What's happening in your early fall garden?

I also have a very small vegetable patch. Most of my yard is taken up by flowers.....
Pedrickscorner - I think I'll try growing blueberries next year too.

Here are some of my favorite fall flowers - dahlias and Japanese anenomes

Wow!......Jules your on vacation yet your still here. What a wonderful suprise to see photos of DP, whom we had the pleasure of meeting yesterday, plus seeing photos of you. Woopee a double "whamee"! Love , love it! DH and are off to WA Tuesday to visit my 2 sons and DSinL and DBinL in Sequim,WA. Will be back aprox. 10/8. Looking forwarding to catching up then.

Sylvia

I wish I could grow Dahlias! For some reason, I always kill them. So I gave up buying them just to kill them, years ago. My friend Kim has a stunning Dahlia garden and there is a gas station (of all places) on a main intersection with highway 129 in town with a huge display of Dahlias in every square inch of soil available!!
Yours is beautiful! Sigh......

I am very impressed CatSmiling, (PedericksCorner for those who aren't familiar with my habit of giving people names I can remember and that fit them) with your garden. I'd love some bean seeds. I love them too. Much easier on my tummy than a lot of the other protein sources. I'm going to be laying out my garden when I get home.
What photo album? I have other photos, but am not exactly photogenic. DP manages to take photos of me where I don't look really goofy.
I totally forgot about my hair, KC. I usually have it clipped up and out of the way when I'm in the garden or up an about. Take it down when in the car, 'cause it hurts my neck, and of course when I lay down.
Thanks for the ID on the bush ~'spin!~, I thought they tasted good. Liked those blueberries too, but mine need summer shade or they don't do nothing but die. Finally found a place for them, and my one surviving plant is putting on new growth. Yea!
ima, you all need a RU of your own. Even if you can't do anything except swap experiences and share a good meal it would be a good thing!
soilsandup, have you ever tried intermixing some of the veggies with the flowers? Check out the Cottage Gardening forum, lots of helpful and friendly folks there. Beautiful combo of flowers in the photo, but I got to ask, what is that red bloom? I love Dahlias, but they need at least part shade, and prefer full shade in my yard. They do well under the trees where they are on drip irrigation.
ima, don't you just hate that? Same thing happened with my artichokes, probably get some good seed when I get home.
dillansnana, welcome to the wonderful world of wireless internet. Many motels/hotels/inns/resorts offer internet access. Took my laptop with me to OK this past summer too. Mostly so I could enter the photos on a daily basis. I like doing it once a day. Otherwise, it is too overwhelming. Especially when I take any where from 50 to 500 photos a day. (Not using that sports setting even for the surfers, although maybe I should!) Laptops are wonderful! Hope you enjoy your trip to WA, and have a safe journey home!
WIB!
SW

SW, I will send you some bean seeds! They really are the best!
And the members photo album in up in the "Extras" tab, where you find the list of birthdays and Daves Attic! If you post of photo of yourself on your member page, it is also listed in the photo album of members. I was waiting for a land line phone call the other day and spent some time wandering around in here.........
I looked up everyone's name I recognized in the forums to see if they has a photo of themselves or something (ha, ha) on their member pages.
I also do Facebook now because it is practically the only way to "see" all of my far away family. Especially my neices and nephews. I actually posted a CURRENT photo of myself ha, ha! The one on my blog is from 20 years ago, or there abouts ;-D

Ha! Mine on FB is when I was about 10! And yes, I use it to watch my nieces and nephews, too.

Family keeps trying to talk me into joining FB. I don't know if I want to do it, but it does seem to be the way to find and keep in touch with family and friends these days. I know some of them have been pestering me about it lately. Hmmm, I guess I'm resisting change.
I'll have to check it out.
You really checked out everyone you knew? Wow, who had you on hold, CatSmiling?
Still trying to get photos scanned in computer at home so I can have them for both the family, historical society, and the web page I'm supposed to develop. I'm farming that one out after the photos are scanned.
I don't have a favorite photo of me. I'll ask one of the kids to pick one or take one.
WIB,
SW

Ha! KaperC, up until a week ago, I was using my favorite photo of myself at 16!! Then I found an old boyfriend on facebook, with whom I traveled Canada and the US the summer of 1978, and after we exchanged recent photos, I decided to go for reality....ha, ha!
Must be fall, the yard if full of hummingbirds competing over the feeder and the flowers. More than the usual residents, who are busy trying to keep the migrating hord out of their yard.
SW, one of the photos DP took would work!
Be honest, are you going through the DavesGarden member album right now!?

Nope, was too busy talking.
Hope to get a look at it, but now you reminded me I'm way behind posting hummer photos, so it'll have to wait. LOL!
WIB,
SW

SW - that red flower is a Hibiscus coccineus - common name swamp hibiscus. They get to be quite tall - about 7 feet or more.

Pedrickscorner - I have not had very good luck with dahlias in the past. I was sent some new tubers this year, and so far so good. Keeping my fingers crossed that they will come back next year.

I joined FB earlier this year, mostly because some work colleagues said that that was a really good way to stay in touch informally. I was very hesitant to join in the beginning, but I am glad I did. You can be as active as you want, or not write much at all.

What is really funny is tying to work, having several websites open at once, and having numerous friends and family all logged into FB at the same time and all trying to IM with you at the same time! Seriously, just trying to say gee, I gotta go, bye, can take forever if your trying to be polite. Hmm, I wonder if I could blame it on a suddenly bad connection.....
SW, way early this year, I took a short video of the swarms of hummers at the feeder and posted it on my blog (same name), I have a better camera now and will try to get a better one. I usually only have Anna's. So I was thrilled when a Rufous staked out the back yard (where Larry and Lycioides are) for himself and his family this summer.
Hey, is there some where here to post video?

Don't know about where to post video, CatSmiling.
Thanks soilsandup! I think they are pretty cool looking! Swamp hibiscus. Maybe it's because I like hibiscus? I like a lot of flowers, way too many according to DH.
Am bummed. It actually RAINED in O'side while I was posting on the hummer thread and I missed it! Did anyone else get rain?
DH was coming into town with our boys and said it was really raining a couple of blocks away. Never heard it, didn't smell it coming. Very unsettling.
WIB!
SW

A tiny bit of rain here, SW. The air was dead still all day, though.

I think most people post video on Flickr or Picasa, etc., then just post a link to it here.

I guess with the 100 percent humidity and the cloudy skies with the ocean right outside, I missed it. Gee, too bad they watered the lawn last night at 1:00 in the morning in the little park next door. If I could hear the sprinkler why didn't I hear the rain? Less traffic at 1:00 am, I guess. Heard there was supposed to be a chance of rain at home, but also heard we didn't get any. Sigh.
One of the planters here.
WIB,
SW

And another.

The Chess pavilion park next door to us.
Guys are back from fishing.
WIB,
SW

I know I should post this in a plant id forum, but so many people in the California forum are succulent savy, that I am going to see if someone like KaperC or ecrane3 might just happen to know what this wonderful and incredible succulent is!
I was at the San Benito County Fair yesterday and the Horticulture portion was an incredible dissappointment. Some beautiful flowers, but not a single one had a name for it's variety and not a single latin name in the entire building!
Does anyone have any idea what family this critter is in? So I can at least search for one??

Looks to me like it might be this juncus:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55269/

You hit the nail on the head Imapigeon! I've got to get one of these! I love it!
Thanks, I knew someone here would know what it was. It was the one and only interesting plant in the entire building. Most of the plants were not good examples of their species....

Or this one? http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55270/ Wonder what the differences are?

We have one on the edge of our pond, but it's not doing much. I noticed in the comments to keep the crown out of water - I'll have to check and see if I planted it too low.

Yeah, I wonder too! I was just looking at them and it appears that the Curly Wurly is a variety of the Spiralus or Juncus effusus. There must be some slight difference the photos aren't showing. Maybe it shows up when they flower or produce seed? I see that there are vendors that have them available, and I'd be dissappointed if it didn't turn out to be like the one I saw. Hmm, I wonder if maybe the difference is in the length of the blades? I thought for sure it was some kind of weird succulent! A water grass never occurred to me!

If that is what I think it is, make sure you plant it in a place where you do not mind it spreading. I planted a juncus several years ago because I thought the curly blades would be neat additions to arrangements. The hollow stems were too weak, so I decided to get rid of them. After three years, they have spread, via runners, and it took me another three years to totally get rid of them. I still get sprouts coming up every now and then. It is an interesting plant, if you have the room, or leave it in a pot.

Neat looking plant, CatSmiling.
I am busy trying to get my winter garden set up. And mulching and ACCCK! Too much all at once. Thank gosh I will have some help. First, remove the dead tree. LOL!
Just got done transplanting some bareroot fuchsia to go inside the gh for the winter for early spring planting.
Still haven't gotten to those iris' but they are pretty tolerant of me and my ways, thank goodness.
Seems as if I need to transplant some cannas from the gh out to the yard. They keep falling over and I know where to plant them outside, where they will be happy. Any suggestions on when to transplant? I'd like to do it as soon as possible, but I think last year Ima sent me some in March. Does it matter?
Waiting to hear back from you.
Here is a pretty surprise I found waiting for me in the gh yesterday.
Edible hibiscus.
WIB,
SW

Wait for the cannas to go dormant before you transplant---after frost when the foliage turns all brown & dead. They'll do better I think. If you cut into them when it's frosting but before they die back on their own, it could frost into the bulb/corm/rhizome---whatever the heck cannas have...LOL!

Ooh! Edible hibiscus! Have you ever had the dried hibiscus flowers at Trader Joes? Like candy! And I love hibiscus tea! But that is made from an annual which is actually called "Jamaican Sorrel." I've been meaning to get my hands on some seed for that for ever. I wonder which kind the dried hibiscus from Trader Joes is made from?

SW, is this what you have? Hibiscus sabdariffa? Looks like this IS what they sell dried at Trader Joes. Now I am feeling like I gotta go get some!

http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/kitchen/2003su_redsorrel.html

Isn't it interesting that hybiscus, abutilons, and hollyhocks are all in the same family? They do kind of all look alike, don't they?
CatSmiling

Well, this strange starfish-looking thing bloomed today. There was a big balloon-looking bud before and I was curious to see what it would look like. It's on a saguaro-looking-but-isn't-a-saguaro succulent. It's not as pretty as the picture--it's actually more of a fleshy-burgundy color. Kinda ugly, actually. There are fine hairs on the edge of the bloom. No scent. I don't know, it's a curious thing.

Wow, that is way COOL! You have got to find out what it is so you can enter your photo into the Bloom of The Day contest!! I love those fine hairs on the edges.

CatSmiling, I am not sure, but will save you some seed and send it to you. I'll also take more photos.
Ima, the cannas I'm having problems with are in the gh and don't really go dormant. Should I just wait til December? Poor babies. Now I feel all bad about planting them there in the first place since they were a gift from my sister. Didn't know nothing about cannas then. Sigh!
surfcity, what a lovely starfish shaped flower. Kinda cool looking.
They have a bloom of the day contest? How do I miss all this stuff?
WIB!
SW

Oh, if they're not going to go dormant, then I would just yank them out of the ground now and stick them where you want them. I suspect you get frost about the same time we do---around mid-November? Probably time enough for your transplants to take hold if you get 'em moved now. But you might want to split the clump and put some in a 5-gal pot & leave it in the GH so if the ones outside don't make it, you'll still have some to plant in the spring.

Thanks ima! (Visual of ima on white horse riding to the rescue again! : - ) ) Will try to get those canna's out of the ground separated, transplanted asap.
Starlight from the Cottage Gardening forum, says the plant in the photo above is a Hibiscus manihot, CatSmiling! I wasn't sure but she does say it's edible. The Piggy Seed trade is going on, and while I participated last year, I just am not up to it this year. But I love the folks over on that forum. Really nice people. They kind of adopted me. : - )
It's hard to have a seed trade like that with folks when you don't have seasons like theirs? Don't regret it one bit. I guess I'm a zone pusher. : - )
Hopefully, since the treatment today and one more to be sure, and I'll be done with those lousy bugs in the gh. One less chore. Yea!
You all will get a kick out of this. I needed to have a downed wild tobacco tree removed from the area where I plan to plant more iris'. So I reached down since it was so light and brittle, and yanked it off the rest of the way, (roots go under the frame of the gh), left the root since it won't come back. My God Daughter, Shouri, attached the rope to the tree and the jeep. We had fun dragging it away. I've been asking the guys to move that for the longest time. I love my jeep!
Should have taken photos!
Oh well. Maybe next time, if I remember. Was having too much fun today to even think of it.
WIB,
SW

Surf....looks like a stapelia....

You're right. That's what it is. Thank goodness this one didn't live up to its common name. This might be the last time I buy an interesting looking plant without a tag on it! My dog sniffed it, maybe he could detect a scent. Thankfully, I couldn't. I'm considering yanking it. It's not very big.

I once ordered a dragon arum bulb through the mail and the whole box stunk to high heaven. For those interested in exotic smelly plants you probably shouldn't put in your garden:
http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0602.htm
Fascinating!

Thanks for the link, they would never survive the dogs rolling on them. LOL!
WIB!
SW

What's happening down here is that we're actually getting a Fall day..and it is absolutely gorgeous. Has to be the prettiest day I've seen in many, many months and we actually quit talking about moving for a while, looking forward to winter here. We may have gotten lucky and missed a bullet. Perhaps we will get through the Fall with no Santa Anas and no more fires. I'm so thankful for our tall trees that filter the sunlight and make the beautiful play of light and shadow through the windows. To celebrate, I've been making pumpkin pies...to celebrate Fall and also to celebrate sort of having my kitchen back....stove is back in, tile floor mostly finished, cabinets enough to work with and I can use my kitchen again. No more Stouffer's until the sink part of the cabinets comes out, etc.... but tonight we enjoy the weather and eat pie......
If we're extremely lucky we may get a little tiny bit of the rain heading your way up North...I'm so envious.....

Oh so that's why we haven't been hearing so much from you. I am contemplating a kitchen remodel & new floors, so maybe you can give me some tips to stream line the nightmare?
LMK.
Beautiful word picture of what is going on at your place today. I really enjoyed reading it, wcgypsy.
Wasn't that nice here.
Looking forward to some rain!
WIB!
SW

Beautiful here, too. Not hot, not cold...just ideal. Rain WOULD be a treat, wouldn't it ?

My Fruitless Mulberry Tree has started it's leaf drop. This will continue until Mid-March. By then, it looks ridiculous: Brown dried up leaves that never fell off, new growth, and those allergy causing catkins all at once. It's done that for 20 years...and will no doubt do it for 20 more.

I've got Paperwhite Narcissus foliage over a foot tall already and a Clematis that just started a whole new growth surge. Hmmmmmmm...

Can't wait for the Louisiana Iris I got from Weegy to do their thing...

I got all the things from the roundup planted on Thursday. It's my DG bed. I have a couple of Iris from BookerC1 (Angie) as well as those from Louise, that amaryllis from Julie, the lemon verbenia and strawberries from Kathleen, the rudebekia and something else I can't remember the name of from Donna and the day lilies from Mike. It's in a 4 X 20 foot bed. I'll post a picture later today of just how pitiful it looks now so that next springs' photo will have a little more meaning. The cactus and aloe didn't really fit with the water needs of everything else so they'll go in my succulent bed.

Today I'm covering the out door furniture because of the rain. I hope that it doesn't blow too hard and i hope that there's not too much flooding.

I've been fighting with my irrigation controller. I'll probably have to put a new one in.

I love my LA iris JD. You'll enjoy them thoroughly next spring.