Look at the Beautyberry this year.  Isn't it gorgeous?  These branches are spilling out onto the sidewalk.

 

Birds and deer will eat the berries as survival food when there is nothing else.  I looked it up, and there are over 160 species of Beautyberry, most of them in Japan, but that's a lot of different species.  Wikipedia also said that there is a chemical in Beautyberry that repels mosquitoes.  That's a good reason to plant one in your garden.  Besides, they are so pretty this time of year.

 

You can see this bush in the parking lot at the Blairsville Methodist Church.  We go through the parking lot at all times of year, to see what's blooming or fruiting, or showing fall color.  Our friend Beverly landscaped the grounds years ago, and there is always something pretty to see.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Here it is:  our October haybale.  Jon and I painted it on Wednesday.  

 

We ran out of yellow paint, so I painted a wide black outer rim.  But then the bats didn't show up.  ACK!!!  We had to go get some more yellow.  Then when I painted yellow over the black, you know what I got?  GREEN!!!  

 

So we used the whole can of yellow spray paint to finish the full moon, then outlined it with a thin line of black.  Looks good though, doesn't it?  

 

I'm glad our neighbors let us do this.  We have SO much fun.  

 

HAPPY OCTOBER!!!

 

Look what the Hydrangeas do in autumn.  

 

Not all hydrangeas do this, but these turn rusty pink.  They start out bright white, and stay white all summer, then fade to this lovely rust color in the fall.

 

I've shown you these before.  These hydrangeas are planted in a huge hedge.  They stand about 15 feet tall, and the hedge is probably 50 feet in length.  I love seeing them at all times of the year.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Can you believe it?  September is almost gone!!!  And soon we'll be seeing fall colors everywhere.

 

Well, the Red maples in the Methodist Church parking lot are starting to change to their October glory.  I think that's their variety name.  They are truly spectacular, and worth the ride to Blairsville to see them.  You can also see the maples in the Home Depot parking lot changing.

 

I know you are watching for fall color.  Take pics and send them to me.  We can share them here on the website.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Look at this beautiful chrysanthemum we bought today at Gracie's Nursery.  

 

I know you've seen them on the right on your way to Blairsville.  Christina plants seedlings in June and July and takes care of them until they sell out.   They always have the most beautiful mums.  She works magic with chrysanthemums.  You should stop and look at them up close.  Gorgeous.  

 

We saw some in the Walmart for 20 dollars.  They were pretty, but they were all yellow and mostly fully bloomed.  Then we stopped on our way home at Gracie's and bought this one for 27 dollars.  It has 3 different color flowers, and it is just starting to bloom.  It will be beautiful for another whole month.  

 

We parked it right outside the front door, so we can see it a lot.  Love this time of year.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We love to do something with all our produce.  So, we eat some and preserve some.  These are my go-to books for Home Preserving:  Ball Blue Book and Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  I wrote an article a few weeks ago about canning apple sauce and tomato sauce.  We use a pressure cooker for most of our canning, like tomatoes and green beans and pickles.  And so far, these resources have been enough.

 

Recently, a friend in Virginia sent us a link to a fun site about dehydrating garden produce.  The site is Rose Red Homestead.  I started watching a video, and was thrilled with some of her recipes.  We have a simple dehydrator that we use to make blueberry raisins, but now I know lots more than I did about blanching, dehydrating, and preserving foods.  I learned how to dehydrate celery, onions, apples, potatoes, and so much more.  Hey!!!  I can dehydrate peppers!!

 

The presenter also cited the USDA source that she uses for reliable information:  National Center for Home Food Preservation.  Good to know.

 

If you are interested in dehydrating garden produce, or Farmers' Market produce, or even good deals from the grocery store produce, go to Rose Red Homestead

and enjoy a new way to preserve food for your pantry.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

Wow!!!  We have peppers.  I don't know why I planted so many, except that we have the space, and this year we had so many successful seedlings.

 

I planted lots of sweet red bell peppers, and Giant Marconi, (they are sweet too.)  I like the sweet ones, especially roasted on the grill.  I also planted way too many Anaheims,  pictured above.  They are the ones you use for Chile Rellenos.  And 4 Jalapeño peppers, because Jon loves them.  I don't like hot peppers, I don't even like to touch them.  But I can grow them all day long, and this year they are doing so great!!!

 

The good news is:  they freeze well, so we can save them til spring when the cilantro comes up, and make salsa.  

 

Our garden is happy still, even though it's been a little cool the last few nights.  I hope your garden is doing well too.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

It bloomed about 10:30.  Isn't it gorgeous?  Yes, it is!!!  It is always exciting when this happens.

 

The flower is about 8 inches across, and the pinkish petals in the back curl backward.  So the whole thing is enormous, and very fragrant.  I could smell it as soon as I opened the door to step outside.  I wonder if the right kind of moth to pollinate it lives around here.  If any do live close by, I'm sure they could smell it too, and came running.  I didn't stay up long enough to see that.

 

I did stay awake for the grand opening though, and it was so great, I had to get Jon up to come see it.  He said he was glad I did.  

 

We had three big bloom nights this year, but this is probably the last one.  I knew you'd like to see it.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I am so excited!!!  

 

My Night-blooming Cereus is getting ready to bloom again this year.  This is a beautiful stage in itself, but when it blooms, it takes your breath away.  

 

Sharon gave me a cutting of her plant years ago, and it has been blooming for the past three years.  This is a good story:  Sharon got the plant from her grandmother, who brought it with her to Norfolk from Okracoke, NC, before Sharon was born in 1950.  So, her plant is over 70 years old.  

 

The plant itself isn't what you would describe as lovely, but the blossoms are so breathtaking that it doesn't even matter.  I am continually cutting mine back, and trying to contain it, because it lives in the basement all winter, and it takes up a lot of space if you don't cut it back.  

 

I will try to get another picture when it blooms, if I can stay up that late.  The bloom opens about 11 pm, and wilts by 4 am.  It looks like it might do it tonight.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I was reading back through the archives on Sunday morning.  I don't want to repeat myself, so I check them occasionally.  Truth is, I enjoy reading back through older blog posts.  

 

I wrote about this tree back in 2017, and I said it is an Indian Trail Tree.  In that blog I hyperlinked The Trail Tree Project.  Well, I clicked on the link, and  The Trail Tree Project  is still a working site.  So I submitted this picture to them, and I got back a response that same afternoon.  Here's the response:

 

 

I kinda wish he had commented on my cool picture with the sunlight filtering through the trees, but...anyway,

 

I still find it very interesting, even though my original post was wrong.  We all get to learn something new every day, if we just ask the right questions.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!