Fall- week 3- October 5

This has been a gorgeous weekend. It has been cool at night but the days are warm. The plant migration indoors continues. All the phalanopsis orchids are inside and I am finding even more spikes (bloom stalks) every day. It really is the case that the shorter nights triggers reproduction in so many plants. I noticed that a little white Christmas cactus was budding up outside. I have a poinsettia from last fall that made it through the year and is all green. The real challenge will be seeing if I can induce blooming for that plant. I understand that it should not be exposed to any artificial light. We’ll see. I will keep it outside until later this month and then we will go away on a late vacation for ten days. I might be able to get 30 days.

It is a busy time in the garden. This weekend I planted some bulbs and a few perennials, moved some hosta around, top dressed some beds with composted manure, started trimming iris, potted up side shoots of some agave plants, divided the yellow clivia (that one plant is now 5- that’s a problem with dividing things). It is exhausting to even reflect upon. Did I mention making a last run through of catalogues? So I just ordered some more plants and will get a last order of lilies done tomorrow. Some of that ordering involves the process of thinking about where to put them. If you order plants to be delivered in the next ten days you have to be a little bit more certain that there are immediately available places.


So here are some photographs of today’s garden.

First here is the little cyclamen flower. You saw the bud last week. We saw an entire carpet of these flowers in Seattle 7 years ago and I have aspired to that ever since I learned that they would grow in zone 5.













Here is Prince Henry, a double pink Japanese anemone. It seems to be later than the tall white ones.














Here is Whirlwind, a double white Japanese anemone. More, more , more.














This spiny critter is a seedpod from the Castor bean.














Finally, following up the spiny theme, here is the water lily crocus, up close and personal.













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In last week’s poll the Blue aster and the toad lily tied with the most votes.


I did see pumpkins at the grocery store this weekend. It is not too early to be thinking about pumpkins. We are certainly going to store them up for winter carving, as the empty plant hooks will soon appear. (If you wonder what in the world I am talking about chekc out the archive for last fall.

Coming soon in the garden will be just about the last flower of the year, monkshood. Look for pictures next week.

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Extra pictures this week include more cyclamen pictures. I planted several varieties last year. Some start with flowers, some with foliage.


























Then there is this new euphorbia called Tasmanian tiger. It is suppose to be zone 5. It did not make it through last winter. Sometimes you just have to keep trying.












More toad lily pictures.



















This wonderful agave sends up these side shoots, which I dutifully pot up only to wonder why I wind up with 20 plants. They are so easy to pot. Who needs roots?







Enjoy the week.

Philip