Fall is one of my favorite seasons and this year I wish more than ever that it would linger indefinitely. My borders are filled with color which has not always been strategically placed. It’s been spectacular nonetheless.
About the Harvest
Onions
I’m down to a few less than 200 cured onions. (Boy have I enjoyed onions this year!) I still have several dozen spring onions in the garden because of good planning. (There’s nothing like a spring onion for certain dishes.)
Radishes, Hakurei turnips, Lettuce, Spinach, Russian Kale, Borage, Parsley
I’ve used the last of the fall radishes and Hakurei turnips. The lettuce is great and growing. The 5th planting of spinach finally made it, but is still small and may not take off until spring. Finally, whatever was eating the fall planting of Russian Kale left for its winter home and I’m loving it! Borage is still green and growing, as is the parsley.
Tomatoes and Potatoes
In spite of growing a lot of new varieties that I didn’t like, I still have tomatoes to get through December or part of it. Still have some potatoes in the ground.
Peppers – The Garden’s Crowning Glory
But the crowning glory of the garden right now are the peppers. I’ve got 8 plants which didn’t go into the garden until the first week of June and some were as late as the end of June. But we’ve eaten at the very least 3 peppers at day since the first of August; those being a mix of green and red.
Now that conditions are perfect for maturing peppers, the red peppers light up the garden like small Christmas trees and we’re enjoying them every day. I figure we’ve harvested and eaten about 350 peppers. (About 20 ended up in the freezer for winter meals.) Happily I still have dozens left to enjoy!
Enjoying the Bloom
I have not walked the property to enjoy the bloom this year as much as I would have liked. This is mainly because of the problem with my legs. Sometimes it’s all I can do to focus on the task that needs to be accomplished. And of course, slow has been my middle name, so I run out of time before I even get to attempt the walk around the property to enjoy things.
Fortunately for me Bill loves the gardens and their bloom as much as I do and captures what he can with the camera as he walks around looking. I enjoy the pictures almost as much as the real thing and thought you would like to experience the year’s last Hurrah in my Gardens’ via Bill’s photos.
Our wish for you is that Fall will linger in your garden and that it will bring you a great sense of joy!
Warmly,
Theresa
Bloom in the Front Borders
These Mums greet visitors at our front door.
Close up of the pink mums above.
Close up of the yellow and salmon colored.
These mums, shown with sedum, are on the other side of the entrance.
My bees continue to work long into November.
What a nice surprise in November!
This is a section of my front border that faces the road. The gravel you see in the top right hand side of the picture is the parking area.
I call these my sunset mums for obvious reasons.
This yellow is just about my favorite mum and every year I extend its range to another section of the border. (Note the little bees.)
These are called spoon mums. Note the tips of the petals look like spoons.
This clump in the front border is right at the edge of the parking area where vehicles pull in.
I have a lot of these. Best of all I like how the buds are red and open into this shade of pink.
I enjoy these mums from the window of my office and when I’m working out back looking toward the front. The gravel at the top of the picture is the parking area on the other side of this border.
I just can’t get enough of these yellows. They have more visual carrying power than any mum I have.
More spoon mums. Shown with summer poinsetta.
Small Tree Border in Front
After 13 years I still don’t have this small tree bed as visually appealing as it can and should be. Nonetheless these mums make a beautiful bright spot when the sun sets each day in October and November.
Bloom in Fence Border in Front
I planted the seeds for these nasturtiums at the shady end of the fence border in early spring. Most of the time I can’t meet the conditions for successful nasturtiums, but I plant them anyway. These didn’t do much in the spring, but made it through the summer and look so nice now.
Fall blooming iris and mums in the fence border.
This large section of my favorite yellow mums puts on a great display for folks going by.
Chrysanthemum Pacificum is noted for its great foliage rather than its subtle bloom. It looks good in the Spring, Summer and Fall. It’s a must-have in my book.
Borders in Front of the Food Garden
These pink powder puff mums start blooming in June and somehow manage to always make a spectacular display in the fall as well. Lipstick vine — which can take over if you let it — winds through the mums giving a look I really like.
Bloom in Side Border – Middle of Property
My favorite yellow mums were first planted here and now I have them almost all over.
I just planted this new floribunda rose in the spring. I think it will be one of my favorites.
I love the mix of colors in this section. From here you are looking toward the road out front.
Food Garden
This little song sparrow watched Bill as he took pictures. He visits our garden everyday.
Nothing prettier or more delicious than red sweet peppers.
I planted borage in the spring and it matured and succumbed to summer heat. This is a volunteer from the summer. We’ve had several meals of baked greens from just this one plant. I’m going to have lots more next year.
This Sheepnose pepper plant is taller than I am. This shows two red peppers and several green ones.
I put parsley just about everywhere this year so that hopefully whatever eats it off at ground level wouldn’t find it all. I was successful and several plants are still going strong. Nothing takes the place of fresh parsley!
This pepper has really produced! It still has lots of peppers and if the weather cooperates I’ll get more red peppers.
I try to keep morning glories to a minimum because they are so aggressive. They always beat me in the fall, but they are so beautiful I really don’t mind.
Back Border Bloom
An old-fashioned rose. Blossoms mature quickly, but it smells wonderful.
One of the best mums I have. I think it is a Korean Mum.
Close up of blossoms after a misty rain.
Bill’s favorite Rose – Livin’ Easy.
I planted this pyracantha for the beauty of the berries, but the thorns are awful!
Couldn’t resist including another close up of the Korean Mums after a misty rain. Notice the mist on the petals.
A large spectacular red mum.
I hope you enjoyed November – the year’s Last Hurrah in my Gardens.
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Organic gardening is easy, effective, efficient and its a lot healthier.
Theresa,
Beautiful! I love that mist on the plants! Bill and you are a great team!
Peace
Gail
Gorgeous pictures! They are almost as good as seeing the flowers in real life. Tell Bill thanks for me.
Hi Gail and Diane,
Bill and I are really glad you enjoyed the pictures.
They allow us to share our gardens and to enjoy the bloom all year.
Thanks for letting us know you enjoyed them.
Beautiful. I’m going to try and remember to plant mums. I usually have the one on the front porch in the fall. I wish our season here in northern Illinois was longer. We have freeze warning tonight.
Thanks for the pictures.
don
Do plant mums Don! They’re one of the best garden plants. You will be amazed at how long they’ll last. If the freeze is a light one — they’ll keep right on. We have a freeze warning tomorrow night, but my mums have been blooming since the end of September.
Oh what beautiful pictures. Thanks Bill. Those mums are spectacular!
Frost got my peppers weeks ago unfortunately. I was wondering if you could pull pepper plants before frost and hang them where they wouldn’t freeze to allow the peppers to turn red.
Beppy – that’s a great idea. I have a friend who use to do that with tomatoes. Don’t know if it would work with peppers or not, but it would definitely be worth a try!
I wrapped my plants with row cover cloth. But since it’s going to freeze tonight, I’m going to pick them all. Red peppers have been truly wonderful!
Sure glad you enjoyed the pictures!
Wow! Beautiful pictures.
Thanks Bill & Theresa,
Betty
Glad you enjoyed them Betty!
Theresa