Fall means, among other things the return of the mountains from my office window. The trees that have grown up through the years, in summer obscure those beautiful blue ridges, but now have lost their leaf power and with it the ability to hide my view. OK so good and bad things happen with the demise of another year of gardening. I love this window outlook, it includes a view of 'Old Rag' a local landmark. I have painted this same scene on our stairway leading up to this very same view. No one would notice this but me which makes me smile. George has started cleaning up our garden, it's a nice time of year with mellow days and cool nights. I am listening to Danny Wright on Pandora as I write this and life seems perfect. We are looking forward to lots of garden projects with anticipation. Not everything will get done but enough to make the place look good when spring rolls around again Our plant and seed catalogs have appeared from hiding places where we squirreled them away, it's time to plan spring 2012. Of course it's also time to plan what we will have for Thanksgiving, the paradox of gardening. Plans must be laid in the season of dormancy in order to bring forth new life in the spring. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Better than Christmas (although the parties are nice) is figuring out what to try. Notice I said try, not everything works even some tried and true seed may fail to germinate this year, it happens. I would like to have more varieties of Anise Hyssop. Bees and butterflies love them, they have a long bloom time and deer leave them alone, sweet. This year we will have, Golden Jubilee with it's stunning yellow foliage and blue flowers, rupestris with root beer scented leaves and rose orange flowers, Bolero has rose purple blooms with bronze aromatic leaves and a few more. Foxgloves, one of my favorites just because they are beautiful, how many can I talk George into this year. Maybe Apricot, and Snow Thimble (white), lutea (yellow straw foxglove), Rusty Foxglove which is yellow with brown-red spots, Strawberry Foxglove (guess what color) and I bet I can talk him into more. I can really get him going on the odd stuff that will work in our area. I have a while until spring after all.
Fall means, among other things the return of the mountains from my office window. The trees that have grown up through the years, in summer obscure those beautiful blue ridges, but now have lost their leaf power and with it the ability to hide my view. OK so good and bad things happen with the demise of another year of gardening. I love this window outlook, it includes a view of 'Old Rag' a local landmark. I have painted this same scene on our stairway leading up to this very same view. No one would notice this but me which makes me smile. George has started cleaning up our garden, it's a nice time of year with mellow days and cool nights. I am listening to Danny Wright on Pandora as I write this and life seems perfect. We are looking forward to lots of garden projects with anticipation. Not everything will get done but enough to make the place look good when spring rolls around again Our plant and seed catalogs have appeared from hiding places where we squirreled them away, it's time to plan spring 2012. Of course it's also time to plan what we will have for Thanksgiving, the paradox of gardening. Plans must be laid in the season of dormancy in order to bring forth new life in the spring. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Better than Christmas (although the parties are nice) is figuring out what to try. Notice I said try, not everything works even some tried and true seed may fail to germinate this year, it happens. I would like to have more varieties of Anise Hyssop. Bees and butterflies love them, they have a long bloom time and deer leave them alone, sweet. This year we will have, Golden Jubilee with it's stunning yellow foliage and blue flowers, rupestris with root beer scented leaves and rose orange flowers, Bolero has rose purple blooms with bronze aromatic leaves and a few more. Foxgloves, one of my favorites just because they are beautiful, how many can I talk George into this year. Maybe Apricot, and Snow Thimble (white), lutea (yellow straw foxglove), Rusty Foxglove which is yellow with brown-red spots, Strawberry Foxglove (guess what color) and I bet I can talk him into more. I can really get him going on the odd stuff that will work in our area. I have a while until spring after all.