Divide and Conquer

With all the new plants in the garden, I began sketching and documenting the location of each plant. We also redefined the edge along the garden beds. During the dog days of summer, the border tends to recede and get overrun by weeds. I extended the middle garden bed to create a more prominent focal point that can be seen from both the back deck and the front street view.

The task is overwhelming. I find that it helps to start by removing all spent leaves and branches. Trim your perennials back. Do not compost diseased leaves. Then shape the garden bed and make a clean finish.



In addition to moving my plants around, I divided a lot of my perennials - lamb's ear, foxglove, black eyed susan, jethrow tull, scabiosa, and arugula. I also repotted my houseplants, so they can get through the winter.


Since there were so many basil bushes, I found a new way to re-use them by turning them into "potpourri". Instead of lavender bundles, I have made basil bundles by hanging them upside down to dry.


Look how my cathedral bell has developed into a deep purple. I love this vine!


We also took a day trip to Cranford, NJ where they had their Fall Scarecrow contest. This garden witch was my favorite scarecrow by The Green Thumb Garden Club. There are lots of really good ones, but of course this had to be my favorite!


Next weekend:

• Staple molding around kitchen windows and doors.
• Place trim into canister lights.
• Clean and trim shrubs and garden bed.
  
• Plant perennials in middle garden bed.
  

Flower List

Now that there are so many plants in the garden, I began documenting them. I don't want to lose track and dig them up by accident next spring. I'll be updating this along with some pictures as I work on the garden bed this fall.

Left-Side:

1. Broom
2. Jethrow Tickseed
3. Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum Salicaria)
   
4. Lily
5. Pink Coneflower (Echinacea)
6. Black Eyed Susan
7. Malva Sylvestris (Mallow)
8. Obedient Plant
9. Delphinium
10. Wild Indigo

Center:

1. Siberian Irises
2. Pink Peony
3. Dahlias
   
4. Lamb's Ear

Right-Side:

1. Purple Irises (from mom)
2. Star gazer lilies
3. Kansas Peony
4. Arugula
5. Pink Coneflower
6. Burgundy Irises (over 25 years old) with Jethrow Tickseed in center
   
7. Red Peony
8. Trio of Pincushion flowers (Scabiosa)
   
9. Row of Jethrow Tickseed
10. Row of Pink Foxglove in front
11. Firecracker Plants
12. Red Hybrid Tea Rose
13. Black Eyed Susan

Left Side of House

1. Hosta
2. Coral Bells
3. Daffodils
4. Muscari
5. Polemonium
   
6. Astible
7. Knockout Rose
8. Bleeding Hearts
9. Daffodils
10. Forget Me Nots
11. Shirley Temple Peony

Right Side of House

1. Yellow Mums
2. Cactus
3. Lavender
   
4. St. John's Wort
5. Fuschia Mums
6. Burgundy Irises
7. Pink Tulips
8. Orange Mums
9. S. Linnaenum (we've nicknamed it "June")
   
10. Sedum
11. Yellow Day Lily
    
12. Knockout Rose
13. Sedum
14. Jethrow Tickseed
    
15. Burgundy Irises
16. Arugula
17. Mint
18. Dogwood Tree
    

And I'm Spent

That's it chickadees! I can safely say that the season is over! I spent the weekend harvesting the rest of this year's bounty and hacking down everything else to make room for next spring.

• 54 Eggplants
• 7 Bellpeppers
• 250+ Tomatoes
• And everything else
  

Up Close and Personal

Since I began gardening, I feel more "in tune" with our surroundings and those that inhabit them. A bit of history - my mom is the true gardener. Growing up, I detested the bugs and dirt. I rarely helped my mother in the garden except to pick the vegetables. Who would have thought that I would get this up close and personal with a bee? I sat there harvesting my basil plants while this busy bee was feeding on my sedum. It was so entertaining. Isn't nature grand?!



On the other hand, this little devil was feeding away on my tomato plants.

Cathedral Bells

The name of this flower caught my eye last year as I shopped for new seeds. My husband and I were married in a cathedral, so these remind me of our wedding day. On Gardener's Network, I read that they were difficult to start, but once it got going, there's no stopping this vine. Best of all, it's a fall bloomer so you can still have something of interest blooming in the garden during the colder months.



Isn't she a beauty? To me they look like the skirts of fairies! Yesterday, the flower was still lime green. Today it is a shade of lilac and soon it will be a vibrant purple.

Mon Petit Chou

My husband's grandmother is Polish, so he loves this! I usually make this with a head of cabbage, but I bought these adorable brussel sprouts at the farmer's market that were too adorable to pass up. This is a great fall/winter dish to cozy up with a pair of sweatpants.



Brown some onions and bacon in butter. There's nothing in the world better than onions, bacon and butter. Can you use turkey bacon? NO. Don't mess up my recipe! If you use turkey bacon for any reason other than religious, go no further.



Add the onions and brussel sprouts. Let them sweat a little and get brown.



Then add the slices of kielbasa. Let them brown and get all yummy.



Here's my secret ingredient. A bottle of beer! Turn up the heat and add the beer. It gets all bubbly and delicious.



Allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Enjoy it with some egg noodles and beet horseradish!

Why "mon petit chou"? It's french for my little cabbage. Both the hubs and I took french in school and mon petit chou is our little pet name for one another. Sssshhh No one knows.

Backyard "Truffles"

As I was walking through the enchanted forest that is my back yard, I tripped over what looked like a big magic white rock. I looked back and picked up the magic rock. It was no rock at all. It was a magic fungus!



Curiouser and curiouser...



I broke it in half to see what was inside. I wondered if it was like Alice in Wonderland. One side will make you grow shorter and one side will make you grow TALLER! Alas, I need some of that!



Looks like crusty bread. Serve with french onion soup. Bon Appetit! (Just kidding. You can't eat this!)