Late Bloomers

Blanket Flower

                                                            " By all these lovely
                                                          tokens, September days
                                                         are here. With summer's 
                                                             best of weather and
                                                          Autumn's best of cheer. "

    One of the things I have tried to do over the years is make sure I always have something blooming from season to season. I guess that is really the idea of having a perennial garden, to have a continuous bloom from spring to fall.
  Even though a garden is never really finished I feel I have been somewhat successful in accomplishing a continuous bloom throughout the seasons.

Sedum, Blanket Flower and Helenium

  Fall has a lot to offer in colour and as we all know if you have trees then there is a guarantee of some beautiful fall colour. That aside there are lots of fall plants to choose from, a lot of  'late bloomers' so to speak.
  There's something to be said about being a late bloomer. They get to be the last hurrah of the growing season and usually require little care. They also add a splash of colour to an otherwise colourless dying garden. I also find I tend to be less fussy about my fall flowers. Maybe it's knowing that they are the last hurrah and don't have to look good for a couple of seasons, when it's gone it's gone. Whatever the case may be fall can be a rewarding time in your garden offering a comfort that we don't get in the deep heat of the summer or the toil of spring gardening.

Anise Hyssop and Hibiscus

 Another thing that is wonderful about fall flowers is that some of them such as Hydrangea's and Sedum's, can be brought in and left to dry in a vase where they will self preserve. If you like you can spray paint them and add them to your Thanksgiving or Christmas decor.

Hydrangea and Hibiscus

Sedum - 'Matrona'

 











  

  Holly is also one of those plants that you can clip and bring in to add to your Christmas decor, just be sure not to bring it in too soon or it will be dead by Christmas. You also need to have a male and female holly plant in order to produce berries. Mine has taken a few years to get to where it is but I also moved it several times, which they don't seem to like. Something to keep in mind before you plant a holly bush.

Holly- Blue Princess

 I have a list of some of my favourites and if you're out at the garden centre don't forget to look and see if they still have plants that they are trying to get rid of. They may not look very good but that is to be expected and you should be able to get them for a great price.

Anemome - Queen Charlotte

Japanese Windflower - Anemome

Pineapple Sage - should be in full bloom this time of year.
Butterfly Bush - also still blooming
Coneflower - some will still be blooming, check bloom times
Fall Aster
Toad Lily
Sedum - at it's best right now
Japanese Anemome
Anise Hyssop
Sea Holly
Sweet Autumn Clematis - my absolute favorite
Holly
Hibiscus - amazing large plate size blooms
Chocolate Boneset - beautiful white flowers against chocolate colored leaves

 There are many more but those are the ones that I seem to have the best of luck with and they add a great punch of colour. Like most plants it's best to give them a try and see what works for you.

Borage

Also, don't forget about your herbs, such as  Lavender, Pineapple Sage, Borage, Nasturtium and Anise Hyssop which are all still in bloom in my garden. They add a great shot of colour and are easy to remove so you can leave them until first frost.

Pineapple Sage

    So even though we may be sad to see our summer come to an end, if we plan ahead we can have a beautiful fall garden, full of colour.
   Bring some of that colour indoors and enjoy all that Autumn has to offer.

Happy Gardening!

Toad Lily

Chocolate Boneset

Jam Session

Green Tomato Mincemeat

                                                   'Gratitude makes of each moment
                                           a feast for the eyes and a banquet for the soul.'

   I really liked the way my Lavender Honey and Nasturtium Vinegar turned out so I decided to try my hand at a few other things.
   I thought I would try a few different kinds of honey. The first one I made was Lemon Balm and Ginger honey and I have to say I think this is my favorite. It has such a wonderful flavour, both of the lemon and ginger. It is apparently a good honey to add to tea or to just take by the teaspoon full if you have a cold or sore throat. Either way it is very tasty. I also tried Pineapple Sage Honey, it's good but I don't find the flavour as strong as I would like. I think next time I would use more leaves and wait until it is blooming so I can also use the flowers. And of course there's the Lavender Honey which I made more of.  I love everything about Lavender but it is definitely an acquired taste and I find a lot of people don't like the flowery taste of Lavender.

Lavender, Pineapple Sage and Lemon Balm/Ginger Honey

  You can use these honey's where you would normally use honey such as on scones, muffins, toast, in tea and over fruit. You might also pair it with a strong cheese such as a blue cheese or cheddar.  You could also substitute it in a cookie recipe that asks for honey, especially the Lavender honey which would be wonderful in something like a sugar cookie or in shortbread. Use your imagination.

Herb Jellies

   The next thing I decided to try was Herb Jellies. The first one I tried was a Nasturtium Jelly and I am  very happy with the results but would have preferred a more peppery taste. As with the honey,  I think next time I would use more flowers and leaves and maybe steep it a bit longer. The recipe calls for you to bring the liquid to a boil and then remove it and let it steep for 10-15min. I think what I would do is bring it to a boil and then simmer it on low for half an hour and then adding more liquid if need be to have the required amount. The second one I tried was Nasturtium flowers with Rosemary and it has a nice earthy flavour. With this one I did steep it longer on a low simmer with much better results. They are both a beautiful colour and would look lovely sitting on a cheese platter pairing nicely with an assortment of cheese or with a roast of pork.

Tomato and Peach Jams

   I also tried my hand at some jams.  
  I first tried a Tomato Basil Jam at a restaurant in Burlington called the Alex. They served it on a Phyllo pastry crust along with Arugula and Goats cheese and if I'm not mistaken Caramelized onions. Amazing!!
  So, since I enjoyed it so much I decided to make some, I still had a lot of Tomato's from my garden and decided this was a great way to use them. I am very happy with the way it turned out and it also looks really nice speckled with chopped Basil also from my garden.
  It is best served at room temperature and also pairs nicely with cheese. Is there anything that dosen't??

   Next I tried my hand at Peach Lavender Jam with peaches that I bought in Niagara on the Lake. Now I'm sorry to say that although it looks very pretty it did not set. So not wanting to throw it away (and please don't ever do that unless it tastes vile) I decided to reheat it and add a little more pectin. Word to the wise, never leave it unattended even for a minute. It has a lot of sugar and yes will burn very quickly which is what happened to me. Lesson learned.
   If you don't want to go to the bother of redoing the jam if it dosen't set you can always use it for a topping on ice cream, pound cake etc. I wish I had decided to do that, I used my precious Lavender flowers in the jam and was so disappointed to lose it.

Green Tomato Chutney

  The next thing I tried was Chutney. Now I have not really had many Chutney's but again I had quite a few Green Tomatoes left and can only eat so many fried ones so decided on Green Tomato Chutney. It is really straight forward and dosen't need to set which is nice. After stewing all your ingredients together, pour into sterilized jars, follow the same rules as you do when canning and you're good to go. This pairs well with roast chicken or pork chops, you could use it as a relish on a hot dog or even with quesadilla's.

   I made two kinds of Green Tomato Chutney, actually one is called Green Tomato Mincemeat. The recipes is much the same except that you use brown sugar instead of white and eliminate the onion in the mincemeat. It seems to have a sweeter smell and is a nice dark color.
   I got the mincemeat recipe from a cookbook called Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House Cookbook. It comes from Tennessee, home of Jack Daniel's Whiskey. A suggestion for the Green Tomato Mincemeat  is to add what else, Jack Daniels and walnuts, put into tart shells and there you have a great appetizer. Yum!! I will definitely give this a try.

Brandied Applesauce

  I also made Applesauce which I make every year. It is so easy to make and you get to control the amount of sugar you want. I always use brown sugar and very sparingly, along with that I add cinnamon and sometimes vanilla. This year I did make my every day applesauce but I also made one with a twist. Along with the apples, sugar and cinnamon I added dried cranberries and after cooling the sauce I added brandy. This makes a very tasty applesauce. It could be used along side pork or over ice cream or even as an afternoon snack. The options are endless.
 Maybe keep this one away from the little ones.

Anise Hyssop Infused Sugar

One of the last things I did was make flavoured sugars. This is such a simple process, just add Anise Hyssop flowers, Lavender flowers, lemon zest or what ever flavour you want, to the sugar. Place in jars and let sit for several weeks and there you have it flavoured sugar.

Ground Anise Hyssop Sugar

  Now you can use it just as is or you can do what I did and run it through a coffee grinder. Doing this you incorporate the flowers into the sugar and it turns into a fine powder. This makes it easy to use over fruit or to sweeten drinks, it would also
work for making a simple syrup.
You could also use it in cookie or pound cake recipes by replacing part or all of the sugar with the flavoured sugar. So easy while adding a lot of flavour.

  So before you put your garden to bed, look around your garden and see if there is anything you can use and would like to add to your sugar or infuse your honey with. Maybe you would like to use up some of your herbs by making a jelly or jam.
 You can also puree your herbs with a little olive oil and freeze them in ice cube trays and save them for a winter stew.

Whatever you decide to do, enjoy. You've earned it.

Happy Gardening!

Blades of Grass

Maiden Grass - late summer

     Who has seen the wind

            neither you nor I,

     But when the trees bow down their heads

            the wind is passing by.

     

                                                  -Christina Rossetti

Maiden Grass - Fall

  There is an ease and beauty to grass that no other plant seems to have. I'm not sure if it is the simplicity of grass in the sense that it grows upwards and in clumps or because it's not simplistic and offers us so much in a single plant.
   It carries us through each season and with each season brings us a different look. Take Maiden grass for one, it starts off as long thick blades of grass in the spring growing taller, busier and thicker until mid summer when it starts to flower. By the end of August it is tall and majestic with large plumes, reddish in colour and by the time October comes around they have become large and fluffy.
   I love the way the wind and sunlight catches this grass and it is even better in the winter time when it gives an otherwise barren landscape so much life and character.

Zebra Grass - early fall

Zebra grass is much like Maiden grass as far as height and character. It is tall and strong but as the name suggests, it has like a Zebra, a lovely stipe to it. It also has a nice large plume that is in full bloom in the fall.

Zebra Grass - summe

   Northern Sea Oats is another favorite of mine. It has tall thin blades of grass showing themselves in the spring and blooming mid to late summer when it produces little flat oats. This plant is amazing in the wind. Because of the oats it has a wonderful rustling sound as is sways softly to any breeze.

Northern Oat Grass - late summer

  It is in full bloom in time for Thanksgiving and makes a perfect fall display. What I like to do is place them in a glass vase without water where they just dangle, hanging their heads looking beautiful.
  All of these grasses also work really well in any Halloween decor, especially the Maiden and Zebra Grass because of its tall, strong stems.

Northern Sea Oats

  Grasses are one of the plants that give a lot of character to a winter garden so I don't cut mine back until spring. Sometimes in the spring you will find that the grasses have begun to grow before you can cut them back, I just cut them back as usual and have never had a problem especially with the tall grasses.

A variety of grasses.

  There are also many smaller varieties of grass and most of them produce small plumes or flowers. I have a few in my garden, one is Blue Eyed Grass which produces beautiful tiny blue flowers in early summer and if I'm lucky again in late summer. I love this grass, it has such a big punch for such a small plant. Where  a number of grasses can become invasive this grass is not therefore taking up very little space.
  Unlike the Black Mondo grass that I have, it is black with a small white flower, looking a little like Lily of the Valley. It is also a small plant with big punch but it can be invasive. On the positive side though it is easy to control and is well worth the effort of growing it.

Blue-eyed Grass

  There are also a number of annual grasses if you don't want to commit to the perennial variety. They are great in your garden and work well in containers adding interesting texture to both.

   So don't forget about adding grasses to your garden, they require very little care and give a lot of character to both your summer and winter gardens.  They dance in the sun and are music to your ears on windy days.

Happy Gardening!

Black Mondo Grass

                                                                                                                                     

The Beauty of the Rose

Bonica Rose Standard

               'I would rather have Roses
                   on my table than diamonds
                         on my neck'
                                              -Emma Goldman

Abraham Darby - David Austin Series

                                           

                                        

Climbing Rose

 I'm not sure what it is about the Rose but it's beauty has been the subject of many a poem and has been around for centuries.
  It is still one of the most popular flowers to give as a declaration of love. It is delicate and strong, romantic and so very beautiful.

Climbing Rose 

  Some people are intimidated by roses but they are not as difficult to grow as you might think. First find the right spot and make sure that it will get at least six hours of sunlight. Then make sure you water it every couple of days.
  As you know I am notorious for moving plants around so if you don't get it right the first time move it and try again. I also use a fertilizer twice during the growing season.

Morden Sunrise 

One of the things I was going to try this year was epsom salts around the base of the rose, about an inch under the soil. It is said that it stops the leaves from turning yellow. I didn't get the chance but will try it at the start of next year and let you know if it works. 

   There are many different types of roses to choose from so decide what style and color you want and go from there. One of the things to consider is if you want to cut them to bring inside. If that is what you're looking to do try to find a long stem rose, they make beautiful cut flowers. Also some blooms do not last long therefore they don't make a very good cut flower. I find some roses have a weak stem and tend to droop, again not a good choice for a cut flower. I do however have two climbing roses and even though the stems are short they are perfect for a tiny bud vase and both pack a punch in the scent department, perfect for a small space like a bathroom.

Red Hybrid Tea Rose - very fragrant

  For me one of the best things about a rose is it's scent. I love how one single bloom can scent a whole room and I always look for that when buying a new plant. If the rose you are buying dosen't have any flowers in bloom at the time, just check the tag, it should tell you if it is scented or not.
  I bought this wonderful red rose this year, the tag stated that it was highly scented and boy were they right. It is unbelievably intoxicating.

Climbing Rose

  So be it a climbing rose, a rose bush, a standard rose or a miniature rose find one that you love, find a spot that you think will work and start your love affair with the rose.

  Happy Gardening!

Climbing Rose - peppery fragrance

                                                                                                        

              
                         

To Bee or not to Bee

                    "When we pay attention to nature's music,
                                    we find that everything on the Earth
                                             contributes to it's HARMONY"

                                                                           -Hazel Inayat Khan

Bee covered with pollen on Anise Hyssop

  Besides the butterflies, the dragonflies and the moths there are the bees.
  Most people do not like bees and try hard to keep them out of their yards. But the thing we don't realize is that we need them, want them in our gardens. We depend on the Bee to pollinate our plants.





  One thing that I have learned over the years is that if you have the plants for them they will not bother with you. I have worked on plants that are covered in bees and they just go about their business.

The bees love this plant - the Dark Knight

  Now, I'm not saying they won't sting you but on the most part they will not bother you unless you bother them. This is also the time of year that bees tend to get a little 'dizzy' and come around people a little more than usual. Just give them a gentle swipe and they will be on their way.

Busy Bee on St.John's Wort

I am amazed by how many different bees there are and if you pay attention to your plants you will see that certain types of bees favour certain types of plants. Since I have been planting flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds I have also attracted bees, hence my fascination with them.

Check out the pollen on this bees legs.

   I'm not saying I love all bees, I have carpenter bees that have been making a mess of my pergola but I am not going to kill them, I will just try to deter them, steer them so to speak in a different direction.
  I once watched a leaf cutter bee at work, it was truly amazing to see such a small creature cut a leaf.

  I have seen many backyards with bee catchers and I understand why we think that it is necessary to have them. The only thing I don't understand is when I see them in the garden among the flowers. The sole purpose of the catchers is to keep the bees away from where we are sitting/eating, so unless you are sitting among your flowers, please don't put them in among your flowers.
  One of the things I use to keep the bees away when eating outside is incense, it smells nice and dosen't harm the bees but keeps them at bay. Remember we want the bees to pollinate the plants we don't want to kill them. The bee population is on the decline so it is up to us to help sustain them.

The bees wings take on the purple hue of the plant

One of the ways to help is the obvious, plant flowers, and local native plants are best. Check which plants are native to your area and start there. Another is please do not use pesticides, there are so many reasons why you shouldn't.
  Without bees there would be severe consequences for our food, our gardens and our wilderness.

Birdhouse? Beehouse? Yellow jackets.

 I have many birdhouses in my backyard and am lucky enough to have a few of them occupied each year with families of birds. The others seem to be a home for the bees which is okay with me. At least they are being occupied, they are not nesting near a sitting area and it provided me with a shot of these great red lips crawling with bees.

This bees legs are heavy with pollen

  So don't be afraid to attract the bees to your garden. Give them a place to live and they will do their job by providing us with all of natures bounty.

Happy Gardening!

Thread waisted bee

On a wing and a prayer

Everything has it's beauty,  

But not everyone

sees it.

_ The Wisdom of Confusious   

                 

Cicada

   I thought I would share with you some of the wonderful things I have spotted in my garden this year. You may wonder why I would think the Cicada as wonderful. Some would consider it ugly but if you look at its wings they are so intricate, like lace. Then there is the sound that they make. Sometimes it is almost deafening but also like music that we identify with hot summer days. I love the song of the cicada.

   The other day when I went to get the paper I noticed that my front light was still on. Frustrated because it is on a timer that I seem to be having trouble setting, I went in to put the paper down and then fix the light. I forgot momentarily, a habit of mine lately, but remembered and went back to see if indeed it was still on. That's when I noticed a beautiful moth, a White-lined Sphinx, perched on the light and all my frustration disappeared. I grabbed my camera and got a few great shots, this is one of them. I am always amazed by the symmetry and color of these amazing creatures. If you're lucky it will spread it's wings to reveal the loveliest shade of pink. Absolute perfection.

White-lined Sphinx

  Last year I found a Pandorus Spink Moth in my driveway. At first I thought it was a leaf and went to brush it away until I realized it was alive. It is one of the most amazing moths I have come across, like the White-lined Sphinx, it has a lovely shade of coral pink on it and beautiful shades of green.
 I actually saw another one the next day and thought it was the same one until I looked at my pictures and realized that the markings were a little different and one had a damaged wing. So don't overlook the beauty of the moth, there really are some amazing ones out there.

Pandorus Sphinx Moth

   As far as the butterfly goes I don't know about you but I was getting a little concerned. There really seems to be a lack of them this year, especially with the Monarch population dwindling. If you are a butterfly watcher you would have noticed how each year we are seeing fewer and fewer  Monarch's. I think I saw more when I was in the East Coast than I did here all summer, which may have been about five.

Monarch Butterfly

  If you are concerned and would like to help one of the things you can do is to plant flowers to attract butterflies and provide the nectar that they need. One plant that they need for their survival and is lacking the most is Milkweed. Considered just that, a weed, people are cutting it down and the Monarch's depends on it. Now I'm not suggesting that you go and plant Milkweed unless you have the room for it but plants such as Butterfly weed which is in the Milkweed family is a good alternative.
  There is also a website, ebutterfly.com where you can record and keep tract of the butterflies you see and share with other butterfly enthusiasts.

  Last year I was lucky enough to witness the migration of the Monarchs, it was amazing to watch. I was out having my morning coffee and was looking around when I noticed a constant stream of Monarchs flying over head. It was really something to see.

Eastern Black Swallowtail

    Speaking of migration, a few weeks ago I was sitting outside and noticed a lot of dragonflies overhead, they looked like small birds just gliding along with the breeze. Taking a better look I noticed lots and lots of dragonflies and it seemed like they were migrating.  I have never seen so many of them at once and had no idea that they migrated but it turns out they do. It was an amazing sight and the next day they were still at it.

Male Emperor Dragonfly

I have been seeing a lot of Dragonflies the past few weeks and have managed to capture a few of them on camera. They don't make it easy, they are always moving and seem to notice every little move you make, but with a lot of patience and a bit of luck, they eventually take a break and you have your shot. 

Ruddy Darter

Ruddy Darter

   I love watching for butterflies and dragonflies and am always happy to see a new one to add to my ever growing list. I am always on the lookout for new plants to attract them to my garden and just bought a Dwarf Butterfly Bush. It's the same great scented flower just a smaller version. 
  This is a great time of year to buy plants on sale. If you are thinking of trying to attract butterflies and dragonflies, it's a great time to get the plants.  I also bought a Butterfly House this year. I didn't have any visitors from what I can see but it looks nice and who knows, maybe next year.

Red Admiral

Cabbage White - notice there is two of them.

   Last year one of my sisters, who is also a butterfly watcher was telling me about the Giant Swallowtail and how it was being spotted in our areas so to keep a look out for it. Not long after didn't I spot one in my herb garden, I couldn't believe my luck.
  It was interesting trying to get a good shot because it never seemed to stop so I just kept on shooting and eventually got some great pictures.

Giant Swallowtail

  This year, as luck should have it I saw another Swallowtail on my Butterfly Bush. This one was a Black Swallowtail and was every bit as magnificent and every bit as busy. They do not seem to want to sit still unlike the Monarch which seems to be a lot calmer. So patience is key.

Black Swallowtail

  This year I have seen several Morning Cloak's.  When it's wings are closed it blends very well with nature, resembling wood,  then it opens it's wings and wow, you see the most beautiful colour.

Morning Cloak

                                                                                                                                                                                     And then there is the Question Mark. I was so excited to see this butterfly. I had no idea what it was, moth or butterfly so after taking many pictures I looked it up. You can identify it by the white dot and comma on its wing. It looked like a leaf and was very tattered and torn. Apparently they over winter which can lead to the tattered wings. There is also a Comma, which has no dot.

Question Mark

  So when you are out walking or just relaxing in the backyard, keep your eyes open, look up and you will be amazed by the beauty of these flying wonders.

Happy Gardening!