Happy New Year!

As I count down the end of the year, I wish everyone a Healthy and Prosperous 2009 and share one of the last 2008 sunsets from the end of our street.

It's a very sunny but blustery day here in Hunterdon County. We had a record high of 70 on Sunday and now at least a 30 degree difference! A good day to stay indoors and catch up on my blog readings...fun! Also a good time this week to locate (a nice term for turning every drawer and shoebox upside down) and download my daylily photos from this past summer so check back soon! I've been so tempted to order all those year-end sales that offer up to 70%...BUT will restrain myself as I know I won't be able to order just a few....hundred!  Stay warm! 

Amaryllis

Here's another shot of my Thanksgiving amaryllis in full bloom...the pale pink flowers had "diamond dust" (click to enlarge) on them and were so top heavy that one of the stems actually broke off soon after this photo was taken! These blooms are done now but there were three new stems with many more buds...can't wait!

Winter Beauty

A good day to be indoors as travel warnings are in effect due to ice and freezing rain. Of course, it's also a time to appreciate the landscape when the ice crystals reflect so brightly in the sunlight.

I must look quite comical, trudging out there with boots not high enough and freezing my toes AND fingers!  All for a silly blog, eh?

Amaryllis

I chose to pot up some amaryllis bulbs early this year in time for a Thanksgiving display (as we were hosting) and they did not disappoint. The flowers are huge and beautiful, HOWEVER, I had hand picked a red, pink, and white combination but as you can see, the two bulbs blooming are red and red...another case of incorrect labeling. The tips of the third look to be pink...oh well, they are beautiful and brought lots of oohs and aahs from our guests. If you haven't tried these indoor wonders, it's still not too late to find them, even at the local Walmart..and they bloom for weeks and weeks!

Fall Foliage

Various shots of fall foliage while driving about. I love the vibrant red leaves along the water's edge. Luckily I had my camera on hand!

A beautiful carpet of yellow ginkgo leaves in the neighbor's yard.

I'm pleasantly surprised to find this patch of ground cover still in decent bloom this late in the season. Definitely will remember to keep this annual on my "must have" list for next year.

A very late blooming pink anemone with variegated euphorbia in back...

Culinary Institute, New York

October 31...a wonderful day for a drive up the Hudson River. These photos were taken at the Culinary Institute in Poughkeepsie, New York. This "campus" is one of the most beautiful we've visited while college hunting...

The foliage was almost at peak and it was warm, too!

A pretty elaborate fountain in the courtyard...

Storm Damage

Many trees suffered broken branches throughout the yard, due to heavy snow and ice. Our favorite maple tree snapped right down the middle! 








The same maple 2 weeks later. We could not reach that very top broken branch. Will this tree survive? Time will tell, I guess...such a shame.

Snow in October?!?

An early nor'easter on October 28th! Hmm...maybe that's why I was moody!  Six inches of snow and lots of ice damage...is this a preview for a tough winter ahead..?

Please...don't let it snow!















Though the snow covered crabapples sure looked mighty beautiful!

Crabapples and Pots

Interesting what you notice walking around the yard with camera in hand...never really appreciating the beautiful berries on the crab apples up close before!...especially waking up this morning to a dark sleety, snowy day...


















A view from underneath a red maple...

















Pretty pots still doing great a week ago...



















With the garden season coming to an end, I find myself more  moody, frustrated and even depressed.  Hard to explain but I'm guessing all you gardeners can relate...

Clematis

This newly planted clematis was labeled 'Niobe', which is a deep shade of red...NOT!  Oh well, I do love purple! 

Dahlias, Lanterns and Mums...Oh My!

Some beautiful fall bloomers! This dahlia was beautiful one day and after a frosty night, it's a pile of black mush! I 'm so very sad to see the cold weather come but we've had a beautiful fall...still, I'm a southern California girl at heart! More fall photos to post soon...

Very Late Daylilies!

To my surprise, these three daylilies had blooms as late as October 18th! The red is 'Scarlet Orbit', next is 'Apple Crisp' and the single pink with dark eyezone is 'Decatur Cherry Smash'. Funnily, the blooms all survived the cool night and looked just as good on the second day! As you can see, there are still buds on the 'Apple Crisp' but I'm not sure if they will open in the next couple days as our nights are getting below 40's now...oh well, the anticipation of next summer!

Pets and Flowers

I had to share these cute photos...here's our kitty, Lacey, admiring the buddleias and next is Bandit, sitting in the vinca bed a few days before the frost got to them!

Daylilies

Two weeks after planting my mail ordered daylilies, this small fan produced a scape of eight buds! Notice it has only 1 leaf(?)! The flower was about 3 1/2" instead of the described 5" but what a nice surprise to see it bloom so quickly!

Mailbox Planter

'Best in bloom today' is my mailbox planter. The wild goldenrod was too pretty to pull out although I did pinch it back to keep the blooms low. There are so many different varieties of mums to choose from but I always tend to go for the 'daisy" types with their pretty yellow center.

Your mailbox should be the first garden friends see when visiting...don't neglect it!  This planter expands every year (as do all my other planters!) but the more I garden, the more plants I NEED to collect..it's a vicious cycle...but one my mail lady, Sue, enjoys!  Plus, it makes collecting your bills a little easier!

New York Botanical Garden

Below are pictures from the New York Botanical Garden. My first visit and I was amazed the rose garden (in mid Sept.) was in full bloom! The perennial gardens and the greenhouses were beautiful as well. Plan at least 5 hours to tour the grounds if you have a chance to visit. I will definitely be back next summer when the daylilies are in bloom.

This strawberry-colored-amaranth was a new one for me!  NOTE TO SELF:  Must find seeds!  The more common purple globed amaranths remind me of my early childhood. I wore the dried stems as earrings when my ears were pierced.  Funny how certain things jog your memory...even a plant in the garden.

This vine in one of the greenhouses was cool!  And love that fountain!

One day, I will have a solarium (or greenhouse!) so I can fill it tropical blooms while sitting back watching the snow fall...HA!  A gardener can dream...right?!

September Bloomers

A pretty view of the ever popular "Jacob Cline" monarda. This perennial spreads like crazy for me and I try to stagger the height of blooms by pinching it here and there. At peak, it reaches 5 1/2 ft. (fence cap is at 6ft.) and really stands out against the white pickets. It makes a great cut flower, not to mention a hummingbird magnet!

Any zinnia fans out there?  If you're looking for a long lasting annual that is pretty much deer proof, plant zinnias.  Lots and lots of 'em!  This variety has smaller flowers but grow 2-3ft. and here it is still blooming strong in mid-September.  Don't forget, the more you cut, the more they bloom...yeah!!

A Lone Sunflower

This photo was taken right before a storm. The sky had an unusual cast over the garden so, naturally, I had to grab my camera! This sunflower was a volunteer (I've never grown this variety before!) and Mother Nature placed it in a beautiful spot...don't you just love it when that happens? The close up was taken a few weeks later being enjoyed by a very happy bee!

Daylilies

My much anticipated mail-ordered daylilies arrived so I've been busy this week. As usual, I ordered plants without planning ahead (anyone else have this very bad habit?), and found myself unprepared. The bare roots spent two days in water (probably too long) while I cleared out two vegetable beds to make room. It was a shame to pull out my eggplants and green beans but they were pretty sad looking anyway! In all, there are 20 new varieties (mostly late bloomers) so my collection is growing nicely.

Fall is great time to plan your garden for next year.  There's still plenty of work to do if you want spring bulbs to bloom next April/May.  Just because there's not a lot of life going on in the garden doesn't mean YOU stop working!  I'm living and learning...a gardener's motto, eh?

Roses and Daisies

What started out as good intentions have been replaced with just plain lack of interest. The overcast sky this morning made me think it would be "cool" to get an early start on my weeding and deadheading chores but after 10 minutes of it, I am back inside...thank heavens for a/c. 


There is not a breeze in sight and ugh!...the humidity! Oh well, the weeds can wait. I did snap two pretty photos of the day. The Day Breaker rose has been blooming off and on since late May and the Marguerite daisies are back in full bloom after it's 3rd shear of the summer. The statuette is only 18" so the daisies are quite petite. A pretty combination though. 

End of August is always the toughest time for the garden to still be full of life and color.  At least in my garden, anyway.  Guess we'll have to remedy that by planting more late season plants.  There's always 'next year'.  Stay cool, guys!

Last Daylily

The very last daylily to bloom this season is Apple Crisp.
Confess that I purchased this one not in bloom just because I liked the name.
Of course having done that with several plants, there have been
errors with the tags so if I'm mistaken, please feel free to correct me.
I can't wait for this one to get "clumped" up next year!  Grow baby, grow!

Cherry Tomats!

Not a "bloom" but the cherry tomatoes (Sweet Million) looked so pretty in the morning light!  They've reached almost 6ft. and tastes like a burst of sunshine in your mouth!  I ate too many and now have a canker sore...ouch!  What veggies do you grow?