One last rose was in bloom today, its flower faded by the cold nights, but still glowing bright and cheerful on a cloudy day. The Creation Garden is almost as interesting to watch in the fall as it is in the spring.
Just as plants wake up according to their season, so they fall into dormancy one by one. One reader envies my vast supply of autumn leaves, but he has a free supply of coffee grounds from a coffee house. My advantage is not having to haul my soil amendments. My neighbors bag them and I confiscate them, sometimes only dragging them across the street.
One neighbor probably snickered that I grabbed two bags full of sweet gum prickly seed-balls. But I was smiling. They went to the wild garden where few plants germinate. Besides, the seed-balls are normally picked clean of their seeds - either by birds or squirrels. If I need trees planted, I count on the squirrels, who cleverly place them in the middle of rose plants.
I finally concluded that the wild garden only needed to have its own way and grow its favorites, mostly in shade. Some junk trees are growing up into the little bit of sun that is available, drawing from the compost in one corner and the extra leaves placed in their area.
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| This is the second bloom of the summer, pink below - because I left the top blooms to seed for the Cardinals nesting there. |
Rose Collars Completed
All the roses and Crepe Myrtles are wearing their rose collars now. Soon they will have a layer of peat humus for extra protection and soil building. Leaves inside the collar will contribute to insulating the plants and feeding the soil.
Crepe Myrtles enjoy rich soil and bloom accordingly. The Mother of All Crepe Myrtles got a special dressing of crushed leaves and top soil from the street. Leaves accumulate in the street, but some areas are especially rich in top soil washed off, leaves crushed by parking cars and trucks. That mixture is heavy with promise, and I pile it up under the biggest Crepe Myrtle, pictured above.
The newly planted Crepe Myrtles have collars, so I add coffee didies to them. After each pot of pour-over coffee, I have the grounds left in the paper filter. This coffee didie makes a good addition to the soil enclosed by the rose collar. The total adds up quickly. Soon I will have a bucket filling up, to carry bunches of them to the front yard.
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| Butterflies and other pollinators love Joe Pye Weed. |
I took the name Joe Pye Weed for granted as I watched the flowers turn into seed. I sprinkled some seed near the plant and took the rest of the seed-heads to the Butterfly Garden.
Joe Pye Weed will be high on my list for the rose garden, tall and easy to grow, taking room and sunshine away from the grassy weeds.
