around the yard and in our various gardens but here are a few that are bouncing around in my head at the moment. I’ve been distracted with the deer the last couple days and several things that need done haven’t been tackled … Read more
Garden Blogger Fall Color Project from Ontario
It’s time for another Fall Color Project Update! For those of you on Blotanical who haven’t seen The Home Garden for a while welcome back! The Feedburner issues with my blog have been resolved finally but unfortunately you’ve missed the announcement of my fall color project. To sum up the project I’m asking bloggers of … Read more
Dave vs. Deer: Deer 5, Dave 0
To say I’m furious tonight would be an understatement. The deer have struck again, and again this week, relentlessly. This week’s attacks have been the most brutal by far. I normally like the deer. It’s fun to see the fawns scamper through the backyard, or to watch the watchful mother and father deer looking after … Read more
Rooting Japanese Dappled Willow Cuttings (Salix integra) In Water
In the world of plants there are few that are easier to root than a willow. Whether you have a weeping willow, contorted willow, or dappled willow they all root very easily. Rooting a dappled willow is extremely simple and can be done in a glass or vase of water. Rooting a Willow Tree To … Read more
Colors From Vermont (GB Fall Color Project)
George in Vermont (The Vermont Gardener and Vermont Gardens) has posted some wonderful colors of the Vermont wilderness. Filled with maples, the hills appear to be on fire with the autumn foliage turning. With photos of places like Marshfield Pond and Osmore Pond you start to think thoughts of camping and sitting by a fireside … Read more
A Stepping Stone Pathway (Backyard Remodel Part 2)
With every project comes some challenges. The biggest challenge for our backyard remodel and patio project was what to do with the septic line area since one of the most important things to remember with any major project is to avoid the utilities as best as you can. Unfortunately in our case the builder of … Read more
Vegetable of the Month: Pumpkins of course!
I officially nominate the pumpkin for vegetable of the month! Do I hear a second? I realize that the selection of a pumpkin may be predictable but it’s such a seasonally appropriate vegetable for October. After all could you have even think of fall harvests and Halloween without pumpkins? Whether they are turned into pies … Read more
Even More Fall Color for the GBFCP!
Today we have three more submissions for the Garden Blogger Fall Color Project! Nancy in Canada, TC in Pennsylvania and Liisa in Vermont. Take a road north to visit the wonderful fall colors in Nova Scotia with Nancy of Soliloquy. Canada is where the fall colors start their colorful journey to the south and we … Read more
What’s Blooming in October?
It’s already time for another look at what’s blooming in my garden for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day. It’s mid-October and the trees are just beginning to turn but there are still plenty of blooms to see. And if you’re interested in showing off your fall foliage colors then please participate in the Garden Blogger Fall … Read more
The Backyard Remodel Tour Part 1
You may have noticed that the daily blogging has slowed down a little bit on weekends. It’s been for a very good reason: The Patio Project. My commenting on other blogs has suffered as well but everything should pick up once the final touches have been made on the backyard remodel. It’s become more than … Read more
The Garden Blogger Fall Color Project Update
Our second submission for the Garden Blogger Fall Color Project comes to us from Anna who put together a really neat slide show of her trip. Anna’s trip to the Shanendoah Valley in Virgina is full of great Autumn photos from the old grist mill along Silver Lake to the mountains of Virginia. She also … Read more
Signs of Fall
You can feel fall in the air here in Tennessee. It’s in the wind and the air. The temperatures are cooler, the nights are coming sooner, and the shadows are longer. Fall is here. The days still are warm, in the 80’s, but the nights are getting cold. My early mornings are not necessarily spent … Read more
A Photographic Moment: Morning Sun Peeking
A morning sun picture taken on Saturday October 4th, 2008.
In the Garden After the Rains
The rains finally came! I know gardeners everywhere in Tennessee were excited to get this latest blast of precipitation. The front moved through yesterday in the late morning and continued to sprinkle intermittent showers upon us but it wasn’t until the nighttime hours that the real rains washed away the dust of August and September. … Read more
Garden Questions of the Month: September 2008
I’m a little late on this post but here it is! What questions did people ask in September? Here’s a glimpse of what information some people were looking for and wound up here! How fast does Russian sage grow? Pretty fast! I put in two plants this spring from cuttings and they grew to full … Read more
Muhly Grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris)
I finally found some Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) to add to the garden. It’s been on my radar for a while and it was even more desired after seeing it in such impressive displays at Frances’ Garden! Yesterday I planted it in our Japanese maple garden next to the Miscanthus sinensis ‘Morning Light’ that I … Read more
The Garden Blogger Fall Color Project
Fall colors are certainly on their way. Here in Tennessee the trees are beginning the process but many people are worried that the colors will not be what they could be without the rain. Whatever the case we will be happy with whatever colors we do have and will enjoy watching all the colors around … Read more
October Tomatoes
We had another harvest of tomatoes this week! We’ve been loving the sheer volume of tomatoes this summer and are sadly lamenting the end of the harvest that will be coming soon. The weather is still warm enough for the tomatoes to produce and there will probably be another crop before the frosts but the … Read more
TGT: Saving Seeds and Cuttings
Saving seeds and cuttings in the fall is one additional way you can save a few bucks for the next gardening season. In the fall, plants produce their final batch of seeds and the thrifty gardener can take advantage of this! Seeds in general aren’t very expensive. You can find all sorts of mail order … Read more
Chrysanthemums and Asters, Staples of the Fall Garden
There are very few gardens in Middle Tennessee that go without Chrysanthemums (Mums for short) or Asters for fall colors. With such a variety of colors there is one that can fit in nearly any garden. Both asters and chrysanthemums belong to the same family, Asteraceae, along with many other popular plants. In our garden … Read more
The Japanese Maple Garden
And now here comes my favorite part of the patio project so far. No project feels quite as complete as when you finally plant something. OK I suppose that only holds true for gardening projects but it really is the exciting part! Welcome to the Japanese Maple Garden! It’s a small raised bed made from … Read more