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.

SEPTEMBER SURPRISE

"But now in September the garden has cooled, and with it my possessiveness. The sun warms my back instead of beating on my head ... The harvest has dwindled, and I have grown apart from the intense midsummer relationship that brought it on."- Robert Finch

September is usually fraught with hurricane threats and this one was no different -Dorian slammed parts of the Outer Banks but left us without any damage or rain which we could've used.


September's surprise was the arrival of my youngest and only son Jason and his wife Cecile who have re-located to Chapel Hill. It is great to have family nearby and soon we will be joined by my Sister Linda and my daughter Cathy and husband Randy. I will definitely need a bigger dining table !









My son Jason and his wife Cecile being welcomed to North Carolina .




Meanwhile back in the garden the dry, hot days of summer continued with no rain, even though September marks the beginning of Fall. My days were spent watering and keeping thirsty plants alive.




I am praying for October, rain and cooler weather.

AUGUST MUSINGS

"When summer opens, I see how fast it matures, and fear it will be short; but after the heats of July and August, I am reconciled, like one who has had his swing, to the cool of autumn."

-  Ralph Waldo Emerson 

The grapes and persimmons are ripening and I must rush to pick them before the birds and squirrels try their luck.   In the veggie garden I have harvested most of the ripe tomatoes and I'm picking the green ones to fry and pickle.  The okra has flowered and will soon produce its fruit. The cucumbers and green peppers continue their production as well.

This August has been rather dry compared to last but off and on we've had some rain , albeit , not nearly enough so I had to give the garden supplemental water.  While temperatures are still hot and the humidity high we have brief periods of cooler days as well.  Mornings are often cool with high 50's to 60's.

The Ajuga groundcover has suffered from too much rain in May to not enough in July so I'm  replacing it in the roadside garden with herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage, lavender and oregano which will endure the heat and resist deer.

Most of my roadside garden plants are drought-tolerant -yarrow, artemisia, brazilian verbena, japanese iris, ornamental grass, catmint, asters, euphorbia, and goldenrod, to name a few.  I will replace the black and blue salvia with agastache as it didn't seem to do too well with the heat.

The Pocahontas Lilac I planted in the Spring has survived our heatwave.  Looking forward to seeing it bloom in the coming Spring.  Also hoping that the six camellias I planted and the rhododendron will bloom as well.

Ah September and the countdown to the cooler days of Autumn when Fall planting can begin.

WITHERING JULY

"We go in withering July

To ply the hard incessant hoe;

Panting beneath the brazen sky

We sweat and grumble, but we go."

-  Ruth Pitter, The Diehards

Back in May I promised never to curse the excessive rainfall we had and now I'm wishing for it.   Just watering the garden to keep it alive as the withering July temperatures cause even the sturdiest plant to suffer.

The banana palm is one plant that didn't seem to mind the hot weather.  It's grown to at least 12 feet !.

The "dog days of summer " are especially tough on my black Aussie Duke as his fur seems to hold more heat than other colors.

The weatherman has been wrong in his predictions of rain at least 99 per cent of the time but finally, on July 23 and 24 we got a good soaking rain and the temperatures cooled off into the 80's.  The garden and gardener are both elated !

I am making a note of the least drought-tolerant plants and will replace them this Fall with those that are. The Mexican petunia is one that constantly demands water so its out the door.  I love viburnums but pay the price by having to give them extra water during this heatwave, despite the fact that they are in the shade.  I've planted several rhododendrons only to have them die so I ordered one from Southern Living that so far is holding up to the heat it claims it can.

Farewell and good riddance July.  Hoping for a better month in the garden in August.