MrVintageMan: Happiness on the downhill side of life!

This week in the garden: autumn planting

Posted on October 3, 2020 by John Kevin Hickey

Even though the garden is winding down for the season, there is still a fair bit of gardening still to be done by the gardener. And I am not just talking about raking up fallen leaves. The lawn needs to be aerated and fall fertilizer put down before the really cold temperatures arrive. Tools need to be cleaned and oiled before they are stored away for next year. And the sprinkler system needs to be shut down and garden hoses stowed away.

While it is true that all of these things still need to be done, when I say that there is some gardening still to be done, what I mean is that now is the perfect time to put some more plants into the borders.

Most gardening experts state that autumn is the best time to plant most trees, shrubs and perennials. Transplants apparently do better when planted in the fall. When a plant is put in the ground in spring, the plant has to divide its energy between developing roots at the same time it’s growing foliage; whereas in autumn it can focus on developing roots because it “knows” that the days are growing shorter so there is no need for leaves and flowers.

I bought most of the plants you see below on sale. If you wait until late summer to buy plants, most nurseries will have their woody and perennial plants on sale for 30% or more. Of course, if there is a particular plant you want and you wait until they go on sale there is a chance that it may no longer be in stock.

I’ve been nursing these plants through the dry, hot summer for WEEKS! Some of them look a little worse for wear but they should bounce back fine.

The weather finally moderated enough that I was able to finally put these babies into their new homes. I’ve been watering these poor plants through the hot days of July and August, and they looked a little threadbare when I put them in the ground. As long as I continue to water them on a regular basis for the next few weeks, they should do just fine.

Here I am putting a perennial sunflower called “Maximillian’s sunflower” in the drive way border. This particular variety, known as “Santa Fe”, is supposed to grow 6-8 feet tall and wide and bloom in September.

Here I’ve got a low growing black chokeberry called “Low Scape Mound”, and it’s going into the old veggie garden border. This shrub will grow to 3-4 tall and wide. The berries are supposed to be very bitter (hence the name “chokeberry”) but the birds will find them more palatable in late winter, after the berries have shriveled up. This is a shrub with three seasons of interest: white flowers in spring, shiny black berries in late summer and really good autumn color.

I’ve got several of these *Liatris,* also known as “Blazing Star”. *Liatris* is a native of the American plains, and blooms with purple spikes in late summer. I’m putting them in groups of three in different parts of the long border. in the backyard.

A month or so Ago, I posted how I wasn’t thrilled with the wall of blue and purple provided by the Russian sage and blue globe thistle here in the back corner of the long border. So I dug some of the Russian sage out, and replaced it with this late summer-blooming goldenrod (var. *Fireworks*).

Just to the left of the pot holding this “Heavy Metal” switchgrass you can see the carcass of its predecessor. I put three switchgrasses in the section that the old serviceberry called home, but only two survived. So this grass is to replace the dead one.

And this guy, popping up in the driveway border, is not a new plant at all. These are the leaves of a bulb that will actually bloom in the spring. I think it’s a crocus or hyacinth, guess I’ll find out for sure in about 5 months!

Posted in Autumn, Gardening, This week in the garden | Tagged autumn planting | Comments Off

Autumn sights seen around town

Posted on September 27, 2020 by John Kevin Hickey

Now that the temperatures have moderated, I have found it the motivation to get outside and enjoy some physical activity. I’ve been riding my bicycle more, and have started walking on the days that I am not riding.

During my jaunts I have noticed a colorful side-effect from the heat and drought that we have suffered here in Colorado on many of the “wild” trees and shrubs (by wild, I mean vegetation that receives no supplemental watering) in town. Plants in the drier areas seem to be reaching their peak fall foliage splendor already, several weeks earlier than usual. I haven’t been up in the mountains to verify this, but the rumor is that many of the aspens are also already hitting their peak color, which is at least a week early.

The hot weather and lack of rainfall have so stressed these trees and shrubs that they’ve already decided to call it quits for the year.

Their more pampered cousins in parks and residential areas are still predomintly green, with only stray bits of color scattered here and there in their canopies. These trees probably won’t hit peak color for a few more weeks yet.

The city in which MrsVintage and I reside is not known for its culture, but it does have an award winning xeriscape demonstration garden by the municipal center. I swung by it on a recent bicycle ride. An oasis of tranquility right in the heart of town.

Posted in Life | Tagged autumn, autumn foliage | Comments Off

Welcome back autumn, you’ve been missed

Posted on September 22, 2020 by John Kevin Hickey

“I love the fall. I love it because of the smells that you speak of; and also because things are dying,
things that you don’t have to take care of anymore, and the grass stops growing.”
– Mark Van Doren

Autumn is perhaps the season that lends itself best to introspection. Winter is to be endured, spring is full of anticipation, while summer is the season of having fun. Autumn, on the other hand, is a season of transition. It is the season that seems to make us most aware of our mortality. How can it not? The days grow shorter, the temperatures drop, the garden falters and fails, trees stand bare against the sky and many bird species begin their migration to points south thus taking their songs with them. Silence reigns.

Life everywhere begins to go dormant in preparation for the cold, dark months ahead. Thus we become cognizant of the passage of time and begin to wonder just how many more autumns lie ahead for ourselves.

Yet, though autumn can be a melancholy season, nature provides us with perhaps the most beautiful display of the year as a recompense. Beyond the brilliant foliage on trees and shrubs, there is beauty to be seen below our noses. Asters, sedums and goldenrods reign supreme. Wild sunflowers dot roadsides and empty lots, while the stately plumes of ornamental grasses stand tall. It really is a gorgeous time of year.

Robin, must you leave?
Autumn sun still warms my skin,
Dry leaves flee the coming storm
– MrVintageMan

Besides, autumn is not really a death knell. Even though the trees grow bare and the world grows still, life is still here. The trees are merely sleeping, dreaming of the time when they can burst forth in their emerald splendor once again. Animals that are more cold hardy can still be seen or heard, if one just pays attention. One might see a red flash as a fox darts through a field of tawny grass; or hear the honk of geese who make the frozen lakes and streams nearby their winter homes.

Autumn is truly both a time of reflection and of wonder.

To celebrate the arrival of the best season of the year, I’d like to share a few of my favorite autumn photos that I have taken over the years. Enjoy!