THANKSGIVING DAY…..
No fine china or wine glasses that need hand washing.
First totally Vegetarian Thanksgiving .
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HOLIDAY WISHES
Dear Reader, I’m getting everything ready for Thanksgiving, With cats there is no possibility of setting the table beforehand. It’s always the final item on the ‘To Do List’.
I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday and you are able to share it with those you hold dear.
MAGIC OF THE GARDEN
Doing repetitive chores in the Potager sets my mind free…
to traveled back in time….
another season..
“When summer gathers up her robes of glory,
And like a dream of beauty glides away.”
-Sarah Helen Power Whitman
THE GOLDEN SEASON
The Golden Season is upon us. The quality of light has changed and there is more than a touch of nostalgia in the air.
The weather in Georgia is still fine; the daytime temps are mild with crisp early mornings and evenings.
While we cannot boast the colour changes of the northern states, there is still much to celebrate.
The early camellias are blooming……
and the salad garden is coming along….
Gardening may slow down a bit but it does not end. Still have to weed!
To see the name of the plants, hold your mouse over photos.
CUTTING HYDRANGEAS
If hydrangeas are wanted for indoor decoration, now is the time to harvest.
Make sure you cut ABOVE the new buds or there will be no flowers for next year.
This beautiful bouquet from VIGNETTE DESIGN.
PIERRE, THE FRENCH GARDENER
What a great productive day in the garden. Since I am officially on the injured / reserve list, and it is such a busy time in the garden, I called for professional help; Pierre the French Gardener.
Boxwoods needed to be transplanted from the center of the Cutting Garden…
to where they will have more impact right now.
I will replace them , but right now there is so much repair and replacement to do in this area that these plants won’t be missed.
Got rid of those ugly trellis structures…
and planted the garlic.
I have to say It was a pleasure to have capable hands (other than my own) tending the garden.
This a personal recommendation for which I have received no benefit. Pierre also writes a monthly newsletter at www.thefrenchgardener.net
THIS ‘N’ THAT
Due to an injury I have been unable to garden. I finally got to take a walk and snap some photos so here goes.. a bit of this ‘n’ that.
This scene makes me smile every time..the faded flowers on the hydrangea and the Camellia sasanqua ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ perfect partners.
Stewartia showing some of its famous exfoliating bark. This was the year to remove all the lower branches, it will look somewhat awkward for a few years…
Camellia sasanqua ‘Daydream’ I rescued this plant from the trash at a nursery. Margaret Moseley told me it was the only fragrant sasanqua in her garden…If Margaret was growing it ..I needed to have one too; but it was an old variety and no one carried it. One Autumn day, plant shopping in Alabama, I caught a sweet fragrance and went to investigate…there it was, a broken scraggly mess, lying in the trash heap… the treasure I was seeking! They gave it to me.
Beautiful colours on the lacecap hydrangea…
eggplants and peppers still going in the potager…
and the clematis that bloomed all summer & going strong still… Clematis ‘Odoriba’
Life is good.
LUNCH WITH LINDARAXA
I wish I were a better writer, because I just don’t know how to adequately describe the Luncheon I attended at the home of Julieta who writes the sensational blog LINDARAXA.
The beautiful Julieta
EVERYTHING was perfect!
from the Bellini cocktails…
luscious, silken pate, (the likes of which I had not tasted since I left Montreal),
Baked Brie topped with candied figs & toasted slivered almonds…to die for!
The table was beautifully appointed ….
Loved the natural decorations…
the Shrimp Newburg heating….
and presented… with puff pastry shells.
The wine…. liquid velvet!
REGGIE DARLING and JOSEPH THE BUTLER would approve!
There was also salad and later Cuban Coffee in elegant Demi Tasse and the fabulous Banana Cake and Banana Icing , but at this point I had abandoned the camera to enjoy the delightful company. Julieta’s warm hospitality and the lively conversation made it a memorable afternoon.
Julieta writes another blog MY KITCHEN BY THE LAKE.Her recipes are fabulous as is she!
STATUS SYMBOL (with photos!)
Last week, on her fabulous blog, TARA DILLARD posted this photo and declared the driveway a status symbol.
All the while I wanted mine a bit more refined, more details ,more manicured, more expensive…
Sometimes it is beneficial to look through the eyes of someone you trust and admire to realize what you already have.
Thank you girlfriend!
Status symbol
Last week Tara Dillard in her wonderful blog posted this photo and declared it a status symbol!!
All the time I wanted mine a bit more polished, more details more manicured, more expensive…
Sometime it is benificial to look through the eyes of someone you trust and admire to realize what you already have
PUNCTUATION POINTS
I love punctuation points. As a designer, I use them to break up large horizontal spaces, or to mark the transition from one garden room to another.
Above, four ‘Degroot’s Spire’ Arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis ‘Degroot’s Spire) mark the entrance to the Viburnum/Clematis Court from the Potager & Fruitery.
(Ilex crenata )’Sky Pencil’ announce the entrance to the Cutting Garden and it just followed that the interior beds be punctuated with the same. (good contrast with the rounded Boxwood that mark the other beds)
Unfortunately, one of the ‘Skypencils’ has died.
To replace it, the brick edging will have to be removed as well as part of the brick path. These plants are 9 years old with extensive root systems; locating another this size at a reasonable price is unlikely.
Cause of death ? Unknown. Initially spider-mites were suspected but then the other three plants would be affected since they are in such close proximity. Any thoughts out there?
NO FUSS PERENNIAL
I don’t fuss with perennials (anymore). To live in my garden they must look after themselves…
The Toad lily (Tricyrtis hirta) does , and blooms in the autumn…..
fabulous with the club moss (Selaginella kraussiana ‘Aurea’) below.
According to Allan Armitage (THE perennial expert) they got the common name ‘toad lily’ from the fact that members of the Tasaday Tribe in the Philippines, their native habitat, rub their hands with the juice of the flowers and foliage before going to capture frogs.
Thought you might like to know.
THE PRO OF PROCRASTINATION!
For various and sundry reasons I never looked into pea gravel for the Circle of Friends…and now my reward for procrastinating, is exactly what I wanted in the first place! Moss underfoot!
So there IS a pro in procrastination!
A soft quiet carpet……. so comforting.
BOXWOOD CUTTINGS
I was all set to plant out the little cuttings of Boxwood
directly into the Circle of Friends,
According to my reference book…
at this size I would have to plant them 6″ apart!…
then I read Monty Don…..
He transplants his Box cuttings into a nursery bed and grows them on for two or three years
To me, that makes sense, the plants are tiny.. I can baby them a bit longer, give them a better start, fatten them up and plant them 3′ apart.
All the while I will be adding organic matter to the ultimate location of the box babies. Layer following layer of shredded leaves and rabbit Manure, and more leaves & compost….and more leaves…. and….
SO NOT READY!!!
It’s really September and I am so not ready for the change of seasons. The Camellia sasanqua ‘Sparkling Burgundy’ is blooming….
and all the berries on the viburnums are full & beautiful…
Neglected area..or should I say areas I left to Mother Nature are actually lovely, nurturing many beneficial insects, Humming birds and other wildlife
…including deer. I’ve stopped chasing them away.. they love these hydrangeas!
Once again, The Season of The Mourning Bench………….
Recreating Eden Landscape Blog 