This isn't very pretty, but I want you to see the other side of Bittersweet.  All those vines growing up into the trees are bittersweet.  Pretty aggressive.  The berries are kinda fun, but the vines can choke out everything in their path.  

 

They are not parasitic in the sense that they extract energy from the nearby trees.  They just strangle the trees and steal the sunlight that the trees need for their nourishment.  They do create some interesting swirl patterns on the trunks of the trees.  

Remember Mark's walking stick? 

 

So I guess the plan is to keep a few, and control the overgrowth.  I'm glad there's none growing up my trees. 

 

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

I know this looks pretty:  fall color and all that.  But beware!!!  It is poison ivy growing up this oak tree, and showing its fall color.  If you look closely you can see the hairy roots on the vine.

 

I'm reminding you now because if you are a leaf burner, you really need to check out what's growing up your trees.  You definitely do NOT want to burn these leaves.  The oil that causes dermatitis on your skin can wreak havoc in your lungs.

 

This tree has already dropped all its leaves and the poison ivy has too.  I hope our neighbors just leave them all on the ground to decompose and become new soil.  

 

Sorry to harp on it, but I really don't like poison ivy.  And I want you to stay safe.

 

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

My sister Linda, who lives in Yorktown VA sent me this picture of beautiful fall color there.  It was taken just a few days ago.

 

The trees are on the Yorktown waterfront, and this is where their Farmers Market is held on Saturdays from April to October.  I recognized that little picket fence, and the cottage there.

 

And that fabulous bridge is the Coleman Bridge.  It is the only public crossing of the York River, and connects Yorktown to Gloucester Point.  

 

I love this picture, and thought you would like to see how pretty it is right now in Yorktown.

 

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

 

 

I have been checking on this bittersweet for the last few weeks.  It has had yellow seed pods for the last month, but I was waiting for them to pop open to show all these red berries.  I like this picture best of all that I took, but I'm not sure it gives you the real picture.  

 

Truly, bittersweet is an aggressive vine that takes over much of what it touches.  It climbs up the trees and drapes itself over everything in its path.  It is everywhere.  That part we don't love, but these red berries we do love.  When the yellow shells crack open, they reveal red berries, and it is beautiful, and so very Autumn.

 

Look around, look up.  It is probably all around you, and in early November it is yellow and red and beautiful.  

 

 

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!

 

 

Just look how pretty this maple tree is.  It is almost at the top of Clifford's Hill, and I couldn't help stopping to take a picture. I love how it displays all the colors at the same time.  And next week it will probably be bare.  That's Fall for you.

 

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!! 

 

Here's the best fall picture, yet.  I took this picture from my neighbor's driveway at the top of the community.  Looking straight out you can see the north Georgia mountains, and a couple of lakes.  See that hill in the foreground?  That's OUR mountain.  The tall trees that you see just before the hill drops off beyond, are MY hickory trees.  The ones that are getting ready to drop all their leaves in the garden.  

 

You can't see any houses there now, but when the leaves drop you'll be able to see our village of 5 or 6 houses on top of our little mountain.  

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

When we were walking in the park last week, we noticed the Baldcypress trees changing color.  They were gorgeous!!!  

 

Baldcypress trees are fascinating.   Taxodium distichum is a nonevergreen conifer.  It drops its flat needlike leaves in the fall after turning this gorgeous color.  My Peterson Field Guide says about Baldcypress that once you see a tall stand of them, you will not soon forget how they are related to the giant Redwoods.  Majestic, it says.  

 

It is one of the most valuable lumber trees because it is straight-grained, durable, and doesn't warp easily.  It is used for construction work, railroad ties, posts, shingles.

 

But THE most fascinating thing to me is this:  Baldcypress can grow to 120 feet, and live mostly in southern swamps.  In deep water, "knees" will form to get air to their roots.  We've seen lots of these in First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach.  And the water around the knees is the color of root beer.   This tree lives near a creek, but has no knees that we've seen.

 

I hope you get to see some Baldcypress trees in your travels.  They are fabulous.

 

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

 

 

 

These are the beautiful Gingko trees at the church in Blairsville.  We drive through that parking lot every year in November just to see these trees.  I love them.  They are pretty when they are green, but they are magnificent in the fall when they do this.  In a few weeks they will drop their leaves, and even then, the trees are pretty and recognizable with their unique silhouette.

 

Beautiful in spring, summer, fall, and winter.

 

 

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!

 

This is what garlic looks like when you order it from Sow True Seed.  This is SEED garlic, grown specifically for planting.  We are looking at 1/2 pound each of Bavarian Purple, Chesnok Red, and Music bulbs that I ordered back in August.  I just got it in the mail a couple days ago.  I have planted store-bought organic garlic before, but I think we have better luck with seed garlic.

 

We prepped the rows by adding a little compost and some crushed eggshells.  Then I planted the cloves (pointy ends up) about 2 inches deep, and covered them with a few inches of wheat straw from Home Depot.  When the hickory trees drop their leaves, there will be another inch or two of mulch on top to keep everything warm through the winter.

 

I will let you know when they start sprouting in the spring.  Then we can watch it grow until time to harvest in July.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This is the corner below George's house.  There are Hickories, Oaks, and lots of tulip poplars on this corner.  There is also a big fat poison ivy that I've shown you before.  Today, I want to show you the hickory tree in its glory.

 

As we came down the road, the sun was shining on the yellow leaves and they glowed.  I tried to capture that in the picture, but this is what I got.  Pretty as a picture, just not the same as in person.

 

Wish you were here.

 

HAPPY FALL!!!