November 15
And just like that, summer bid adieu and the autumn mists arrived. It’s made for some pretty spooky afternoons.
Halloween came and went. The mister and I carved a pumpkin for the first time in years and roasted the seeds which we snacked on whilst watching episodes of Endeavour. The face on this pumpkin made us laugh every time we looked at it–I think it was channeling our daily facial expressions since we bought this “fixer upper” of ours.
Fall bulb planting is in full swing. This year I will have added about 500 dillies, crocus, tulips and suchlike which sounds like a lot if you’re a non-gardener but you folks all know how little that is in bulb math.
The gals are still laying just about every day but I imagine they’ll wind down soon and take a much deserved rest. We’ve been winterizing their coop in anticipation of colder nights ahead.
The last of the roses have flowered. If our plants were more mature and received a bit more sun I think they would have even more blossoms on them as we’ve only had one frost so far this autumn. Many members at our recent rose society meeting mentioned that they still have roses flowering in their garden. Perhaps next year we’ll have enough to cut and share on our Thanksgiving table. On that note, if you celebrate Thanksgiving, I wish you a peaceful and enjoyable holiday with your loved ones.
Laurie,
I always look forward to reading your posts! Though a master gardener, I’m fairly new to roses, and in my zone 4 area, I am the only gardener with roses other than rugosas.
So, I love looking at your roses and reading about them and learning their names: often, you post several rose photos and then list their names, which is oh so helpful to me. Seriously, thank you.
P.S. I have Celsiana and Tuscany Superb on order for next spring, because of you!
Wow, that put such a smile on my face that you purchased Celsiana and TS because of this little ol’ blog, thank you! I really hope you like them…they’re still on my favorites list. 🙂 It’s also so encouraging to hear about gardeners in the north trying out roses besides the basic big box store shrub roses that you see everywhere. There truly are so many good ones that are hardy to colder climates, in fact, bloom better because of the cold period–something I’m sure you know all about as Master Gardener!
That pumpkin is very funny! It is heartening to hear you talk about the challenges of your garden. The rose bed I dug out last year and extended a couple of weeks ago turned out to have compacted hardcore only under the turf I was removing. It took about 3 weekends with a pickaxe (amusingly, my “ladies’ pickaxe”) to excavate holes deep enough for roses. I’m glad I didn’t know this when I ordered the roses. Because I had the roses on order, I had no option but to keep on digging, and I’m so pleased I did now.
Anyway, that was a long-winded appreciation of your honesty, and encouragement to keep going because from what I’ve seen, you are making a really beautiful home and garden.
Hahaha oh my gosh, Alison, I am laughing through tears right now. That is so hilarious (ladies pickaxe!) and I can RELATE. Isn’t that the truth about how we sometimes have no option but to just keep on digging? Should that be a bumper sticker? 😉 Your roses, when they’re in bloom next spring, are going to feel even more beautiful to you after all that hard work. Thank you so much for the kind comment…and the chuckle!
LOVE your Fall Mist photos, so beautiful! And your funny pumpkin! And your rose photos are always such an inspiration. I always look forward to your next post. Thank you for sharing your talents!!
Thank you, Linda! That means a lot to me! 🙂