fall into step...

the arrival of fall means it is time to plant winter gardens.  last year we were lucky and had greens for the entire winter.  these are various cooking greens, mostly pak choi and mustard as well as chard.
hopefully, our beans will make it through the first frost. we have never tried planting them at this time of the year.  we also have one little roma tomato that never did much this summer, we planted it in a bucket late in the season and if we are lucky, it will set some fruit.
personally, i can't wait for the various lettuces and salad greens to grow large enough to pick.  fresh picked salad greens can't be beat.  the heat of summer kills them off fairly early here in the summer and i really miss them!
our new tenant, she has taken up residence on a garden post next to the bird house.  she is a black and yellow argiope, argiope aurantia.  that fancy zig zag pattern was made by the male who is much smaller and was not visible on any of my trips to photograph her.
this is her from the other side, she didn't make taking her picture easy!  it seems she prefers to show her belly and not her back!  

traveling gardener

the truth is, time tends to fly even when we aren't thinking about it.  this month was a special one for me because it marks two milestones in my life.  darry and i were married 23 years ago on the 14th of september and on the 12th, i celebrated the 25 year anniversary of my graduation from the culinary institute of america.  a small group of my classmates were on hand for the reunion festivities and we had a wonderful time.  

traveling north to attend the reunion also meant a chance to see family members.  my travel plans brought me first to pennsylvania, then on to new york, new jersey and back to pennsylvania.   the scenery was lush and green with a hint of fall colors

mom and steve picked me up in scranton and we drove back to bushkill, after having a late lunch with with my uncle peter and aunt katherine.  on our drive to the house, we made a quick stop to see the scenery of smithfield beach on the delaware river.  it was a gorgeous day and the river was as smooth as glass.

mom's house is in a wooded area and due to the large amount of deer, everything is shrouded in wire fences.  this is the little pond in her yard that is home to many frogs.

a close up shot reveals all of the non edible garden art.  the large amount of trees on the lot prevent plants from growing and the deer eat just about anything that does grow.

mom and i went to lambertville, nj to wander in the shops and have lunch.  we ate in an old train station that has been converted to a restaurant.  it is along side a canal near the delaware river.  they had a small series of container gardens that held herbs along the old train tracks.

when i arrived in hyde park, ny on the campus of the CIA, i hardly recognized it.  so much has been added and the landscaping added has changed things dramatically.  this is the new herb garden outside the colavita center which is where the caterina di medici restaurant is located.

this rhubarb was so impressive that i could not resist taking a photo of it.  hopefully mine will look like that some day...

the entrance to the garden features a rose garden with many varieties to admire.

this is a new waterfall and landscaping added to the old pond that sits in front of the dorms we lived in.  what an improvement!!!

while walking around the campus, i spied espaliered apple trees among the landscaping in front of Roth hall, the main building on campus.

finding myself with a little time to explore, i drove down to beacon, ny to do a little shopping.  this is the back of a building located next to the public parking lot.  it just goes to show that you do not need a huge yard to create your own garden oasis.  on the ground level there is a group of comfy seats and a water fountain on the wall as well as potted plants.

the folks in beacon obviously take beautification seriously.  the trees along main street were surrounded by colorful flowers.  it also made me miss the area, the hudson valley truly is a beautiful place.

they'rrrre baaack!!!!

today, while wandering past the herb garden, I spotted catepillars!  we have been eagerly awaiting the return of the swallowtail catepillars and today we finally spotted them!

I'm not sure exactly which type of swallowtail they are but they sure are big and fat!

only two so far, but we are hoping for lots more!

welcome to fall

 in the south, july and august can be very hot and humid.  the threat of afternoon thunderstorms generally means a short burst of rain followed by more humidity.  lately though, we have found ourselves in a pattern of hot dry heat and a lack of those summer thunderstorms.  the latest stretch, which lasted about 3 weeks, took it's toll on our garden.

many of the plants were so stressed that they stopped producing and the bugs were having a field day with them.  this year has also been a great year for the woolly aphid.  if you are familiar with them then you know that they make a huge mess in the garden.  they continuously excrete honeydew (poop) and it coats the plants.  It is sticky and the worst part is that it causes a sooty mold to take over and all of the plants end up looking black.  yesterday, darry and I began removing plants and adding compost so we can get ready for the fall planting of greens, lettuces, beans and peas.  

the garden with it's new layer of compost in the beds

the yellow bell pepper in full production.  luckily, the pepper plants are not under or near the hackberry trees, the woolly aphids preferred host.

out front, one of our little lasagna gardens.  this one has done very well and we will definitely do this again next year.  they are fast to assemble, easy to plant in and they take off quickly!