A MOST WONDERFUL NOVEMBER

 "November comes And November goes,

With the last red berries

And the first white snows.

With night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn

And the kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest

Until next spring."

-  Elizabeth Coatsworth

A most wonderful November in which summer hung on and the garden flourished with ample rainfall and sunshine.  I believe the weatherman said its one of the warmest on record.

I cleaned up overgrown perennials among my boulders.  I love the purple/chartreuse /red combination of euphorbia, purple heart , yellow mums and red autumn sage.

Of course it's Fall and while it takes the poets to write about the glory of autumn the rest of us have to rake them.   A big THANK YOU to the inventor of the leaf blower !

November also marks my 57th wedding anniversary. It seems only yesterday that we wed and yet here we are, surviving through thick and thin.  We certainly proved the old adage wrong that " East is east and West is west and never the twain shall meet. "

This thanksgiving we were blessed to have it outdoors on a farm in the beautiful countryside.  So happy that all my children and my younger sister live nearby and gathered to celebrate our blessings .

Here in the depth of November and near the end of the year I pray for an end to this plaque that has befallen the entire world.  Will we ever be the same again ?  

Thank goodness for my garden where I can find peace of mind and tranquilty in this topsy-turvey world  !

OCTOBER GOLD

 "The stillness of October gold

Went out like beauty from a face." --  

 E. A. Robinson

My 'Appalachian Spring ' dogwood in her October gold coat.

I love the month of October here in central North Carolina.   There's still a lot of life left in the garden -late blooming asters, mums, viburnum, autumn sage, goldenrod and brazilian verbena .  This year it's so mild that the Lantana is hanging on and the bees and butterflies appreciate that.

 Among the boulders -red autumn sage, golden mums, euphorbia and japanese roof iris.

Unlike the dry, hot , scarce rainfall of last summer we were blessed with ample rainfall and the garden was lusher than usual.  The downside of course is that the weeds also thrive and I've spent many a day trying to eliminate them before they get a foothold.  Creeping Charlie-arggggggh !   Trying to plant everything close together to shade out the weeds and eliminate mulching as much as possible.

This may appear to be a natural forest but everything in front was added by me -viburnums, dogwood, elephant ears, carex , and ajuga add color and texture to my front woodland garden.

October is the month when I  look forward to my camellias blooming.

This is the gorgeous 'hana jiman ' in all her glory.  

Call me picky but I only like white or white with pink tinged Camellias.  They really show up well against their shiny dark green leaves.

Now on to November and usually a month when Fall/Winter really begin.

September's Song

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer’s best of weather

And autumn’s best of cheer."

- Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

Ah September and the days grow shorter and cooler. The birds sing loudly outside my window and  I arise early to begin editing my boulder garden which had become overgrown with exuberant Lantana . 

Since we have such a long growing season here I added more evergreens -Mahonia, Japanese  Ligustrum, Lorepetalum, Mugo Pine and golden privet, to name a few. I also want to be able to see the boulders which are native to this area.

The many birds that visit my garden love the bubbling solar fountain.  I don't feed the birds in the summer but providing water is more important as they are able to easily find lots of insects. I just wish they would devour the Japanese beetles.

I ordered a truckload of compost and topsoil to spread over my newly dug garden bed then I topped it with the leaf and pine needle mulch that had been aging over the winter in my front yard forest.

Rainfall has been abundant this growing season and the roadside meadow garden has flourished without much help from me.

            

              Above :  Brazil Verbena in the background, daisies and artemisia ,

               three prolific colonizers in the meadow garden.

I dislike the roundy/moundy mums sold each Fall at the Garden Center and last season I planted hardy garden mums that are now blooming and  brightening up the garden with their lovely yellow color.  I'm going to add some spider mums this Fall but will have to special order then since they're not available at local garden centers.

'Bolero' hardy garden mum , a prolific bloomer and spreading perennial.

Another Fall favorite is Goldenrod which I combine with purple Asters.

In the vegetable garden I sowed seeds of 5 types of Kale, spinach and Chinese broccoli.  I'm going to add some cabbages and leeks as well.  With the occasional use of row covers the winter veggie garden will thrive.  

I used to dread the coming of October in my Chicago garden as it meant the end of the gardening season but here I look forward to it.

 

AUGUST BRINGS A SAD FAREWELL

 "August rushes by like desert rainfall,

A flood of frenzied upheaval,

Expected,

But still catching me unprepared.

Like a matchflame

Bursting on the scene,

Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.

Like a dream

Of moon and dark barely recalled,

A moment,

Shadows caught in a blink.

Like a quick kiss;

One wishes for more

But it suddenly turns to leave,

Dragging summer away."

-  Elizabeth Maua Taylor 

For five months my sweet gardening companion Duke fought valiantly against the lymphoma that finally took over his tired body.  He went from a super energetic Aussie to barely being able to walk.  He was only 5 years old which makes the loss even greater.  And so on August 26 he crossed the rainbow bridge and I can imagine how he  now runs free and easy through the hills and meadows of  doggie heaven.  He will be greatly missed.

          

       Duke with one of his favorite humans,  Lea.  They grew up together.

This August was very hot but we were blessed with plenty of rain.  Just keeping up with weeding was a chore by itself. 

I enjoy sitting on the deck in the evening and watching the hummingbirds fly around the Lantana they love so much.  Bees are also attracted to this colorful shrub that blooms all summer.

Although August brought a sad farewell to my beloved Duke , I  count my many blessings.  All of my children now live close by and my dear younger sister as well.   It is a great comfort to have them here, especially during this horrible year of the pandemic.

Now that August is "dragging summer away " I look forward to the pleasant days of September.

The Ruby Glow of July

"Loud is the summer's busy song
The smallest breeze can find a tongue,
While insects of each tiny size
Grow teasing with their melodies,
Till noon burns with its blistering breath
Around, and day lies still as death."
-  John Clare, July 

I love the sound of  running water in the garden.  I have three frolicking goldfish in my stock tank pond which is surrounded by banana palms and elephant years that provide much needed shade.

Even though July is suppose to be the rainiest month of the year in North Carolina it has seldom lived up to that label since I've been here.  Last July was one of the hottest and driest on record, but this month I was surprised and pleased that we had ample rainfall, despite 25 consecutive days of above 90.  I only had to water a few times and even then the hot temperatures dried it up.

I have planted several different varieties of azaleas and rhododendrons with no luck.   The intense heat is just too much for many of them even though I planted them in the right conditions.  Finally, I have a winner -I was so delighted to see new growth on my 'Formosa ' azalea.  

The 'formosa' azalea can reach heights of 6-10 feet but can be pruned to the desired size.  It's a very hardy specimen that can take the Southern heat.

Another thing that can't take the Southern heat is my Sweet Aussie Duke, my constant gardening companion who follows me about the garden and inspects every new addition.   This month he reached his 5th birthday but his chances of having another one are very slim due to his lymphoma diagnosis.  I am spending a lot of time making him happy and comfortable and it's very difficult to watch this spirited young one decline before my eyes.

Some good news -my eldest daughter and her hubby have relocated here and live only 6 miles away.  Like her mother, Cathy is an artist and amazing gardener.  The acorn doesn't fall far from the Oak.  Our family is now complete -there's 10 of us for Sunday dinners at my house.  I had to buy a second dining table.

The Loveliness of June

"And since all this loveliness can not be Heaven,
I know in my heart it is June."
– Abba Woolson

Can there be anything lovelier than a beautiful day in June in the garden when the plants are enjoying mild temperatures before the scarlet face of July appears and the gardener is able to add new things.

             The garden as viewed from the Lady Banks rose arbor.

No matter how old I get I hope that I will always be able to work in the garden, a task I find most therapeutic. My Aunt Nell, my mother's sister, kept a home and garden 'til the day she passed. She also buried 4 husbands. Bless her heart she was the spittin' image of a strong, Irish woman. 

June saw temperatures in the 60's and plenty of rain, very unusual for this time of the year.  I make it a policy not to complain about too much rain because sometimes we often have too little.  You can water the garden from the hose but it's just not the same as the minerals the rain brings.

As June draws to a close and July promises its usual unbearably hot days I will retire to my studio to catch up on painting.   I will have a virtual art show but the very popular annual Open Studio for artists in this area is on hold this Fall.

July will bring my last remaining daughter to Chapel Hill and my family will be complete.  She's an artist and gardener like her Ma.

May Day

"A delicate fabric of bird song 

Floats in the air, 

The smell of wet wild earth 

Is everywhere. 

Oh I must pass nothing by 

Without loving it much, 

The raindrop try with my lips, 

The grass with my touch; 

For how can I be sure 

I shall see again 

The world on the first of May 

Shining after the rain?" 

- Sara Teasdale, May Day 

May Day and I'm another year older. I'm so easy to buy for -plants, and more plants.

May is always a delightful month in the garden as the season begins in earnest.

Since I was unable to grow a small round patch of grass, due mainly to the dog and the hot Southern climate, I decided to tear it up and create another garden bed full of perennials.



I created a gravel path to run through the garden and one that I hope the dog will use instead of rushing through the beds.

Unlike last year when we had the worse drought since I've been here, rain was abundant.






Started the vegetable garden. Planted Japanese eggplant, romaine, squash, tomatoes, basil and green peppers.

I'm so tired of seeing nothing but 'bloodgood ' Japanese maples . I finally found a Japanese Maple that I liked named 'Summer Gold ' and its suppose to be able to tolerate the Southern heat. It's a dwarf with large gold leaves that turn pink and orange in the Fall. It'd also a good sized 10 year old tree .







With all our rain and early warmth the weeds have out-grown the flowers and I've been constantly after them. Whoever named 'creeping Charlie ' got it wrong - it should be runnning Charlie!


I'm spending as much time as I can with my terminally ill Aussie Duke as he enters the last stages of lymphoma. It is sad to see this once vibrant 4 year old turn into a lethargic dog with a ravenous appetite and constant thirst for water, caused of course by his meds. He mostly sleeps and eats all day.









The boulder garden is full of blooming daylilies, autumn sage and verbena. It is my aim to plant so close together that I don't have to mulch. I cover bare areas with pine straw and shredded leaves.

This year for the first time I had mums blooming in May ! I've never seen them bloom this early but of course we've had a very early Spring, but still I'm accustomed to Mums blooming in late Fall in Chicago.

While we had more than enough rain, and actually way too much, I promised myself I would not complain after last year's terrible drought.

APRIL AND THE GARDENING SEASONS BEGINS

                                     

"Well-apparel'd April on the heel

Of limping Winter treads."

- William Shakespeare

My young dogwood bloomed for the first time this April.  The dogwood is the State flower of North Carolina and one of the best native trees that grow well at the forest's edge.  Thus far I have planted six of them.

April 15 marks the last freeze date and thus the beginning of serious planting in the garden.  Due to the lock-down the local garden center has been busy adjusting to curb-side service and safety precautions for those who want to shop inside.

Walking about the neighborhood I see a new found interest in gardening.  So many projects that were never tackled before are now being done and I see old, overgrown shrubs chopped down and thrown to the curb for pick-up.    A new revival in gardening has rapidly spread and the garden center is busier than ever.

Since I can't go to client's gardens as usual to help with their projects,  I have been busy dividing and transplanting and creating new garden beds in my own garden .  

Meanwhile it's great to see so many flowers blooming this month, and they're about a month early as well.  Below is my clematis 'bee's jubilee ' a very prolific, repeat bloomer.

    Roses blooming in April ?  Indeed, a surprise but there she is, my 'golden showers' climbing rose's first bloom, which was followed by many more.

Meanwhile I set out my tomatoes early and planted some spinach and kale.  Rain has been abundant and the garden looks lush.

I'm behind on my weeding and creeping charlie has started running so I have got to catch him before he takes over !  

March Madness

"Daffodils,

That come before the swallow dares, and take

The winds of March with beauty."

-  William Shakespeare 

Spring is so early this year and with the mild winter we had there's an abundance of  blooms in the garden.  Above is my 'Marisii ' Viburnum and the cobalt-blue Ajuga.

I had so many plans for my garden this year and for my client's as well but those were put on hold with the horrible news of the Corona virus pandemic.   To add to the misery my sweet Awesome Aussie Duke was diagnosed with lymphoma and given a short time to live. He's only 4 years old. My constant garden companion, standing on his favorite boulder and surveying his kingdom.

I'm quarantined at home but I will find solace in my garden as well as painting.  I'm hoping that April and May will bring better news about this horrible pandemic.

February's Face

"Late February days; and now, at last,

Might you have thought that

Winter's woe was past;

So fair the sky was and so soft the air."

-  William Morris  

Yes, hard to believe but that's my Clematis 'armandii' blooming smack dab in the middle of February this year -at least a month early !  Oh, and did I mention the fragrance ? Sweet, sweet clematis !

The daffodils were abundant this year, spreading their golden heads even further than last.  I'm making a note to plant more, along with some purple alliums.

The beautiful Lenten Rose, or hellebores, that I have lining the long walk from the main road to my house, have been blooming all month.  They are spreading quickly and I need to divide and transplant after they finish their long  blooms. I love the fact that their beautiful foliage is spectacular and evergreen.

I love the white Hellebores in my frontyard forest because they show up better than the others.  That's my young, newly planted dogwood in the background.  It's my aim to fill the bare spots in my forest with native dogwoods.

I thought that last summer's drought might have killed most of my Ajuga but thank goodness it didn't.  I love its cobalt-blue blooms.

In my backyard garden this gorgeous, hardy, semi-evergreen groundcover 'Georgia Blue ' creeping Speedwell is a welcome sight this early Spring.  It spreads nicely and I divide and transplant it after it blooms.

Now onto March.

Turning over a new leaf in January

This photo was taken during the hottest, driest summer since I've been here in North Carolina.   It was such a tropical summer that my banana palm actually flowered and bore tiny bananas before the hard frosts of December killed it .
With the exception of several days of below-freezing temperatures in the 20's, December and January have been rather mild and rainy, some days in the high 60's and 70's.
Now that we're in the first month of a new year ,  I , like many others, am planning to turn over the proverbial   " new leaf. "   I am noting which perennials/annuals were able to withstand the terrible summer, how to prevent/destroy Japanese beetles before they get a foot-hold, and a new strategy on squirrel warfare and of course, deer. I need also to address several areas in the garden that have poor drainage due to the downhill slant of my property that invite run-off from the uphill neighbors . 
 In the vegetable garden ( below ) I want to renovate all the beds and rotate crops and improve drainage there as well. The blooming tree in the foreground is a white peach.

In my frontyard forest ( below )  I'm planning to add more ferns and woodland plants. I want to plant more dogwood , witch hazel and fragrant tea olives, to name a few.  The blooming cobalt-blue ajuga is outstanding in the Spring.

Looking forward to the New Year and many plans to work on in the garden.

December's Winter Gems

December in the Piedmont garden can still be quite lovely with such beauties as the above Camellia, the yellow blooms of Mahonia ( below ) and Edgeworthia.

Edgeworthia, aka the Chinese Paper Bush, is a very unique plant which fills the winter garden with its unique form and fragrance.

Perennials such as Artemisia and my late late blooming native aster ' raydon's favorite ' are still striking.

I still see bees buzzing around 'raydon's favorite '  ( above ) aster even in December when there's little left for them .

And lastly, the herbs that remain evergreen year-round are delightful-sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme and oregano.

In the vegetable garden I have savoy cabbage, kale, green onions, and spinach .

I love being able to garden year-round and I'm pleased to say that I have something blooming every month of the year.

Now on to the new year - 2020 !

November's Colorful Dress

My 'appalachian spring ' dogwood in all her November finery .  November is truly the month when Fall begins here.  

The viburnums and crape myrtles are also wearing their lovely Fall colors.  I have late-blooming native asters, vervain, autumn sage, lantana, and mums still in bloom.  I love my dwarf fountain grasses that provide color and texture all season.

                                              
                                       Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Little Bunny'   


This November also brought an early cold spell with temperatures dropping into the freezing zone.  We also had some much-needed rain.

Even as winter draws near the garden still has a lot of life.  I have cabbages, kale , leeks and parsley growing in the vegetable garden.  

The fragrant herbs I planted as a border in the roadside garden to deter deer are spreading nicely and I plan to fill the area with more come Spring.  I added lots of daffodils there as well.

As is my practice I put out suet for the many bluebirds and cardinals that frequent my garden as food is scarce in the winter here.  To deter the pesky squirrels I buy the red pepper flavored suet.

Now on to the last month of this year !  

Don't Fall for October

Each October I seem to expect Fall to suddenly appear as it did in my Chicago home and garden.  I dreamed of cooler and wetter days after one of the hottest and driest summers since I've been here. It was hard to watch some of my plants lose their leaves and luster from the drought.  Lantana ( below ) is one of the most drought-tolerant and attracts bees and butterflies all summer.  Autumn sage is also a great plant for the dry summers.

October did not bring Fall and the dry days continued.  Even though I plant drought-tolerant trees and shrubs they required supplemental watering.

Finally, mid-October brought some much needed rain even though it would've had to rain a lot more to catch up with the drought.    Ah, well, on to November and more hope for rain.