Fall Foliage

This fall, I have more trees, though still very young; shrubs that are beginning to fill out; grasses that have become masses and new beds and perennials all with changing foliage and interesting seed heads. Since it is the foliage and not the blooms that is now the star of Northeastern gardens, I thought I would attempt joining Pam at Digging for Foliage Follow Up! (Hopefully, I will stay organized enough to participate regularly in this monthly blog event.)

I like to journal (through blogging) my garden each fall. I enjoy looking back through the years to see how my garden has changed and grown. Here is my garden (forever in the making) this Fall of 2011.

In the Bird & Butterfly Garden you are seeing Evening Primrose Oenothera, Mints (still green), Miscanthus 'Morning Light', Panicum 'Dallas Blues,' perennial sunflower Helianthus Microcephalus, Joe Pye Weed, Forsythia 'Meadowlark.'

Garlic Chives in the Potager

Bluecrop Blueberry in the Potager

A new bed behind the garage workshop. The tree (facing to the left) I believe is an Amur Maple, not native and invasive so I cannot recommend it, but I cannot part with these trees. They were on my lot in Maine and two of them sprouted in a window box I brought with me – just look at this one now. I loved these trees in my Maine garden and keep them because they remind me of my home and garden there. Their fall foliage is always beautiful. Facing to the right, a Red Osier Dogwood.

Red Osier Dogwood

In the new Woodland Edge, much is happening. This Cardinal Dogwood's stems have turned and look rich before the Blue Spruce. In the foreground is the nearly purple foliage of Oakleaf Hydrangea 'Alice.'

Leaf of newly planted Red Maple (here, most of the Maples did not turn red this year)

Newly planted Pagoda Dogwood

Ligularia 'Desdemona'

Maidenhair Fern

Virginia Creeper

Leaves of young Tulip Tree in backyard

What's Growing

Let's see what's growing in the potager this month ...

 

Most of the lettuce mixes can be clipped. Mustard greens, too. I am so ready for fresh greens from the garden!

Rainbow swiss chard, one of my favorites.

Sunflowers reaching for the sun.

Something new this year, chinese cabbage and horseradish.

Garlic scapes!

I have been enjoying these sauteed over pasta and rice, and in eggs.

I also enjoyed my first rhubarb harvest.

 

I found a wonderful Heidi Swanson recipe for strawberry rhubarb crumble that incorporates toasted pine nuts. Truly delicious.

 

Basil seedlings. I planted a generous patch with high hopes for another big batch of pesto like last year.

Another new addition, broccoli rabe. The taller ones I started early indoors.

I have a huge wave of calendula that came up from last year. Into the salads they go!

Royal burgundy bush beans and soy beans. I can't wait to try fresh edamame.

 

Scarlet runner beans so short and already flowering. They are not climbing the trellis as I had hoped.

The brandywine tomatoes are beginning to flower.

My peppers are actually growing! These are hot – cayenne, jalepeno and red chile.

Cauliflower veronica.

Brussel sprouts.

Scallop, or patty pan squash.

Snap peas (planted in late March).

I think I will have a crop of blueberries from the Bluecrop blueberry bush!

In The Garden Today

I fully intended to offer you a project of the month today anticipating yet more rain and working inside my garden shed, but the day turned out to be beautiful! Sunshine and warmth ... the warmest day we have had so far, dare I say 80° F or more? So, of course, I dropped everything and headed outside to the garden but, oh so soggy! Not much to do when the ground squishes beneath your garden shoes and splashes mud on your feet and legs. So, I dragged up some potted plants who have suffered the winter in the cellar and are now enjoying the outdoors and, yes, more rain. Thunderstorms. How I love a good thunderstorm, so it is okay. But I had to share my daffodils, a drift of sunshine and warmth much like today.

Pine siskins also visited today and enjoyed the nyger seed – do you see them? They are on the hanging feeder. You'll have to trust my identification. I ordered mulch at our local nursery. Couldn't resist a low grow fragrant sumac and bluecrop blueberry. Out they sit in their pots in the garden waiting to be planted and enjoying the thunderstorms. How I love to listen to the rain at night. Peace to you.