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Ilona's Garden Journal




October

Sentiments of the Season, October

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I don’t know if I end up thinking how gorgeous the days are more in spring, summer or autumn, but I know I’ve been thinking this thought a lot during the past few weeks of this autumn. I happened upon an older post about the Kigo of Japanese Haiku which celebrated late summer and started to think about what the emblems of autumn might be as I enjoy the look, smell and feel of these October days.

The Apple

Admittedly our modern life interferes with the clarity of a seasons character. I think of the apple for our Midwestern fall instead of the Japanese fruits of persimmon or kumquats. In Japanese Kigo both apples and pears are featured, and so it would be in thoughts of our autumns. I think I have waxed exuberant over the apple at times in this blog, an apple in season is full of juice and is a thing of joy in the many dishes that feature it. It probably is influential that I have a self seeded apple tree with Macintosh type apples outside my kitchen window- thanks to the old compost pile that was once situated there.

Autumn grass/ Flowers of grass

Those are certainly part of Autumn’s voice. Grasses which grow tall along the verge of fields or in unmown roadside ditches wave gracefully with their late summer bleached flower heads and blades. They become wispy and faded to a uniform pale tan and their outlines stand out against harvested fields. They certainly are emblems of my autumns.

Acorns

Red Oaks have some color

Oak foliage may not color well, but they are indelibly associated with fall through their nuts, the acorns. And I can’t help but jump in thought to the diligent squirrels who busy themselves gathering up all the acorns they can and provide us with new plantings when they forgot one or two of their stashes! I think those squirrels are so cute until I remember how they consume all my crocus and most of my tulips…then they take on a sinister character in my mind, but still, they are part and parcel of a picture of our autumns.

Mushrooms

This is taken from the list of Japanese Kiyose for autumn. It is ours, as well since lately I’ve seen lots of mushrooms sprout after a very dry summer. Not as many here in my yard as those in newly constructed road boulevard dividers- where there must have been lots of compost material added.

 The colors of mushrooms certainly are in harmony with the field colors of October. We don’t find the shades of neutral grays and beige until November; October is a pretty colorful month.

Collage of scenes from autumn walks in the woods-click to view
Fringe Tree

My Sweet Cherry Tree

Maples

Speaking of how colorful it is in October, I think of Maple trees, whether the lemony yellow of the silver maple, the flaming crimsons and orange of the Sugar Maple, or the almost translucent vermillion of the Japanese maples or the Red maples. Maples reign during our autumns, even in less colorful years ravaged by droughts and other climate calamities.

These are some of the most obvious motifs of fall, but I almost forgot the most ubiquitous of all: bright orange pumpkins!  And all their competing relatives of gourds, and squashes, along with the variant colors of white or pink pumpkins. And Indian corn! There is an American icon for you, if you live in this part of the States, anyway.

In times past the shocks of corn in the fields, a sight only seen in Amish country now, lent an air of harvest thankfulness to the season. I don’t know if most younger kids even know what a corn shock is…. !

What else makes me reminisce of fall?

And maybe the moon is most tied to our autumns in a way it isn’t in any other season. I’m not sure why, but the Harvest Moon is depicted in almost every Halloween picture and given first place in thoughts of fall (next to foliage and pumpkin crops, of course).

Those are likely the central symbols around which I’d create an autumn vignette.

Here are more of my seasonal pictures of past autumns:

Leadwort

Pyracantha

Christmas fern

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© 2012 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

Underestimated Flowering Shrubs

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witch hazel
Witch Hazel ushers in Spring

On the whole, deciduous, flowering shrubs get short shrift in modern gardens. We know about lilacs and weigelas, perhaps, but are often discouraged from planting them given “lack of seasonal interest” as the rationalization for such advice.

It is true that some of them shine only when in bloom.

Flowering shrubs take a large space, and maybe that requires more planning and a good preparation for their planting, but the intermediary position of shrubbery gives a solid visual step between lawn and perennials and trees. There are some flowering shrubs that have memorable and evocative scents, the characteristic, I’m sure, that led to past generations loyal love for them.

110417_BotanischerGarten 109
Bridal spirea

Think about placing a couple well chosen shrubs in your own yard this fall, since fall time is perfect for planting and the first couple weeks of October are ideal for it.

List of Flowering Shrubs

Therese Bugnet Shrub Rose
Therese Bugnet Rose

A short list of flowering shrubs

What can these shrubs do for your yard?

Doublefile Viburnum "Shasta"
Doublefile Viburnum “Shasta”
  • They can increase the value of your home by adding to the curb appeal. Who doesn’t love to see a flowering bush in full glory?
  • They definitely increase your pleasure in your garden when they have a perfume that makes you feel like you are in heaven.
  • They create visual balance between ground level and the height of trees or the top of the house.
  • Besides providing privacy or screening, they can “direct traffic” on the property.

Seasons Of Interest

Their flowers may coincide with the blossoms of trees or perennials, but they may also provide a bridge when little else is blooming.

Another reason I think shrubs are underestimated is the strength they give to a landscape design aside from their obvious beauty when flowering. These are woody plants for the most part, and they may have good fall color or persistent berries that give winter color.

Giving birds cover and food increases the value of their inclusion in your garden.

Have I persuaded you yet? Are you considering enlivening the evergreen foundations plantings with a deciduous shrub or two? Or adding a group of bushes to screen an unpleasant view and yet allow light into the garden?

Look around your and make a priority out of giving shrubs their due in your landscape.

Past posts about shrubs:

Beauty Bush
Lilacs
Purple Leaf Sand Cherry
Lonicera Fragrantissima, Winter Honeysuckle
New Shrubs From Old
From Joanne: Privet, winter Honeysuckle, and Winter Hazel

 

Endless Summer Hydrangea with Frances Williams Hosta
Endless Summer Hydrangea with Frances Williams Hosta

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© 2012 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.

I took a Blog Vacation

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I am in the 900 block of posts right now, 903 to be exact, and I made the first experimental blogpost on September 9th in 2003. Those were the days when I might post two or three things a day… in a freeform sort of way. The first one with any real content was later that day, I called it “OK” because half the time the blogposts weren’t titled. And I didn’t use photos or pictures hardly ever.

So, last month I passed the eighth year anniversary of my Garden Journal, here.  Eight is the number of the start of a new order, the beginning of a new era. Eight represents regeneration and resurrection.

I’m telling you about the old days of blogging because I just sort of slipped into a longer than usual break, and realized that I needed to step back from the many online projects I juggle.

It didn’t help that this gardening season wasn’t the best. I was gone from the garden quite a bit, and this year I just plain felt overworked.

Have you ever had that feeling?

Still, it felt good when I did work hard doing work in the RL garden. Helen Weis posted a neat picture “Unplug and GO OUTSIDE” it said. It is restorative to go outside and just enjoy the great outdoors… getting work done at a sane ( as opposed to insane) pace.

I am very sorry to have neglected my friends… and much else, but I needed the time. I hope no one begrudges me that . I don’t think anyone would, really.

What were the accomplished chores?

I weeded like a crazy woman. And then called in the recruits.

I pruned – broken and dead branches, overgrown shrubs, then did some edging and set the mowers in motion (I no longer do the mowing).

Together we trimmed up the badly damaged willow tree. That was quite a bit of work, but it looks passable now. We gathered and burned bonfires of broken branches from everything downed by winter’s ice storm to the two violently wild summer storms we had this year. The trees are a fraction of their former selves, but this is nature’s way.

The garden is groomed…gone from its unkempt slatternly ways to a decently presentable visage. Not perfect, but much,much improved.

I reinstated some things in the blogs, too. Still needs tweaking and then I hope to pursue it throughout the coming year. Was a little consternated with the recipe component of the website -but it seems to work now. Why do so many of these thngs appear to work and then oopsy the gremlins get in there and it suddenly doesn’t? I wanted to photograph some scenes and do a nice blogpost for fall…but went to IKEA instead and we are updating our guestroom area.

Fall isn’t over, so I might yet pull some things together with this blog.

It’s October already. wow!

Missed you all, but the break did me a bit of good. How are things with you? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2011 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.

Autumn Morning Musings

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Finally, the rain came, not to slake the thirst of the earth, but just to moisten the tongue. The month began with some of the mists and morning fog that often shrouds the morning of an autumn day in Ohio; the leaves dropped in mostly brown tones, and the chrysanthemums and asters came on smaller and turned to deadheads sooner. Yet, in spite of all that, the October days have been lovely.

One afternoon I took time in the middle of the day to sit and stare upward. Through the trees fading leaves was a Swedish blue sky with a glinting pale wheat sun. All was quiet and restful, all was waiting in that transition when time and conditions stand suspended between the season of harvest and the season of dormancy and the onslaught of the cold season. Now the wind is quiet, and the leaves sift lazily through warm air, just touched with the crispness of the season.

I had time to catch the swift climb of two small birds creeping up the side of the engraved bark of the maple tree. I watched them spiral quickly from the trunk,up a branch and then disappear from view. This is the second unusual bird noticed this fall.

The soybean fields further south are still to be harvested, but here the corn and beans have all been cleared from the fields and the fall plowing ( for those who still practice it) has begun. I think this is the best way to farm this ground, turning up the earth to winterkill insects and ready the soils for next years plantings. the soil is often too wet in Spring to work, and when there are heavy rains, all the chemicals the no-till farmers are dependent upon wash away. Aside from that, I love to see the dark gray soils in their deeply cut clods turned up for winter’s snows.

As you can see in the second set of pictures, the sweet gum trees are not to be denied their autumn garb of flashy color. Not drought, not unseasonably warm weather, will drab down their splash of scarlets, and oranges.

I have had too few days to sit and observe the season’s change, and too few to record it in my journal. The days have been busy and burdened with many obligations to clean and ready for the coming winter. But here, for you, is the sum of those that I most enjoyed.

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© 2010 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. Copyrights apply.

Just a Word On Autumn

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trees turn color Yesterday as I went abroad for supplies to round out my little family party, I was struck by the way the height of Autumn had visited so suddenly. It had been announcing itself for weeks, as my photos have tried to capture, but as rain moved in and I traveled to the more protected spaces of the city my eyes were almost assaulted by the orange, gold, and scarlets of the trees and bushes.

I hurried by in the confines of the car, but wanted so much to drink up and be drunk with the color of the moment. I find my weakness is gluttony of beauty, especially the ephemeral seasonal beauty. Greedy for each view, wanting to hoard it in my mind, as if it were not the manna that it is … not something to be kept beyond the experience of the particular day.

Perhaps the leaves were all the brighter for the gray skies and dreary drizzle which misted down. The leaves are fast falling now from the trees, and I expect we will soon be greeted by November’s aspect which seems to be prematurely advancing this year.

As fine as photography is, even the most professional cannot fully capture the experience of a Midwestern, not to mention New England, fall color display. There is a certain reverberation which the October atmosphere fairly shimmers with, that is picked up by the sense and not captured in film. Maybe it is the additional layers of autumn scent, I can’t say what goes into this intoxicating brew, but I know this is the reason so many of us love autumns.

On a side note: I couldn’t help but pick up some last minute mums that were on sale- more for the blooms in the next year, than for any hope of this year’s garden. Nothing accentuates the burst of tree colors like the chrysanthemum; but nothing rivals them, and the mums can only play second fiddle no matter how hard they vie for attention. The trees are fully regal queens and divas in this season, while merely background or supporting players in other times of year.

I love trees. And Autumn is their finest hour.

October’s End

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It is time to copy the tips from the sidebar for posterity and get ready to post new garden tips for November and the fast approaching winter. I enjoyed my day trip to Old Man’s Cave this past month with the roadside pumpkin display and the long walk; now I am deciding what diversions to take in November.
Then there are the containers to plant for the season, and the holiday greenery later! A gardener never finds a lack of things to do, and it is certain that boredom is never necessary. A gardener will always find something to do, and something of interest to entertain their mind.

October is the time to “Think Bulbs“, of course, or more accurately “Plant Bulbs“. I especially love lots of the minor bulbs.

Quicklist: *plant bulbs in groups of ten or more * add bonemeal when planting* large trench for numerous bulbs saves time * “layer” bulbs like larger daffodils at bottom, cover halfway, and crocus over top, cover with remaining soil * choose a site with good drainage and enough sunlight

Plan to use xeriscaping ideas; wait til after freeze to mulch your plantings.

Apple season is starting, want some Autumn Abundance Recipes? Maybe information on some of the apple varieties available?

Plan your autumn chores and appreciate some of the seasons highlights.

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