October Color

 

October in Michigan is a beautiful time of year with the leaves of the various trees turning into every variation of red, orange and yellow before falling and being added to the compost pile or turned into mulch. At least that is where my leaves go. Those leaves are too precious a resource for me to give them away.

 

The leaves of October are not the only color in my garden though. Some of my plants have been in bloom all season long like the above Calendula. The previous picture is of one of my mums just starting to give a display of color.

 

The butterfly bush started blooming in August and has been in bloom ever since. I just keep clipping back the dead blossoms and it keeps producing flowers.

 

 

I dig up the gladiola bulbs in fall and plant them in late spring. I am rewarded with gorgeous color  in late August and of course now.

This datura self seeds and comes back every year from seed. I never have to worry about planting it again.

 

Same goes for the borage, a true blue color for the garden, something that is not common and therefore desirable.

 

The marigolds did extremely well for me this year, starting to bloom back in June and continuing to bloom even now.

 

 

Yarrow blooms early in the season in my garden. This one lone flower is a new blossom after the plant was cut back quite awhile ago. A nice surprise of color for me. A hard frost may be coming soon, but I will continue to enjoy every bit of color for as long as I can.

 

Small White Gourds

Last summer I was fortunate enough to take a trip to the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa for their annual summer workshop. One of the activities was the exchange of seeds from members who brought seeds of all varieties. One type of seed I picked up while there were seeds for some small white gourds.

I planted them this past summer alongside my neighbor's fence. Only one plant was necessary to pretty much cover the fence and produce the gourds in this picture.

So, no, I probably won't have a pumpkin this Halloween, but I figure these gourds will provide all the decoration I need.

Blooms in Fall

 

 

It may be fall (or almost) but that does not mean the blooms have to stop in your garden. I planted these colchicums a few years ago and they have done nothing except spread their loveliness. These giant crocus-like blooms do not last for long, but while they last they are quite impressive. The leaves come up in the spring, then die back for the summer. Then, come September the blossoms appear like magic.

It is difficult to see the flamingo hiding in the asters at this time of year. The asters are just prolific and eye-catching. Set against the ornamental grass which is also in bloom they are a bright spot in my garden.

 

It is not all about the produce at this time of year, although setting the produce by is my main garden activity in September. Just so long as I have a few blossoms as well, I can stay on a cheery note. Need to stay cheery when the days are shorter and winter is just around the bend...

Chinese Red Noodle Beans

This year I planted an unusual bean seed (at least to me) called Chinese Red Noodle Beans. They are offered for sale from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and fortunately they finally germinated and are doing quite well in my September garden. Not only do they look cool on the plant, they taste very good. So I decided to blanch some so that I could freeze them to eat later in the winter.

They don't need much blanching and I expect they will taste just fine come January. Of course as long as the weather holds and no freezing comes for awhile I will be able to keep eating them fresh from the garden. Once the frost comes they will be through. As usual, September is a busy month for this gardener who has plenty of vegetables yet to be harvested. Happy eating!

Putting Food By

 

 

This year I decided to buy a small freezer to store in the garage so that I could save even more of the produce in my garden. Peppers, zucchini, broccoli, green beans and tomatoes are all being shredded, blanched or turned into sauce so that my garden will last all winter long.

 

Basil and garlic are the basic ingredients for the pesto that I will freeze and use in January when my palate gets lonesome for the taste of summer. The garden brings a taste of freshness all year long. Life is definitely good!

Canada in Bloom

 

 

Recently I was fortunate enough to take a trip with my sister and some friends to Montreal and Quebec City. What I love about Canada is that everywhere I went the flowers were just beautiful and the people there cared enough to keep them looking lovely, despite the hot summer we have had.

 

Here it is August and what I saw was beautifully maintained. Usually by this time of year my own garden is starting to look a bit rough around the edges. Not in Canada though. Everything looked lush and beautiful.

Whether the plants were on public property or privately owned, they looked wonderful. What a pleasure this trip was! Good company, wonderful friendly Canadians, and of course excellent food.

 

If you have never been there, I highly recommend both cities as a trip you will enjoy. So get packing!

Forellenschluss lettuce : Plant Profile

 

I bought these seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange this year and was quite pleased with this particular lettuce. There was no trouble with them sprouting (despite the lack of rain), they produced well, continued growing despite the heat and only just recently have the plants I didn't harvest gone to seed in the garden. This pot of Forellenschluss lettuce continues to go strong on the deck.

Forellenschluss lasts pretty well in the refrigerator and I expect to be eating it for awhile, even though this is August. What does this mean for the future? It means that I am going to try and save the seed and plant them next year. Any plant that has survived this summer in my garden is a keeper. A lettuce still alive in August, well that plant is not just a keeper, it's a winner.