Plant Maples for Fall Color

I've made no secret about it but maples are without a doubt my favorite shade tree. Maples offer shade in the summer, feed wildlife with their samaras, and are a feast for the eyes in the fall. Reds, yellows, and oranges tend to be the predominate colors and they set the fall landscape on fire! All the gold colored maple leaves appearing in the woods behind our yard create a glowing landscape for us to enjoy.

This year the maple color has been outstanding. The increased summer rains have given the trees a little extra tenacity for the end of the growing season. The leaves have held on much longer and believe it or not some maples are still green or variations of green as in the picture to the left. The colors on this red maple (Acer rubrum) remind me of a reversed pattern from a 'Stoplight' heucherella.

This other red maple is showing a very deep red coloring which I'm very pleased with since this is one of several trees the deer damaged last fall. It's returned strong as have all the other deer damaged trees except for the dogwood. Sadly we are still mourning the passing of the 'Appalachian Spring' dogwood, but that's a story for another time.

Not all is grand in maple land. The first tree we planted in our landscape was a maple and it has developed some kind of damage to the trunk, most likely a canker. Cankers can be caused by wounds from lawnmowers and power equipment colliding with the poor maple.  Fungi can also be a cause for canker damage. In the case of the fungi the tree may be a goner but in the case of physical damage the tree may yet recover, it's just a matter of time until we know for sure. I doubt it was me running into it with a mower. I mean, I've had some mower incidents but they never involved a tree! Really, the nandina was just a shrub!

A quick not on tree planting: don't amend the hole! Year ago people recommended amending the soil in the hole when planting a tree. The problem with this is that the really good soil gets concentrated around the base of the tree. The roots have no motivation to reach out to get nutrients in the surrounding soils and stay concentrated around the improved soil area. If you want to amend the soil, amend the areas outside of the drip line of the tree. This will lead to a healthier tree which will be more drought tolerant with a better root system!

All in all maples are fairly maintenance free trees. A leaf raking in the fall might be necessary unless you prefer the mower mulching method.  Aside from the fantastic fall colors they make great shade trees and for the kids (or maybe the kid in you) great climbing trees. When was the last time you climbed a good tree?

 

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Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

I've been a fan of oak leaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia) for a long time. The large oak shaped leaves and white flowering panicles are two of its best traits but in the fall its color changes are very nice too. The leaves change through a range of colors from the year round greens to the autumn golds and reds. Our oak leaf hydrangeas are fairly young plants. One was purchased as a full sized plant in a pot and the other was a discount plant in a small plastic wrapped container filled with sawdust. I figured it wouldn't make it for a number of reasons: it was small, had almost no root system, and of course it was a discount plant. To my pleasure and surprise I was wrong. The little oak leaf hydrangea is thriving in our side border garden in almost full sun.

Oak leaf hydrangeas are native plants to the United States and are easily adaptable to many soils here in Tennessee. I've been told that if you go easy on the mulch they reseed readily but unfortunately I have yet to see any baby hydrangeas running around...frankly if they were running around I would be worried, but they can form colonies with their stolons.

How to Propagate Oak Leaf Hydrangea

Oak leaf hydrangea can be tricky to propagate but I do know of a secret to tell you, but first let me tell you what I do to propagate these great native shrubs.

My successful cuttings have come from stem tip cuttings that have 3-4 nodes spaced relatively close together. This basically means that I took cuttings that were between 3-5 inches long. I treated the cuttings with rooting hormone and placed them in sand as my potting medium then waited about 8 weeks before I checked them. I didn't cover them but covering the cuttings with a plastic bag may keep them more moist. The hydrangea had quite a few roots and after the 8 weeks I was able to pot it up. 

I promised I would tell you the secret I've discovered to rooting oak leaf hydrangeas and here it is: small leaves. Remove all the leaves of the stem tip cutting from the plant before sticking it in your medium except for one small immature leaf at the tip. Don't even be tempted to leave two leaves or one large one, just a small immature leaf. It works great!

For more plants and information on propagation from my garden: Plant Propagation.

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Free Stuff Friday! (Organic Bug Killer Giveaway)

While this won't happen every Friday (I don't have enough sponsors) I do have something that some readers and bloggers may want to try in their own homes or gardens. If you remember a month or so back I tested some products from a company called EcoSMART. The specialize in making insect repellents, organic bug killers, and other products that are environmentally friendly and safe to use around children and pets. They are interested in giving away some of their product for you to try at home.  

Here's what you have to do to win their product: Tell me about your worst bug experience this year!

I've already told you about my worst bug tale (I'm not eligible for the contest so don't let my tale of the never ending hiccups intimidate you) so now it's your turn.  All you have to do is post either in the comments or on your blog and tell us your worst bug problem this year. Everyone who tells their bug story  gets an entry into the hat for a drawing that will happen next weekend. Make sure you let me know if you post your story on your blog.  All entry stories must be posted by 12:00 AM Central Time on Friday November 13th! Unfortunately you must be in the United States to participate but you are more than welcome to still share your worst bug story anyway!

Now let's hear about some bugs!

 

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Time to Stop

It occurred to me today that I've been writing this blog, The Home Garden for over two years. I completely missed the second year mark, which happened last week while I was totally immersed Fall Color Projects and the greenhouse project. Two years of blogging has past and has been a ton of fun. In two years I've published 858 posts while writing a total of 945 posts (including this one).  87 posts remain unpublished in draft limbo either because I started them then went on to something else or I didn't think were good enough to publish.

I think that after two years of blogging it is definitely time to stop and say thank you to everyone who has made this blogging experience fun!  It's nearly impossible to mention everyone individually since there are so many people who have been through this blog in some fashion and contributed whether through a comment, suggestion, or an email. It's amazing to me when I think back at the things that have happened this year as a result of blogging. The Better Homes & Gardens Arbor project, mentions in several newspaper articles, radio show visits, teaching lectures on propagation for master gardeners and garden clubs, and all the projects I've been able to do for the blog are a result of this thing called blogging. The blog seems to give me extra motivation to accomplish projects so that I can have something neat to share with those who read The Home Garden, in other words: you!

I also want to thank anyone who has ever shopped, clicked, or viewed the advertisements on this site. I know many people get turned off by advertisements but those who have used them in some way have enabled me to do projects I could not have done otherwise due to the limited finances of a stay-at-home-dad and a single income family (by choice). The backyard greenhouse project is a direct result of these passive contributions to our garden budget.

Without the people who take the time to read what I write continuing this blog would be pointless and it is because of you that it is so fun to do. In high school the last thing I would ever have imagined myself doing is writing for fun but ironically that's what I do now! I suppose a large portion of my excitement for this blog is that it's all about a subject matter that I find very interesting. Two years of garden talk are over and who knows how many more are in the future?

While I'm thanking you I do have one thing to ask to help this blog become better: what should I talk about now? Do you want to hear more about plant propagation? If so what plants do you want to know about? More about the vegetable garden? More personal stories about blowing up or careening mowers? Or do you just want to see more pictures of the cutest two kids on the planet?

Thanks again for reading The Home Garden and don't be afraid to tell me what you think!

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I'm Over There Too!

Every now and then I'll be doing some posts for another blog called Complete Organizing Solutions. Tanna, the author of the blog, has invited several other bloggers to do a post every once a month or so to add greater diversity to her site. Can you guess what I'll be talking about? And no, it's not how to organize your closet (I could use some serious help in that area!) I'll let you know when a new post of mine comes up but I would like to encourage you to follow along with Tanna, Jennifer (Simple Scrapper), or Shaina (Food For My Family) throughout the month for some very interesting ideas.

My first post over there is up and ready to read so go take a look at Five Things For Fall Gardening!

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The Greenhouse Project: Braced for The Best

Today we worked a little more on the greenhouse project and managed to get another milestone accomplished: the bracing. Unfortunately due to the end of daylight savings time darkness descended too quickly for me to snap some good photos. Besides braces aren't very interesting, just functional.

We put braces on the joists that connect them to the rafters, braces on the front and back post that holds up the beam, and braces under the center beam that crosses the 12 foot side. We also added nails to several places where we had tie plates to ensure tight fits. It may not sound like much but this was another necessary step before the roof can be put together. Most of the roof will be solid but there will be a few areas where windows will allow sunlight to warm the interior. Every day a few more leaves drop and allow more and more light to reach the greenhouse in the afternoon. Once a few more maples drop their leaves the sun will have easy access to the greenhouse.

There's still much more to do but each of the next few steps are more visually significant, which translates into more excitement! Here's what is on the list of things to do for the greenhouse:

• frame the roof windows
• cover the roof with plywood
• cover the roof with roofing
• cover the unglassed walls with plywood
• install windows and doors
• cover the outside plywood with trim and siding
• insulate the insides
• fill the inside with more gravel

Since most of the walls are glass I think the sides will go up quick but the roof may prove to be challenging. I've done a roof once before on my parents' pavilion but every experience is different and has its own unique challenges. After today, I'm braced for the best part!

Previous Greenhouse Posts:

I Need Braces

Shaping Up

Putting Up Posts

Beginning the Framing

Still being Framed

Mostly Screwed

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Fall Color Project: From the West Coast to the East

Contrary to popular belief California does have fall color, and it's pretty good too! Birches, maples, and crape myrtles all are displaying their fall show in Rebecca Sweet's garden. The view of her 'Forest Pansy' Redbud really makes me wish the fall webworms hadn't munched on mine. Take a trip to the Bay area of California to see what color is at Rebecca's blog Gossip in the Garden!

The fall colors have been peaking here in Tennessee for the last several days and you can see why I like fall in Tennessee from Elizabeth's photos. Classic fall color trees like maples, sweet gum, and tulip poplars are on display turning an Autumn day into a virtual museum of art which definitely makes Life Worth Living!

This time we'll venture out to East Tennessee to see what fall color Frances finds! Colorful maples among arborvitae, Euonymous europaeus, and Muhlenbergia capillaris are all showing resplendent fall colors whether through foliage or fruit. I find it impossible not to stop to observe the peeling bark of a river birch whenever I pass by and maybe you will too at FaireGarden!

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

Never Enough Fall Color

More Autumn Art

In the South

A Flurry of Fall Foliage

Michigan vs. Tennessee

Been to Blithewold?

A Walk Through Washington

Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

Read more...

In the Garden of Sedum

It's no secret that we like sedums around here. In fact we even have one garden area completely devoted to housing the sedums. It rests between a sidewalk and the driveway where the summer sun unmercifully beats down upon anyone unlucky enough to be planted there. It just so happens that succulents like sedums are perfect for these problem spots! They also do well on top of green roofs and other areas where plants are destined to receive minimal water. Succulents store water in their leaves which makes them more suitable for those harsh and dry areas.

In the sedum garden we have quite a few kinds. I'm always trying to add more sedums to the collection. Here in this photo are a tricolor sedum and another sedum that's identity is a mystery. It's cute though don't you think? It's the one in green with the small leaves. The tricolor is, well ... the one with three colors!

One of my favorite sedums of all time is the 'Dragon's Blood'. Maybe it's the name, maybe its the color, maybe its both but 'Dragon's Blood' is a very cool sedum. I like how the foliage looks mixed together with the 'Blue Spruce' sedum; the contrasting burgundy and blue-green colors make each color stand out more. It grows low and makes a nice ground cover.

 

'Autumn Joy' is another popular sedum that everyone seems to en'joy'! It bursts with blooms in the fall.

Here's another look at the 'Blue Spruce' sedum. It's a great spreading ground cover if you help it along a little by sprigging offshoots into the ground where you want them. See the end of this post for more propagation information.

'Purple Form' sedum (Sedum hispanicum minus) is a new one we adding back in the spring. The tiny leaves are said to become tinted during the wintertime. When writing this post I actually forgot the name of this little sedum. I kept thinking 'Purple Mound' instead of 'Purple Form' so I googled some variations and eventually found this site called The Home Garden which helped me identify it! Who knew such great information existed! That's why blogging is so good for gardeners, everything you do in the garden gets cataloged for future reference.

 

How to Propagate Sedum:

If you can't propagate sedum you may have to invest in plastic plants! The sprawling sedums will do just fine by sticking little sprigs into the soil of its new location. Longer stemmed varieties like 'Autumn Joy' can be put in a jar of water for rooting. Most sedums will root easily from leaf cuttings but the larger leaves are easier to handle. Small leaves can be sprinkled into a small pot of soil and gently pressed in for rooting.

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Fall Color Project: Never Enough Fall Color

In my opinion you can never have enough fall color! Jan just posted more for us to look at and I highly recommend that you do. Photos of fall reflecting across water with hues of red, orange, and yellow blending in a perfect autumn tapestry is what you will find.  Fall is here at Thanks For 2 Day!

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

More Autumn Art

In the South

A Flurry of Fall Foliage

Michigan vs. Tennessee

Been to Blithewold?

A Walk Through Washington

Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

Read more...

Fall Color Project: More Autumn Art

Up in Michigan Joey has posted some really cool collages for the Fall Color Project. The colors from the maples and other trees around her town couldn't have been painted more vividly with any paintbrush. It's a palette of autumn color that awaits you at The Village Voice!

The colors have officially reached their peak here in Tennessee. Over at Clay and Limestone Gail took some fantastic fall photos from her garden and from Percy Warner Park. Carpets of golden leaves, golden shagbark hickory trees, and sassafras are all showcasing a bright display of autumn color. The colors will soon fade to leave behind bare branches. Better look while you can!

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

In the South

A Flurry of Fall Foliage

Michigan vs. Tennessee

Been to Blithewold?

A Walk Through Washington

Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

Read more...

Happy Halloween!

I'm a little late with the Halloween post but I hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Here's Little Jack*:

Here's Big Jack:

Happy Halloween!

*Little Jack was home grown from the vegetable garden. At least there was one pumpkin that was not smooshed!

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October in the Garden

Yesterday during a reprieve from the rain we went out to examine the state of the garden. The past two weeks I've been mostly concentrating on the greenhouse project and I felt it was time to see what I've been missing.

The celosia I planted from seed this year did really well. It's a virtually no maintenance annual unless you consider the weeding of extra seedlings I may not want next year. 

The Dusty Miller I planted in the spring has finally emerged from behind the purple sweet potato vine. The Potato vine took over the location beside the arbor covering the Dusty Miller, Columbine, 'Purple Homestead' Verbena, and variegated liriope. The Dusty Miller is a semi-hardy annual to tender perennial here. It can handle some of the cold temperatures we get and may come back the following year. It's cheap to replace and usually gets treated as an annual.

 

Beside the back deck I planted a 'Shasta' Viburnum. It didn't bloom this year as it was probably protesting being moved from it's previous location. In the background is a 'Firebird' Penstemon. 'Firebird' Penstemon is rated to zone 7 cold hardiness but I planted this one last year and we live in a frost pocket so I would guess that it's relatively safe up to zone 6. It's easy to take a cutting from and overwinter indoors or in a pot in the garage.

 

My 'Dale's Strain' Heuchera is doing great. I bought it last year and divided one of the two plants to make a grouping of three. The two that were divided are smaller but still doing well. 'Dale's Strain' has a nice green and white variegation that turns into caramel coloring in the winter.

 

If we hop over the wire fence into the vegetable garden we can see my strawberries have run amok! It must mean that it's time to expand the garden. I hope to add some more raised beds then transfer the rampaging strawberries over. After the strawberries were done fruiting in the spring I fertilized them with bloodmeal which combined with the rich soil in the raised bed spurred lots of runners (don't fertilize strawberries before fruiting since that will produce green growth and not fruit growth). Strawberries need rejuvenated every couple of years by eliminating the mother plants and replacing them with the young runners. Every runner will eventually turn into a new mother plant and the process can be sustained indefinitely. This strawberry bed began as 3-4 plants from a pot and 6-8 plants from a plant swap. 

 

My grass is green and shiny thanks to all the rain! I haven't fertilized the yard yet in the two and a half years we've lived here and really have no plans too with anything other than sifted organic compost. I believe that a lawn can be environmentally responsibly grown. I overseed with a new variety of grass every fall. Now if they would just come out with a riding reel mower...

 

My 'Daiblo' Ninebark (Physocarpus) has grown a little. It's a new addition to the Birdbath garden this year and is paired with a pair of 'Powis' Castle artemisias. I'll need to keep the artemisia trimmed lower to prevent it from completely enveloping the ninebark but that will just give me an opportunity to make more free plants! I don't think you can go wrong with planting silver and purple foliage plants as companions.  In the background you can see the current state of the greenhouse shed. It's coming along!

 

And here's a closer look. The plantings in front of the greenhouse will need some reworking but I'll worry about that after construction is complete!

 

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The Greenhouse Project: I Need Braces

We managed to accomplish a little more on the greenhouse project this week. We ran into a small roadblock when we botched putting together the roofline and had to take the rafters down to reattach them to the center beam. I was trying to do things in a simple and easy way which turned out to be complicated and difficult, figures! That's been corrected now and things are back on track. 

The next few days won't be good work days due to the rainy weather and Saturday is Halloween (I'll be Trick-or-Treating with a Kitty Cat and a Princess) so the greenhouse project will be on hold through the weekend but I'm still happy with the progress we've made so far. I think Thanksgiving is a good target date for completion of this project. I have a tendency to underestimate the amount of time needed for completing projects so I'm trying to be generous!

The next step in building this greenhouse is to add braces. We attached metal brackets to the edges of the framing to aid with getting the roof up but they won't hold the weight they need to for this roof to stay up. Having the roof stay up is very important don't you think? The brackets did help to align the rafters and give us a temporary way to hold the rafters while we attached them to the center beam. The ridge line is held up by a post in the back, in the middle attached to a center beam, and in the front above the door headers. The braces we need to add will attach to 12' beams that come across the structure and will connect the rafters that hold up the roof.

After bracing we'll finally be able to add roofing material which will be very exciting! I need to fit a couple windows on one side of the roof to catch more light and heat. The roof will be mostly covered with normal roofing materials but having a couple windows on the western side will help add more afternoon light in the winter. The peak of the roof would ideally be higher to catch more light but we didn't want too tall of a structure in the backyard.

 

 

 

I'm still trying to figure out the heat extremes that I'll have to deal with this winter. The need for supplemental heat will be determined by the daytime temperature and heat loss overnight. I'll insulate the areas of the greenhouse structure that will be without windows which will help reduce some heat loss. There are all kinds of passive heating methods that will help with heat retention and I may need to use them to keep this greenhouse warm for seed starting in late winter. What are the winter temperatures in your greenhouse and what do you use to keep your greenhouse warm on a cold and dark winter eve?

Previous Greenhouse Posts:

Shaping Up

Putting Up Posts

Beginning the Framing

Still being Framed

Mostly Screwed

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Fall Color Project: In the South

As yesterday we saw more and more fall color from the south in Virginia and Tennessee today brings us more proof that fall is here in the Southern U.S.. SC Gardener has fall foliage that is well worth a look! One post entitled Fall Color Isn't Just for Trees: Shrubs With Fall Leaf Color gives us a look at the fall color of several of my favorite shrubs like Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Fothergilla, and various viburnums! For a group of links to other Fall Color Spots in South Carolina check out Fall Color in South Carolina.

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

A Flurry of Fall Foliage

Michigan vs. Tennessee

Been to Blithewold?

A Walk Through Washington

Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

Read more...

Fall Color Project: A Flurry of Foliage

Today was one of those days when everyone decided to have a great idea at once, post about fall colors! Unfortunately I've been working all day on the greenhouse and have just now been able to update the project. Better late than never right?We'll start today's flurry of fall foliage posts in the order they were received!

The first stop today is to see a canopy of golden foliage at Catherine's garden. On her blog, A Gardener in Progress, her maple trees are shining with some of the greatest colors I've seen in a tree. I really think you could match it, but never beat it! The last picture is a classic one of fall, arching branches laden with golden leaves and a blue sky in the background.

Your next stop is to Virginia and the garden blog of Racquel, The Perennial Gardener! Racquel has prepared a neat slide show of fall scenes in her area to watch. Scenic hillsides with the turning colors of maples and oaks brighten up the landscape!

I always look forward to what Nancy at Soliloquy has posted. Not only is she a great photographer but she has a definite talent for poetry as well, and we are lucky to be treated to both!

On a familiar road I stood
And scanned the trees for gilded wood;
No crimson, orange or scarlet here.
“We’ve missed Fall’s flame”, I thought, I feared.

For the rest of her poem you have to visit Soliloquy!

Beautiful, simply beautiful is the only way to describe fall in Connecticut. Over at Evolution of a Gardener you can see Kate's photographs from her trip to Devil's Hopyard. Picturesque bridges, fall foliage and wild fauna are frozen in time for us to enjoy all week at her blog. Go for today and visit all week as she posts more fall foliage pictures from her trip!

The Hudson Valley is another great place to travel for fall color gawkers! JGH from Nyack Backyard visited Tallman Park which is part of the Palisades Interstate Park System. Once inside Tallman Park JGH and Miss B show us the trees, the North Picnic Area where you can see the Hudson river, and Piermont Marsh. The Hudson Valley is well worth a trip if you like fall color, especially when it's only a mouse click away!

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

Michigan vs. Tennessee

Been to Blithewold?

A Walk Through Washington

Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

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Fall Color Project: Michigan vs. Tennessee

Nope we aren't talking football here but fall foliage!

Monica the Garden Faerie has posted some fantabulous fall foliage! She also happens to have many of my favorite shrubs in her garden including fothergilla, Red Twig Dogwood, viburnums, and smokebush. I would be right at home in her garden, except or the whole Michigan cold weather thing! Go pay Monica a visit and see some of the great autumn foliage her garden has to offer.

Tina at In the Garden is the first in Tennessee to show off her fall colors! Dogwoods, camellias, and a really neat Korean maple have begun the fall leaf change in her garden. Bradford pears are turning bright red while her serviceberry (which is a good replacement for Bradford Pears) is turning a beautiful golden yellow. Come see what fall color is like here in Tennessee!

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

Been to Blithewold?

A Walk Through Washington

Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

Read more...

Smooshing Pumpkins

We've all heard about the infamous teenagers who go around neighborhoods looking for pumpkins to smash. Smashing pumpkins is one of those activities I never did and frankly always found rude and obnoxious, unless of course the smashers purchased their own pumpkins but that's rarely the case. In fact I find the current state of my own pumpkins to be quite rude too but I can't blame any misguided teenagers for this. Nope, I blame the borers (insert scary generic sound effect here).

The vine borers have been relentless this year in the garden. The borers made holes the trunks of the vines and tunneled their way into every part of the pumpkin that they thought tasted good. I suppose if I had been more on top of things I could have cut them out of the vines. I also suppose if I were more on top of things these pumpkins would be in the compost bin by now! I've just been too busy lately to take care of little chores and these smooshing pumpkins have been left to disintegrated. I'll move them before Saturday, but maybe they add a little Halloween ambiance?

I had to resort to buying our Jack-O-Lantern pumpkin from the store this year. Last year's pumpkin came from a pumpkin farm that we took the kids to, but we haven't had time for that this year. I'm sure Jack 2009 will be appearing on this blog soon. Until then these rapidly deteriorating pumpkins from the vegetable garden will have to do!

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Coping With Slopes: Future Fruit

This month's Gardening Gone Wild Garden Design Workshop is coping with slopes. As you can see in the picture we have a pretty good sized slope. There's a whole lot of area up there that we just really have no great way to use, at least not yet. I have ideas for what I would like to do but for now I have kept control of the area.

Over time I've mowed pathways through the slope to allow us to have access to different areas. The pathways cut through sassafras and locust trees as well as blackberries, Queen Anne's Lace, goldenrod, wild roses, and honeysuckle. I'm not a fan of the latter two as both of those plants are very invasive. Right now my slope is completely uncultivated except for the grass pathways, but I have plans. Each pathway will eventually form a new garden bed along it's side with the center piece of each bed a type of fruit tree, most likely apple. This slope is positioned well for growing fruit since it is somewhat shielded from the sun and fruit trees should remain dormant longer which is better for fruiting (The blossoms can avoid a potential late freeze).  Inside each of the garden beds will be deer resistant plants to help defend the apple trees from grazing. I hope to get fresh apples from late summer through fall without having to buy them at the grocery store!

Right now coping is an accurate word since I'm simply managing what I have. I would love to eventually tier the slope to help with planting it but for now I have other projects like my greenhouse shed to finish, garden fence to build, and many other things that need done. A gardener's work is never finished, he just stops to enjoy the scenery every now and then!

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Fall Color Project: Been to Blithewold?

If you haven't been to Blithewold lately you are missing out on a bunch of beautiful fall foliage! Kris just recently put a post up with all sorts of foliage perfection but it's the Katsura photo that has me trying to figure out where to put one in our yard! Full moon Japanese maples, sourwood, and even large leaved hostas get into the autumn act.

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

A Walk Through Washington

Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

Read more...

Through the Trees

I took this picture over the weekend while the afternoon sun was beginning to descend. It was taken from the very back of our yard looking up toward the treetops of sassafras, dogwood, tulip poplar, and walnut. The fall colors are beginning their peak time and I know I'll be loading my camera card with many more pictures than I could possibly share with you. Of course maybe that's a good thing because you will see only the best!

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Fall Color Project: A Walk Through Washington

Tatyana took a walk through her town in Washington to bring us fall color. Along the way she found some spectacular images of fall in the Pacific Northwest. I envy their ability to grow Japanese maples so successfully in that region. Birches, maples, evergreens and the Olympic Mountains all have their place in Tatyana's fall photos!

See the most recent Fall Color Project Posts:

Canadian Colour
Trees, Shrubs, and ... Snow?
It's Not All About The Trees
Shining Colors on a Rainy Day
A Walk Through the Park
Colors of Toronto and California Wanderings
From Westonbirt Arboretum to SE Pennsylvania

Fall from the Write Gardener

Fall Colors Peaking in Iowa

Fall Colour in the UK

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The Greenhouse Project: Shaping Up

The greenhouse shed project is coming along nicely. As I've mentioned before I'm not rushing things along but striving to do things as perfectly as possible. I'm very pleased with the results so far. Side to side and front to back, the greenhouse is almost exactly the same measurement. The greatest difference is about 1/4" between the longest sides. I figured that's about as close as I could manage!

I missed updating you on Friday so this post will cover everything we accomplished between Friday and Sunday. Consider it a weekend update!

Tasks completed:

• Framing the windows.
• Framing the patio doors openings.
• Attached the headers.
• Attached crossbeams
• Attached brackets for roof rafters.

The above picture is taken from the long side with the big windows. I was taking the picture of the bracket we'll use to hang the rafters but I really like the picture for the golden glow of the tulip poplar tree in the background. Fall color will soon be peaking here in Tennessee.

This picture is taken from the back of the greenhouse shed looking toward the house. The large opening framed here is the backdoor where the mowers will be brought in and out through during the mowing season.

What's next for the Greenhouse Shed?

Raise the roof! Panel the sides Add crushed gravel and more crushed gravel

stick in the windows stick in the doors add the siding insulate and caulk

That's the short list!

Previous Greenhouse Posts:

Putting Up Posts

Beginning the Framing

Still being Framed

Mostly Screwed

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