Fall Flavors

Yesterday I ate a piece of Finnish hot pepper candy, a concoction made from licorice, hot peppers, and ammonium chloride. Ammonium chloride? Doesn't that sound like a dangerous chemical? It didn't smell awful, however, and a tentative lick of the hard candy was intriguing. So I popped a piece in my mouth, and it wasn't bad. Breathing through my nose while sucking on it gave me an illusionary whiff of bathroom cleanser, but it did clear the sinuses. I think it would make an excellent sore throat/cough drop.The candy was a gift to my son from an internet friend in Finland. There is always more bravery in numbers, so my son came over to share the culinary experience with me.

Lately I have been eating another, very American food that conjures up images of early autumn: apple pie. Every September we are awash with apple pies. We have two apple trees, a golden delicious and a red delicious, neither of which are recommended for my Deep South climate. Both also are at risk for apple cedar rust due to the many cedar trees in my area. Nevertheless, the trees continue to grow and produce lots of apples each year. I have suggested making applesauce or even freezing some for later use, but Lou likes to bake apple pies. Anyone coming through is likely to go home with one. 

There is definitely a flavor of fall in the garden, though our temperatures are hanging in the 90s during the day. Already some leaves are beginning to turn.A clear September day

Dogwood leaves are starting to show fall colors.

Forsythia is known for its cheery early spring flowers, but I also like it for its autumn coloration. These leaves are from the same shrub.Surely cooler weather is on the way. The garden is expecting it, and so am I. Most of the following images are from the woodland garden:

Here are some photos of the front garden, taken from across the front lawn. Everything has a buttery flavor to it, soft and golden:

Finally, peeking into the front garden from behind the blue bench:

All of this is just a taste of autumn, but it's enough to make me want more. I am so looking forward to the milder temperatures and the rich colors, which sometimes last well into December. Many of the plants will have a rebirth of sorts, putting out new growth and flowers. In our part of the country it is the perfect time for gardening. 

Happy fall!

Late Summer in the Front Garden

We have had rain almost every day in August thus far. The vapors of summer have settled over us like a warm wet towel. Yesterday I was able to get out to my dripping garden.A view from inside the front garden.It wasn't raining at the time, but when I returned to the house I was damp. I didn't mind. The rain has moderated our usually high summer temperatures, and the plants are loving the moisture. The garden feels mellow and ripe, like the golden figs I picked the other day. My little White Marseilles fig tree produced a total of four figs this year. They were very sweet, and Lou and I gobbled them up. I hope my potted tree will grow bigger and produce a larger harvest next year.

In the front garden, Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight' is putting on a show. Its chartreuse tinted white blooms glow along the hydrangea walk, where earlier blooming hydrangeas have faded.This shrub blooms reliably every year from midsummer till fall, when its blooms will acquire pink tints.

Another plant that is gives a reliable punch to the summer garden every year is Canna Lily 'Tropicana'. I have loved it from the first moment I saw it. It was the plant that began to nudge me toward the tropical side of my semitropical climate.Before Tropicana, I dismissed most tropicals, but now my tastes have broadened considerably. Some of these shamelessly brazen plants are much more suited to my sultry climate than the pastel delicacies that were my first love.

Farther down inside my front garden is the peculiar Voodoo plant. I think it may be mature enough next year to bloom. I am looking forward to that! Meanwhile, I enjoy its tomato-like foliage and its creepy patterned stems, which feel like human flesh!

If you don't know anything about this plant, you must read my previous post, Under the Spell of the Voodoo Plant. I have two voodoo plants, both growing in large pots. I was shocked to discover a third voodoo plant in the ground about fifteen feet away from the originals. Since those have never bloomed, I don't know how this has happened. Perhaps a squirrel dug up a small corm and planted it for me!

A summer view of a rustic birdhouse inside the front garden:Summertime, and the living is easy!

Finally, here are some simple summer flowers:

 May these August days bring you many blessings.   Deborah