Arachnophobia

We've had a spider infestation lately with the cooler weather.  Now, I am not squeamish when it comes to spiders because I am much bigger than they are. I don't go out of my way to kill them; however, if there is one in my sink or bath tub, it is unceremoniously washed down the drain.  In Colorado we probably have only one dangerous spider: the black widow, easily identified with her shiny black body, long spindly legs, and the red hourglass shaped spot on her belly. While not deadly, her bites are poisonous. My childhood friend's mom talked about being bitten by a black widow as a child when one was hiding in the toe of her shoe. Another deadly spider, the brown recluse, delivers a far more serious bite because the venom destroys the tissue around the bite, causing a serious wound. According to the Colorado State University Extension web site, the brown recluse does not live in Colorado, but other spiders are often mistaken for it. For a really good article on common garden spiders, check out Curbstone Valley Blog.

As for my spiders, they will be hanging around until sometime after Halloween.

Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey, when along came a great spider.

I love these spiders. I picked them up at the super market on an impulse. They light up the fireplace mantle, giving it a warm glow on these cool fall evenings.

October days bring such relief to the scorching heat of the summer. Today was a beautiful Indian Summer day when we were able to get one large project finished. (Indian summer, by the way, occurs when temps reach the 70s after the first frost). In the early summer, we dug out the spreaders in the front garden and then the summer got away from us. I hated the eye sore right in the front of the house. My fall bulbs arrived from White Flower Farms this week, so we set out to plant them, but first we had to clean up the garden bed to make it ready for the bulbs. Took most of the day. First the head gardener raked away the old bark mulch and spaded  the bed, digging up the daffodil bulbs previous owners had planted. Then he used the rototiller to break up the clods. He raked the bed level then top dressed it with compost. I have decided that I will plant roses there in the spring. Tomorrow we will plant the bulbs that arrived this week, along with the daffodils that we dug up as we worked the soil.

I keep writing "we," but it is always the head gardener who does the heavy lifting and digging. I offer a great deal of moral support and plenty of suggestions on how to dig a hole-- and document it all with my camera in hand, so that I can blog about it in the late evening. (I am so fortunate that he is a mellow guy).

Now we have clean slate for the new rose garden.

We raked away old mulch full of weed seeds. 

Quite a load of daffodil bulbs that we were able to save. I would imagine there is about a hundred dollars worth of bulbs. He also dug out the tiger lilies that just didn't seem to do well under the window. 

I am listening to the weather as I write. Snow. I will believe it when I see it. Rain Tuesday. Snow Wednesday. The mountains will get snow for sure, but hard to say about the the plains.

I just want to end tonight's post with Thank You to my followers who always post such kind and supportive comments. I have fallen a bit behind in my own commenting. Last week was a brutal grading marathon, and while I read my blogs every day, I don't always have the brain power to write wise, witty, generous comments, but I am reading and loving every single blog that I read. Happy week-end.

Apple Picking Time

At our old house, our neighbor on the other side of the fence had a sorry looking apple tree that he threatened to cut down. It was sizable tree with heavy branches that hung low on our side of the fence and leaned heavily on the 6 ft wooden privacy fence. Some years he would spray the tree for worms, other years not. I'd joke with him telling him that the tree knew which neighbor loved it more when he complained that the tree didn't seem to produce many apples on his side of the fence while on our side of the fence the apples seem grow to maturity. Our dogs, a german short hair Ginger and a golden retriever Chestnut loved the apples. Ginger especially became quite adept at jumping on hind legs to retrieve her own late afternoon snacks. Those lovely ladies have long passed and we have moved.

Here at the Garden Spot we have a lovely mature Red Delicious apple tree, so we picked apples this week.

Sundance is a creature of opportunity. He is already smacking his lips waiting for his handout. Perhaps this explains why the branches that hang over the coral fence didn't seem to bare fruit--or perhaps they did have fruit.

Picture perfect.

 On one side any way. The apples tended to be a bit wormy since we didn't spray. Next year will spray. What the worms didn't get, the birds did. There were a few perfect apples left. I need to figure out how to keep the birds out of the apple tree. I don't have enough wedding tulle to cover it like I did the little cherry tree.

As a kid on my dad's little acreage, it was my job to pick the apples--only the wind falls, mind you--, cook them up and  ream them making apple sauce to freeze. I had a horse that I loved ride everyday, but before I could go for a ride, I had to make a batch of apple sauce. As much of a chore that it was, in the cold of winter there was nothing better that apple sauce. I never could decide if I liked it better steaming hot or frozen cold.

Here is a nice specimen. Nearly perfect.

Guess who gets this one?

Even Max had to have an apple.

Of course the horse is NOT spoiled.

It was nice to pass up the apples in the grocery store yesterday. While these have to be carefully sliced to trim around the worm inside, there is nothing better than an apple right off of the tree. We are expecting our first freeze any night now. The last of the tomatoes and peppers have been picked, so it is time to let this garden go. I picked the last of the roses too. I couldn't bear to let Jack Frost ruin them. 

Week 8 of school. Mid-terms. Students are cranky and tired; I am just getting my second wind.

You all have a great week.

Garden Wish List

It looks like a beautiful park from the street, College Avenue. Rainbows of colors catch the fall sun laid out in need arches. Rows upon rows of beautiful annuals have been planted to test their suitably and hardiness in zone 5, Northern Colorado. The test garden open to the public in the heart of Ft. Collins and amid the hustle of a busy city, invites the serious gardener, the rollerblader, the uni-cycler (a father and son enjoying a nice ride on the path through the garden), the young married couple out walking the baby. On our way to a small traveling circus where we would meet the little granddaughters, we decided to stop by the test garden kept by Colorado State University. I was really quite annoyed with myself because I had forgotten to charge the Cannon 35 mm and had to take the little point and shoot Olympus, only to find that its battery was in the red (nearly dead) zone. None the less, join me in a walk through the garden.

 Crazy for pink in the garden, I loved this Verbena. As the marker indicates, it is new. Each specimen is labeled with the nursery that provided the seeds. I'll be looking for Lanai Twister Pink next spring at my favorite garden centers.

 

Just look at those luscious potato vines. Many of the annuals grown in pots are watered through a simple drip system.

 An entire plot dedicated to echinacea, one my garden favorites. Yellow, magenta, pink, orange, white, a full pallet of echinacea color.

 This orange echinacea is spectacular, another one that I will be searching for.

 A purple sea of lantana.

We had to question these impatiens growing in full sun.  Sun tolerant impatiens. Ever heard of such a thing? I love impatiens, but have resisted them because they require full shade and a lot of attention.They were healthy and beautiful.

And then there are ornamental peppers, some--though the photo doesn't do them justice--the size red bell peppers. As for me, I'd rather plant the real thing that I can put in a salad or a salsa.

 I really like this grass. I imagined it planted around the water garden that we will be installing next summer.

The gazebo makes this test garden appear more like a park than a carefully conducted science project. In the  background across the street, the test garden perennials grow in front yard of the School of Arts, the old Ft. Collins high school newly renovated to house the university's artists and performers learning their craft. CSU is probably best known for its of School Veterinary Science, especially for its equine work. In addition, the of School of Agriculture conducts important research on not only ornamental gardening, but for agriculture crops as well, including both corn and wheat. With an enrollment that averages 25,000 students, CSU is a popular choice for Colorado students as well as for students from around the globe.

How do you like this clematis? It appears to be more of a low growing ground cover instead of a climbing vine. I bet that I could find a place for this beauty in the Garden Spot.

In addition to dozens of rows of full sun-loving annuals, there is a lovely shade garden full of impatiens, begonias, and other shade loving plants.

The beautiful building in the distance is one of the several fraternity houses in the area.

A giant soup can? Why of course, we are after all on a university campus.  While the building serves the arts, perennials have replaced the grass. My camera's battery died.

We had a lovely time walking the paths and choosing what we would like to plant next spring. We came to the garden a bit late in the season, so some of the specimens had already died away. In early spring pansies take over the garden. You can read about the pansy research and the rest of the test garden research (and better pictures) Annual Flower Trial Garden.

While not a beautiful botanical garden that many cities cultivate and nurture, nor is it a formal garden, the CSU's Flower Trial Garden is perfect for a wonderful afternoon walk with a wish list in hand.

Summer's Success

I know that I have been MIA, but I have had a very busy couple of weeks. I collected my first set of essays, which required my focus and energy to grade. I then had a bit of writer's block. The days have been miserably hot for late September--90 degrees here just yesterday. A cold front is supposed to be moving through today cooling things off. My fall bulbs should be arriving soon, so gardening hasn't quite ceased yet. To wind down the summer garden, here are my best performers for this season.

The giant Allium Christophii purchased from White Flower Farms online catalog. Planted last fall, she was a star performer in the garden. 

New this spring because I just could not resist the color, Monarda Raspberry aka Raspberry Wine Bee Balm purchased at Bath Nursery, Ft. Collins The young lady stole my heart with her deep magenta color. Even her deep green leaves have a touch of pink in them. She bloomed all summer long, not even growing faint in the 90+ degrees for most of August, unlike her companion pholx. I planted pink pholx and a raspberry delight cone flower around her, so next summer there should be a lovely pink voice in the center circle.

 Kniphofia uvaria, or Red Hot Poker, was transplanted from the old garden. A neighbor had given me a clump which I separated when I moved it to the Garden Spot. This was her best year. Her tall spears are just so grand, but they are not long lived.

Need a splash of red? Crocosmia, Crocosmiflora Lucifer, heats up a dull spot in the garden. Not only colorful, she seemed to adapt well to what I consider harsh growing conditions: crummy clay soil and miserable heat. I purchased her at Ft. Collins Nursery late last summer, again attracted to her brilliant red star shaped flowers. I've added one more to the center circle this summer. I love how her blooms start out on long slender stalks then gradually open. The blooms last for weeks and attract the tiger swallow tail butterfly.

My prized water lilies had to leave their beautiful water garden at the old house only to have live in horse tank for yet another year. I blogged about separating and replanting them and they have thrived even to bloomed in their confined tank. We did get the little water garden in the courtyard installed, so I moved a couple lilies there where they have done quite well. We will drain the little pond the end of October and the girls will return to the horse tank for their winter's nap. Hopefully next spring we get our main water feature, a 1,000 gallon pond, built.

I love love love pink flowers. Gertrude Jekyll, my only David Austin, has done so well this year. My roses suffered early in the season with an invasion of aphids. My horticulturist daughter said to use Bayers Rose food with a systemic pesticide. The roses have thrived and are at their peak of blooming now.  I love the Clematas Texensis so much that I purchased another one late this summer. They are both in my courtyard where they will grown over the brick wall. The one I planted last year has done so well, trailing over the wall for all to enjoy. Finally, the oriental lily--I've forgotten the variety--ordered from White Flower Farms was glorious. I planted 3, only regretting that I didn't clump them together. One bloom went to the Ault Fall Festival. I thought she was such a spectacular bloom that I had (all allusions aside) hopes that she would have performed better, but the judge thought not. I don't really care, I loved her.

We planted our North Star Dwarf cherry tree last summer, watered her during the winter, and prayed that she would survive the cold, dry winter. Not only did she survive, but she had fruit. Not many, but enough for a bowl full of cherries. She had a bad case of hunch back, so we have now staked her, hoping that her main stem will straighten. She is planted just outside of the master bath window where I can keep a close eye on her. As her fruit began to ripen, one morning I saw the robins and the western king birds lined up on the corral fence waiting their turn to grab a cherry. Still in my night gown, I dug out the wedding tulle and gently wrapped her to keep the birds away. 

We had our failures too: Diseased tomatoes and a cheap rose that I bought at Home Depot refused to even try to like her new home. I guess she preferred her plastic pot in an asphalt garden to her new home in a garden of love. Beats me why she failed to thrive. I bought two Home Depot roses. One thrives, one just gives up. The hydrangea my daughter bought for me struggles to stay alive. Of course, the bloody heat this late in the season isn't helping.

All in all, it wasn't a bad gardening year. Yesterday, though, I noticed that one of the big ponderosa pine trees is turning brown, not just a bit here and there, but a rather large amount of brown. It is one of three that the previous owner planted in the center circle and to lose one will destroy the balance, so I guess we call the tree doctor. We already had our trees inspected for the pine beetle that has kills hundreds of thousands of acres pine trees in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, so we really don't know what could be wrong.

So what were your garden successes? What plants performed the best for you? What should I try next year for zone 5?

A Sunflower Tribute

The weather in Northern Colorado has cooled down, finally. We had nearly a month of 90+ days, making gardening an unpleasant chore. We spent most of our energy watering to keep the gardens alive and weeding. While the heat here was nothing like the heat my brother was suffering in the Texas Hill Country near Austin with temps in excess of 100 for nearly two months and the devastating drought, the dry Colorado heat did zap of us our energy. We'd wait until late evening when it cooled down to venture out, or we would try do our garden chores early in the morning, both quite pleasant times of the day; however, we then battled mosquitoes. Last week the rain came. Daytime temperatures dipped to the 50s. Today it is cool and slightly foggy. Soon it will frost, then the garden will be done, and we will do the clean up and plant the bulbs.The mountains received a slight dusting of snow, bringing on the Ski Chatter--that's all it take, you know, for the skiers to get excited. As Fall slowly descends, we welcome the cooler, golden days of late September and October with the changing of the colors. So as we say goodbye to summer, I do so with a tribute to the glorious sunflower that we all love.

Sunflowers

Sunflower Anomalies 

A Symbiotic Relationship

The Week in Review

The garden just keeps producing and so do the hens. Here's a recap of the week at the Garden Spot.

Mrs. Bok at The Bok Flock wrote about the smallest chicken eggs. I am not sure just where this little pullet egg would place, but it is our smallest egg so far. We average 6-8 eggs a day now from the 12 hens. One of the two brown leghorns must just be starting to lay. And the silly gals all use the same nesting box most of the time. They have six to choose from, but seem to prefer a warm nest, I guess.

The little white egg is pretty tiny next to the largest egg. Yes, it is green and will probably have a double yoke. The two Americanas lay the green eggs and were the first to start laying.

We dug our first potatoes the other night. How exciting-- our own potatoes. We only planted one row of yukon gold and red potatoes. They did okay. The soil wasn't amended, so next year we plan to plant two rows and study up on how to increase the production.

I fixed fried potatoes for supper. I was a bit disappointed in the yukon golds. They didn't seem to fry up crispy. Martha Stewart says they are best for mashed potatoes. 

Cucumbers coming out of our ears. Nice red cabbage, and baby new potatoes. 

Today I made bread and butter pickles. Here, they soak in the brine.

8 pints of pickles

The garden is still producing full force, so Sunday night I pick a basket full of goodies for faculty at work. They especially love the eggplant. I had to laugh the other day because some faculty are hoarding eggplant, hiding them their mailboxes in the faculty work room. 

As late as it is in the season, there is a new face in the garden: Heidi Biscuit, I call her. She is a very late bloomer. (I guess she prefers to sleep in) So late, in fact, that she doesn't even poke herself out of the soil until around the 4th of July. When I questioned the nurseyman in the spring complaining that the hibiscus hadn't come up yet, he laughed and said that it would emerge in July. I thought he was nuts. Guess not.

One of the summer' s last blooms, a pretty, dark pink cosmos

The Rudbeckia and blanket flowers have gone to seed quite early. I think they just gave up in the late summer heat. Even my chrysanthemums have already faded.

However, I have several volunteer rudbeckia that are growing strong; of course, they came up from seed much later than the others.

So that was the week that was here in the Garden Spot. Fall is just days away. Finally the temperatures have left the 90s that were just so hard on the garden and (and humans).  I've  ordered my spring bulbs, so we aren't done gardening yet. I already have a list of projects for next spring. 

Hope you all have a fantastic week.