A Late September Tour of My Garden

Some friends came over recently for a tour of the garden. Panic! Summer is over, and fall is not quite here. What's to see in the garden? Other than weeds? But there is always something to enjoy. So here is a quick tour of some parts of the garden for those who can't see it in person.

Near the patio the old doghouse is smothered on one side by wild ageratum. Before it bloomed, Lou wanted to pull this weed, but I told him to leave it. A few sprigs of Red Cascade rose combine with the wildflowers and the bright colors of the doghouse.

From the other side of the patio, here is a view of the front garden. Notice the Red Banana plant, back from the dead!

Aren't these red banana leaves gorgeous?

Lets walk down the steps and peek at the Lady Garden. I have done a lot of work here this year, and there is still much to do: the joy of gardening!

I love the variegated ficus shown above, which grows in a pot in the Lady Garden. It is not hardy, and I will have to bring it in by December. I will also have to bring in the terra cotta lady head pot, shown below. This pot is what gives this part of my garden its name. The terra cotta can not take the freezing and thawing that accompanies winter. Notice I have put out my first pumpkins, in celebration of fall.

Leaving the Lady Garden, an oakleaf hydrangea catches our attention. These grow wild all over the place. This one already has amazing fall colors.

Walking up the road we look over the woodland garden. I won't take you in there today, but here are a couple of views you can see from the road.A trident maple on the left and the spreading branches of 'Orido Nishiki' Japanese maple complement the mondo grass that grows as a ground cover below them.From the road you can get an overview of the entry to the woodland garden.

In front of the house, by the parking court, silvery 'Powis Castle' artemesia, bright spider lilies, and Autumn sage combine to offer a colorful greeting to guests.

Finally, here are some more blooms we see on our tour.Top row: a couple of colorful fall mums. 2nd row: 'Penelope' rose and purple Heliotrope, which has been blooming all summer in the front planter. Third row: Both of these blooms are on the same shrub - Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' has lived up to its name!I hope you enjoyed the tour. My friends got raspberry chocolate cake; for that you will have to come in person!

Have a great week!    Deborah 

Stump World

A fantastic world thrives a few steps down the hill from the patio, overlooked and unappreciated. A massive oak outside our kitchen was toppled by the tornado that tore through our property in 1990. We counted the rings and estimated the tree had been growing over 120 years. We cut the trunk into sections and rolled them to an out of the way place in the woods. Since then they have rested there, silently rotting away without intervention.

Neglected by humans, but not by other species.

Most of the sections are gone now, returned to the earth as all life forms eventually go, but a couple of the larger pieces remain. Recently some bright colors in the area caught my attention, and I walked over to see. I was amazed at the dead wood, heaving with life.

Fungi, moss, and lichen cover the stumps. They are working along with bacteria and other microscopic organisms to decompose the wood. Meanwhile, all sorts of bugs — beetles, spiders, snails, ants and countless others — find shelter and food within the crevices of the wood, and they themselves become food for birds and other wildlife. Pieces of acorns and seeds are scattered across the surface, leftovers dropped by birds and squirrels who use the site as their dining hall. Other creatures use the stump tops for basking and sun bathing or for watching over their territory, while conditions beneath and inside the wood are cool and moist, creating the perfect habitat for newts and salamanders. 

I watched as a ground squirrel hurried by. I think the huge chunks of wood also serve as landmarks for little forest animals as they navigate through the woodlands: Turn right at stump world, then take the second tree to the left.

So my old tree, to the end of its existence, is useful to countless thousands of species, in death as in life; and when its remnants have decayed into the ground, even then the lingering nutrients will nourish the soil. A little acorn may take root there, and the cycle of life will begin again.