Gardening and Gardens

Even though autumn doesn't officially start for another few days, it certainly feels like it outside. The air is cool and crisp and the sun still feels warm - a perfect day for a fall festival! The teaching gardens at  Farmingdale State College  are always beautiful and lush. But the colors I saw at their annual fall festival were just stunning. Have a look:

With the month almost at the close and the busyness of life at its peak right now (or so it seems), I thought I'd post some photos of my garden in November. I took these right before the big freeze set in which either forced all the leaves to drop or turned them into a crisp. Still the beauty of autumn was here until the end...  They don't call it Burning Bush for nothing! This Euonymus alatus literally looks like it's on fire. When most of the garden flowers are heading off to sleep, these Anenome 'Prince Henry' are in full bloom. All the hostas are now turning a brilliant shade of yellow, which adds such a flair of awesomeness to the garden. What would a fall garden be without mums? I love how these are flopped over the boulders, down the slope here.  Silly daffodils, it's not spring yet! Go back to bed. The Japanese Maple's deep reddish hue in autumn looks so pretty against the weeping spruce.  The foliage and the drying...

Not too much is blooming this month, to be honest. After all, it is November. But also, it's Garden Bloggers Bloom Day and so, along with other fellow garden bloggers, I'm here to show you what is going on in my garden this month. Just two weeks ago, my garden and surrounding landscape was a mass of autumn vibrant colors ( take a look here ). Then a cold snap happened earlier this week and we actually got a dusting of snow. Now everything tender has died back and the leaves are almost all gone. Still, there is beauty if you look for it. The pink carpet rose is still going strong with a few blossoms and buds here and there. Never thought I'd enjoy the color pink in November as much as I do now. Speaking of pink, the first blossoms of my Anenome 'Queen Charlotte' plants are starting to fade, but they still have a few more buds on them and we are due for a warm weekend...maybe they will surprise me with one last hurrah.  The variegated Liriope is still...

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower -- Albert Camus Here on the north shore of Long Island, that quote is certainly true. The beauty of New York's fall foliage is right outside my window...  The Barberry bush is a multitude of vibrant colors - like an impressionist painting.  The leaves of the Lady in Red fern (Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red) have turned from  lush green to butter yellow, still atop it's red stems.  The Hostas are a gorgeous golden color  The Crape Myrtle has just turned colors - more red at the top and yellow/orange toward the bottom.  Although the Pee Gee Hydrangea's flowers have technically faded, I think their brown/pink hue is a lovely compliment to the yellow leaves in it's drooping habit. The older Crape Myrtle in the front of the house is not only bursting with color but also berries,  residing where the flowers once reigned.   As the days progr...

Happy Halloween! On a recent visit to the New York Botanical Garden, I found some plants that looked down right spooky (with a little imagination of course). Have a look and let me know if you agree!  The evil, staring one-eyed yellow lady...  Help me! I'm being devoured by a purple monster! Said Mr. Bee.  Beware of the purple tentacles of the scary monster hiding in the bushes...  Oh no, the shrub is bleeding!  Snakes, twisted and curling over one another on the ground...  Bony, knobby fingers of a skeleton's hand...  A mysterious, entrancing pink orb with laser beam eyes....  Sea serpents emerging from the pond, looking for prey... Beady little eyeballs, caked in blood...  The moldy, green crevices of the brain...  Creepy skeleton like creatures swaying in the breeze...  A rat's tail!  Icky, sticky spider web, painted purple to lure you in... ...