Fall flowers and foliage

As we journey through October, the weather is becoming colder, and the fall rains come and go. The garden is slowly putting itself to bed for the winter, but we're still enjoying late blooms on some of the plants. My group of Aster 'Little Carlow' is just past its best now, but its intense violet daisies have been a standout for the last month. Next year I will remember to chop them to half height in June. They'll bloom a little later, but will be sturdy enough not to be knocked over by wind and rain. I've had to tie them up this year, which means they lose some of their natural grace, hence the close-up.

As long as I continue to deadhead Penstemon 'Garnet', it keeps on producing more spikes of lipstick-pink bells, although it has slowed the pace somewhat. This is my favourite penstemon, not for the colour, but because it has this never-say-die quality. It also flops less than many newer varieties in subtler shades. In its one season here, it has grown substantially and is crowding out an oregano nearby, which really needs cutting back. I've left the latter because the bees love its flowers so much, but it's time to find it a home elsewhere.

 

Aconitum carmichaelii 'Arendsii', buried behind some phlox over the summer, came into its own in early September and its electric blue spires are still standing tall against the fence. It gets less sun here than I expected, but that doesn't seem to have affected its enthusiasm.





























On the opposite fence a young Clematis rehderiana has produced a few of its tiny, fragrant, pale yellow bells.

 

In future years it will cover the fence and the scent of many such flowers will infuse the garden.

I recently bought Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' to add its pristine white into this autumnal mix. This is a plant that normally holds its flowers on tall, willowy stems, but mine is looking disappointingly dumpy. It was potbound enough to need some trimming and untangling during the transplant so I hope that is at the 'root' of its problem and that next year it will fulfill my expectations. These anemones have a reputation for not knowing their place, but I've never known 'Honorine' to outgrow its allotted space. Like the white-flowerd forms of many plants it is less vigorous than its more colourful relatives.

In front of the house, the lavender has grown to more than twice the size it was when I planted it. I've clipped it for the winter, but next year the individual bushes should merge into the low hedge I have in mind.

 

Also in front, a little onion, that my friend Lambert recommended, Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa', is flowering bravely away against the foliage of Hydrangea 'BeniGaku'. It needs a suitable companion that won't overwhelm it (perhaps a dark-leaved Sedum).

Speaking of 'Beni-Gaku, the leaves on my larger specimen of this in the backyard are turning deep crimson.

Not to be outdone, peony foliage is doing much the same.

Fall flowers and foliage

As we journey through October, the weather is becoming colder, and the fall rains come and go. The garden is slowly putting itself to bed for the winter, but we're still enjoying late blooms on some of the plants. My group of Aster 'Little Carlow' is just past its best now, but its intense violet daisies have been a standout for the last month. Next year I will remember to chop them to half height in June. They'll bloom a little later, but will be sturdy enough not to be knocked over by wind and rain. I've had to tie them up this year, which means they lose some of their natural grace, hence the close-up.

As long as I continue to deadhead Penstemon 'Garnet', it keeps on producing more spikes of lipstick-pink bells, although it has slowed the pace somewhat. This is my favourite penstemon, not for the colour, but because it has this never-say-die quality. It also flops less than many newer varieties in subtler shades. In its one season here, it has grown substantially and is crowding out an oregano nearby, which really needs cutting back. I've left the latter because the bees love its flowers so much, but it's time to find it a home elsewhere.

 

Aconitum carmichaelii 'Arendsii', buried behind some phlox over the summer, came into its own in early September and its electric blue spires are still standing tall against the fence. It gets less sun here than I expected, but that doesn't seem to have affected its enthusiasm.














On the opposite fence a young Clematis rehderiana has produced a few of its tiny, fragrant, pale yellow bells.

 

In future years it will cover the fence and the scent of many such flowers will infuse the garden.

I recently bought Japanese anemone 'Honorine Jobert' to add its pristine white into this autumnal mix. This is a plant that normally holds its flowers on tall, willowy stems, but mine is looking disappointingly dumpy. It was potbound enough to need some trimming and untangling during the transplant so I hope that is at the 'root' of its problem and that next year it will fulfill my expectations. These anemones have a reputation for not knowing their place, but I've never known 'Honorine' to outgrow its allotted space. Like the white-flowerd forms of many plants it is less vigorous than its more colourful relatives.

In front of the house, the lavender has grown to more than twice the size it was when I planted it. I've clipped it for the winter, but next year the individual bushes should merge into the low hedge I have in mind.

 

Also in front, a little onion, that my friend Lambert recommended, Allium thunbergii 'Ozawa', is flowering bravely away against the foliage of Hydrangea 'BeniGaku'. It needs a suitable companion that won't overwhelm it (perhaps a dark-leaved Sedum).

Speaking of 'Beni-Gaku, the leaves on my larger specimen of this in the backyard are turning deep crimson.

Not to be outdone, peony foliage is doing much the same.

Australian chook

 Our corrugated tin rooster, bought in Bendigo, Australia, has found a home on the new fence.

It is in a strategic location visible from inside the house framed by one of the basement windows. There is just enough space below the fence for a plant to grow up beneath it, although I haven't yet decided what that plant will be.

Australian chook

 Our corrugated tin rooster, bought in Bendigo, Australia, has found a home on the new fence.

It is in a strategic location visible from inside the house framed by one of the basement windows. There is just enough space below the fence for a plant to grow up beneath it, although I haven't yet decided what that plant will be.

Kitchen complete

At last the kitchen is done. All the appliances are installed, as well as the missing cabinet doors. It's a far cry from the room as we saw it on our first visit to the house, when it looked like this:

 

The first thing we did was take down the unnecessary curtains. Not long after we put in new light fixtures, but the rest remained as is until we had completed the changes to the exterior. In a couple of months it has gone from this:

to this:

 

All that now remains is to finish painting the walls and trim (I'm still dithering over the exact colour of yellow for the former) and to repair the chimney (we are looking for one of those old-fashioned circular caps for where the stovepipe was attached; they are hard to find.)

Kitchen complete

At last the kitchen is done. All the appliances are installed, as well as the missing cabinet doors. It's a far cry from the room as we saw it on our first visit to the house, when it looked like this:

 

The first thing we did was take down the unnecessary curtains. Not long after we put in new light fixtures, but the rest remained as is until we had completed the changes to the exterior. In a couple of months it has gone from this:

to this:

 

All that now remains is to finish painting the walls and trim (I'm still dithering over the exact colour of yellow for the former) and to repair the chimney (we are looking for one of those old-fashioned circular caps for where the stovepipe was attached; they are hard to find.)

More kitchen progress

The last appliance to arrive was the fridge, which was on back order. Fridges are so large that they always dominate a kitchen, but this one is only counter depth so it doesn't jut out into the room and, because it's black, it is more of a background presence than a white or stainless steel model would be. It's also extremely quiet, which has become an important feature to me after our experience with the stove.

The new stove was delivered at the same time, and in this picture is not yet hooked up. It is not quite as elegant as the first one, but it cost a good deal less and it functions without the need for any noisy internal fans. We spent a bit extra to get black enamel oven racks that don't have to be removed when the oven is in cleaning mode, and I'm altogether content with it.