Seventh Day on the 10th

Willow lights up on damp, gray days.

 
The schedule made it impossible to spend any daylight hours in the garden this Nov. 7. Instead, we were out a bit on Nov. 10, a cold, windy, rainy day.

Winter prep is either completed or under way: Goldfish are in the house; water lilies, umbrella plants and begonias are under the stairs; potatoes, onions and garlic are cleaned and stored; containers have been emptied; and netting and caging have been deployed. And thanks to Brian, we can look forward to lots of new lilies next year.

Here's a quick peek at November at sillydoggarden.

Gotta bloom wherever I am

What's more reliable than a Christmas/Thanksgiving cactus? Here, a few cuttings of Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata) jammed into a vase with water months ago, bloom on a shelf in a corner of the basement. (The mother plant is beginning to bloom, as well.) Info about care from Clemson University here.

Foggy morning

From two weeks ago.

Seventh Day Project: October crab apples

The crab apples on 'Molten Lava' are now gone thanks to the grouse -- five at once on at least one morning. Take a look at October at sillydoggarden.

Sci-fi flowers

Outside, the castor beans are toast -- ragged fragments of their former lusty selves. I cut some of the flowers, beating frost by a few hours, and am amazed at how long they're lasting. This photo was taken about two weeks ago and they're just starting to show some wear. Those are castor bean leaves in the vase, too.

Note to self: Grow more castor beans. This is the variety 'Carmencita'.

Closing out the season: Seventh Day September

 Fish feed in the small pond in the backyard. (Photo by Brian)

It won't be long until we move the goldfish from their summer resort back to their winter quarters inside the house. Here's a look at what was happening this Sept. 7.

The summer that slipped away

 The portulaca did well in this summer of extended heat.

June ... gone!
July ... gone!
August ... gone!
A series of bad timing and odd weather and now we're into September. Here's a peek at the garden on the Seventh Day August.