Hello
gardeners
I just
gave some of my houseplants away. It feels strangely like when we used to sell
a litter of puppies, like I’m not sure the new owners will take as good care of
them as I did. I explained what kind of light they liked and that one needed to
be repotted. They were some nice plants, a three-foot Norfolk pine, 2 large
jades, a small peace lily plant and a medium sized spider plant. The woman said she had a big bench in front
of a window for them. I just have too
many plants! Well, too many for the space I have for them. Does this prove I’m not a plant hoarder?
I spent
all weekend bringing in plants between rain showers. I wrenched a muscle in the back of my thigh
picking up heavy pots and my knees are killing me. But most of the tender plants are now
inside. Every window is jam packed and I
have grow lights on timers for the overflow.
I decided to give away some plants I had multiples of because there just
isn’t any more space inside. I got a Logee’s catalog today and I shouldn’t even
open it.
My
braided trunk hibiscus grew immensely over the summer – 2 feet taller and wider
than when it went outside, and the other 3 hibiscuses aren’t too far behind. The big Norfolk pine added at least a foot of
height. Things that fit in one spot last year had to be moved to another
spot. I was crawling around on the floor
turning pots this way and that, replacing one pot with another- it was like a
giant puzzle. I promised my husband I
would trim a branch off one of the hibiscuses that partially blocks his view of
the TV- as soon as the buds on that limb have bloomed.
And I’m
not done bringing things in. The unheated porch has yet to be filled. I have two huge jasmines that need to be
brought in there, a tall ginger plant, and all my geraniums and tender potted
bulbs. I sometimes wonder why I do all this.
I don’t know the answer, it’s just something I have always done. My house has to be filled with plants in
winter, so I feel happier. But they do
so love a vacation outside and it’s so much easier to care for them outside
where I’m taking care of the outside plants.
I just can’t let things die outside, like geraniums, when I know they
can live to flower another year. So yes, maybe I am a plant hoarder.
We have
not had our first frost yet although it got down to 38 degrees Saturday
night. But a friend not far from here-
actually south of me- has had frost. So, if the rain clouds ever go away it may
frost soon, although the rest of this week looks safe so far. Last year the first frost came October 1, and
a hard freeze October 26. Things are still blooming nicely outside, but all
droopy from the wet.
I no
longer worry about the woody plants going into winter too dry. It has rained and rained the last few days, 3
inches in 3 days. And more is coming. I’m not really fond of this damp, chilly
weather. I had to make doughnut balls
last night to cheer me up. The recipe is
at the end of the blog.
October almanac
October’s full moon occurs on the 24th and is called
the full hunters moon. The full moon should look large because it’s at its
closest point for the month, if it isn’t cloudy. This full moon is also called the Dying Grass
moon or Traveling moon as Native Americans often moved to winter grounds during
this time. The Hunters moon is named such because at this time of year the moon
rises early in the evening and stays bright until almost dawn, letting hunters
easily track animals in the night. It’s
now illegal to hunt most game animals after the sun goes down. The moon’s
perigee occurs on the 5th and again on the 31st. Apogee is the 17th.
If you like sky gazing, you may want to look for the Draconid
meteors which will be at their peak Oct 9th. This meteor shower isn’t as frequent or showy
as others but who knows what you might see.
Look for the meteors in the northwest sky just after dark. Later in the month the Orionid meteor shower
peaks around October 20-21st. It’s going to be hard to see meteors this
month because of the full moon near the peak viewing time. This meteor shower
occurs through much of the month however. Good viewing times for this meteor
shower are around midnight. These
meteors can be seen in all parts of the sky.
The meteors are debris from the tail of Halley’s Comet.
October’s birthstones are the Tourmaline and Opal. October’s birth flower was the calendula
originally, but now is listed as marigold.
Calendulas were the “marigold” before the African plant we now call
marigold was discovered. So now either calendula or marigolds is considered
correct. The meaning in flower language
is warm, undying and contented love.
October is National popcorn popping month, vegetarian month,
seafood month, cookie month, pizza month, and applejack month. If you are not into food it’s also National
Diabetes month, National Adopt a Shelter Dog month, National Domestic Violence
Awareness month and of course the most used and abused “cause” of all, Breast
Cancer awareness month. I’m not against breast cancer awareness just the
commercialization of it.
Holidays of note in October include the 10th –World Egg
Day – National Dessert day, 21st –Sweetest Day, 21st
National Pumpkin Cheesecake day, 22nd – National Nut Day, 24th
–and then there’s two of the world’s
favorite holidays, 30th -Devils night and 31st - Halloween.
Natures costume change
Fall
can be beautiful in many parts of the country as trees and shrubs transform
from green to sensuous colors of red, orange, purple and gold. In my part of
the country, fall color is usually at it’s peak in mid-October. Your area of
the country may be at it’s best earlier or later. Not every deciduous tree dons
a seductive dress in fall, the leaves on some trees just turn tan or brown, but
we certainly appreciate those that do.
And every year the color show is slightly different.
Tree
leaves are green because the chlorophyll in them reflects green wavelengths of
light. The chlorophyll is in tiny cell
bodies called chloroplasts and their job is to provide food for the plant by
converting sunlight into sugars. In fall the shortening days and cooler
temperatures tell the chloroplasts to stop producing food and the plant
re-absorbs them. When the chlorophyll fades other pigments already in the
leaves become more prominent.
Different
species of plants, different cultivars of plants and even individual plants
have differences in which color pigments that they have. In some species the yellow-orange pigments- carotenes
and xanthophyll are more prominent than others – and some plants produce red
anthocyanin pigments in fall, which produce the more brilliant scarlets, deep
orange or purple colors seen in some leaves. Anthocyanin pigments need some
light frosts or weather just above freezing to help them develop but hard
freezes too early will lessen the color intensity.
Cooler
weather and less daylight also cause deciduous trees and shrubs to form a layer
of cells at the junction of the leaf stem and the main stem called the
abscission layer. This layer blocks the flow of water to the leaves. Eventually
the abscission layer will cause the leaf to detach from the plant.
Leaves
are a liability to a plant in winter weather, moisture can’t be taken up from
frozen ground and leaves have broad surfaces that allow water to evaporate off
them. Photosynthesis or food production needs water. Cold weather and less light also make food
production too energy intensive. So, the
plant sheds the leaves, going dormant, to preserve energy. It has food stored in the root system to provide
the minimum energy needed in this state and to start new leaves in the spring
when temperature warm and days grow longer.
Hard
winds and heavy rains after the abscission layers start to form may cause
leaves to fall off before they show much color. Drought often causes that layer
to form early too, so fall color season is less colorful and shorter.
The
best fall color is usually after a growing season with lots of rain, but also
warm sunny weather, followed by a dry, sunny, cool but above freezing fall. After a few hard frosts or freezes most of
the leaves- and color- will be gone.
Fall color in the landscape
 |
| Barberry |
If
gardeners want fall color in the landscape they should plan for it. Not all trees or shrubs of a species that
does get color for fall will get the same color. In nature sugar maples for
example, will display a variety of leaf colors, each seedling plant will have
its own variation of fall color from yellow to crimson. Nurseries note
outstanding fall colored plants of a species and then they take cuttings from
it. These cuttings are then named and sold, and the buyer has a good chance to
have a plant with the color he or she wants.
If a
certain color is important to your landscape scheme pick out the plant in the
nursery in the fall - when it is showing its colors. Remember the color may vary a bit with the
weather each year. Keeping landscape
plants watered in dry summer weather will also insure better fall color.
Good
trees for fall color in the landscape are maples, including Japanese maple, Acer palmatum, and Amur maple, Acer ginnala. Amur maples are small and shrub like and have
good red fall color. Many Japanese
maples have good fall color in a variety of colors.
The
fall color of sugar maples, Acer saccharum, can vary from brilliant
red to golden. They are great shade
trees also and of course- can be used to make maple syrup. Red
maples, Acer rubrum, are commonly
called swamp maples and have good red color. They are the tree most red
landscape maples are bred from. For the west coast Bigtooth or Wasatch maple, Acer
grandidentatum, has good yellow to red fall foliage.
Specially
bred strains of maple such as ‘Autumn Blaze’ can provide wonderful color and
are good landscape choices. Some maples don’t make good “yard trees”
however. Silver maple and the box elder
are two examples of dull fall color, weak wood and weedy growth in the maple
family.
Sassafras, Sassafras albidum, is a
unique tree with mitten shaped leaves that vary tremendously in shape, all on
the same tree. Color is striking shades
of orange and yellow to red. The bark
and twigs of sassafras have a pleasant taste and are used in beverages and
other edibles.
Shagbark hickories, Carya ovata, provide nuts for wildlife as well as beautiful
golden yellow fall foliage. They are
slow growing; buying a grafted tree from a nursery will insure better color and
faster growth.
Northern Red oak, Quercus rubra, and Pin oak,
Quercus palustris, are two oak trees
that generally have good fall color in the red range. Most other oaks have less spectacular color,
often tan or brown. Oaks turn color
later than Maples and extend the fall color show. Some oaks have leaves that remain on the
plant most of the winter, but they are brown and unattractive.
Ginko
bilboa trees are not native but their fan shaped leaves turn a pretty golden
yellow in the fall. Redbud, Cercis canadensis, trees not only put on
a pretty show in the spring with their lavender pink flowers but have excellent
yellow fall color on a small tree.
Katsura, Cercidiphyllum
japonicum, trees have apricot colored fall foliage that as it starts to fall,
leaves behind a cotton candy or caramel smell on the air.
Kousa dogwood, Cornus kousa are small trees with pretty white spring flowers and
purple - red fall color. Black Gums Nyssa sylvatica, are not trees for small
yards. They get huge and have small blue
fruits that are loved by birds in the fall as well as fall color in shades of
yellow, red and purple, often on the same tree.
American Yellowwood, (Cladrastis lutea) is a native tree that
deserves more attention. The Yellowwood has clusters of fragrant, white
dangling flowers in spring which turn into flat brown pods in fall. The fall color is brilliant yellow and the
pale gray bark is attractive too.
An
American native that is no longer found in the wild is the Franklin tree, (Franklinia
alatamaha). In late summer the
Franklin tree produces large, fragrant white flowers similar to camellias which
persist until the leaves turn a deep orange-red in the fall.
For
those in the west Western Chokecherry Prunus
virginiana melanocarpa has golden, orange or red foliage, Chinese
pistache, Pistacia chinensis has brilliant yellow-orange to red foliage, Liquidambar or Sweet gum Liquidambar styraciflua, has unique maple leaf like foliage in shades of
peach, pink, orange or red foliage.
Western
Soapberry, Sapindus
drummondii, a common native tree in the Southwest, will also thrive as far
north as zone 5. Fall color is golden
yellow. In the late spring it has
clusters of small white flowers that are attractive to butterflies. The flowers turn into yellow fruits, like a
leathery cherry, which will persist on the tree through winter.
Japanese
persimmon Diospyros kaki, has yellow, red or orange foliage and bright orange
fruits in fall. American Persimmon, Diospyros
virginiana, is a small tree but attractive in the landscape, with nice
yellow fall color.
 |
| Japanese maple, cotoneaster and barberry |
Shrubs
that have good fall color are of course the Euonymus
alata, “Burning Bush”- scarlet
foliage, cotoneaster, Cotoneaster apiculatus and Cotoneaster horizontalis, – red foliage, blueberries,
Vaccinium corymbosum and other species, -
red, orange and yellow foliage plus edible berries, gray dogwood, Cornus racemose, - red foliage, various species of sumac- yellow, orange and red foliage, oak leaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia, – red, yellow and purple foliage, and barberry, Berberis
vulgaris and Berberis canadensis – red,
orange and yellow, New Mexico privet (Forestiera neomexicana) bright
yellow foliage, Golden
Currant shrub Ribes aureum
reddish
to purple foliage, Serviceberry
bush Amelanchier
alnifolia yellow to red foliage, Fothergilla Fothergilla x intermedia,
has orange, red, and red-purple foliage
There
are other plants that have good fall color for the garden also. New plants and different colors of older plants
are constantly coming on the market. Plants that don’t have colorful foliage
may have colorful berries. Some
ornamental grasses have golden, silver, pinkish or purple fall color. A great garden will include at least some
plants that provide fall color.
The Fall Home Invasion
When
the weather turns colder there are a lot of bugs that would like to spend some
time in your nice warm home. Most people
however, would prefer that they remain outside in the natural environment,
whether that means they will survive or not. Insects that become problems in
the home in the fall include cluster flies and house flies, box elder bugs,
Asian lady beetles, spiders, leaf and stink bugs.
One of
the first things to do of course is to prevent small critters from ever getting
into your home. That means sealing all
cracks and crevices. You can use putty,
expandable foam or various forms of weather stripping to plug holes. Pay special attention to cracks and holes in
foundations and around doors.
Most
insect entering the home in the fall are hard to kill with conventional
insecticides and the last thing you should do is follow them around with a
spray can. Insecticides sprayed inside a
home closed up for winter are more harmful to you than the insects themselves. Pesticide residue gets on counters, tables,
toys, windows, and other things and from there onto your hands and into your
body. Most of the fall insect pests
don’t want to feed on you or your food; they are just looking for a warm place
to sleep and pesticide use is overkill.
In the
case of most fall invading insects the vacuum cleaner is your friend. Simply vacuum them up and empty the bag
immediately outside (far from the house) or into a bucket of hot soapy water.
You may have to do this numerous times, but its harmless to you and your
family. You might want to purchase an
inexpensive hand vac to make it easy to suck up the invaders.
Cluster flies, which look like large
houseflies and may congregate on the sides of light-colored homes or inside on
a window. You can hang sticky fly paper
strips near where they congregate and dispose of the strips as they fill up. An
old-fashioned fly swatter also works well.
These pests are usually gone in about 2 weeks after the weather turns
cold enough outside to freeze the ground.
They do not breed in homes.
Keep
food covered and clean up spills promptly in the case of houseflies. If they keep
reappearing well into cold weather they are breeding somewhere in the house,
something other insect pests, even cluster flies, don’t do. Look for decaying food, (maybe in a kid’s
room), wet areas in the crawl space or basement, in the bottom of dirty hamster
cages or other pet enclosures and the bottom of trash cans for maggots, which
are the larvae that turn into flies.
These must be cleaned up and the areas kept clean and dry. Hang sticky fly paper and use a fly swatter
to get the adult flies.
Spiders should be tolerated in out of the way places such
as crawl spaces and attics as they eat other pests. They are generally harmless inside too, but
most people don’t appreciate them. A few spiders have big enough fangs to bite you,
but most spiders don’t bite. If you get a reaction from a spider bite see a doctor.
Remove spider webs as soon as they
appear and use a fly swatter to kill spiders you see. Or if the weather is
still above freezing capture the spider and put it outside.
In the
winter when the leaf and stink bugs invade homes they do not
bite people or pets, and do not normally eat human food. They are not a health
threat although some people could have an allergic reaction to them. They do
smell awful if you squish them. In the home pesticides are not recommended,
vacuum them up and promptly empty the bag into a container of soapy water or
seal the contents in plastic bags and dispose of them.
 |
| Stinkbug |
The Asian lady beetle is highly variable in
color and markings, they can be orange, yellow or brownish with various numbers
of black spots. But they all have a
black w or m marking on the back of the head, depending on how you are looking
at them. And unlike native lady beetles they
cluster in large groups to hibernate. As the soybean fields get harvested, and
other vegetation dies, the little buggers move to our houses to hibernate for
the winter. This is what makes them much more hated than our native lady
beetles.
They
may cover the side of a house outside, particularly on the sunny side, and that
alarms people but they aren’t harmful to humans. They can give you a little nip,
but they are not poisonous and carry no human diseases. They don’t eat your
food. They don’t breed in your house. They don’t destroy wood or clothing. They
do smell bad if crushed and can leave a stain.
And they taste awful if you have ever swallowed one accidently.
But do
try to keep them out of the house. Brush
yourself off before you go in the door and seal up all the little cracks if you
can. Let them hide under the siding
outside or in the shed or barn, because despite what people think they do eat
other insect pests. They’ll disperse in
spring. It isn’t wise to spray them with
pesticides, especially inside. You can vacuum them up if you have large numbers
inside, a hand vac works well. There are no products that effectively repel
them so don’t fall for things being sold as such.
 |
| Japanese lady beetles |
Box elder bugs, like many fall home invaders
are just looking for a warm place to hibernate.
This red and black striped insect has boom and bust cycles, when there is
a big population in summer you may not notice them but come fall when they are
covering walls inside and out people panic.
But once again they don’t carry diseases, eat people food, or breed
inside. They may be found around houseplants, but they won’t eat them, they are
looking for water and a place to hibernate.
If they
don’t find the right place to hibernate box elder bugs die in a week or so. They
leave a stain when smashed so once again a vacuum is your friend. Box elder
bugs eat other things besides box elder trees, and they can fly well so
removing box elder trees from your yard may not stop them from congregating at your
place.
Apple doughnut balls
Fall is
the season for visiting a cider mill and getting some doughnuts to go with
it. I don’t know how the association of
cider with doughnuts got started but it’s a good pairing. These doughnut balls will satisfy the doughnut
and cider craving until you get to the cider mill.
These
doughnut balls require deep frying. A deep fryer with temperature controls or
using a deep fryer thermometer gives the best results. Don’t make the balls too big, so the center
and the outside both get done at the same time.
It makes about 30 small balls.
Ingredients
2 c.
flour
¾ cup
sugar
1
tablespoon baking powder
½
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon cinnamon
½
teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup
half and half – whole milk can be subbed
1/3 cup
apple juice – unsweetened concentrated, pure juice
1 egg,
lightly beaten
Blend
together flour, salt, ¼ cup of the sugar, baking powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
and the nutmeg.
Add the
half and half, apple juice and egg.
Blend together until thoroughly mixed.
In a
quart sized plastic bag blend together the rest of the sugar and cinnamon and
set aside. Lay some paper towels on a
tray.
Heat
frying oil to 375 degrees F. It should
be about 3 inches deep at a minimum.
Drop
doughnut dough into the hot oil carefully using about a teaspoon of dough for
each ball. Only fry 5-6 at a time, don’t
crowd pan. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly round balls.
Fry
until golden brown, turning once with a spatula. It takes about 1 ½ minutes per batch.
Place
balls on paper towel lined tray to drain. While still warm place doughnut balls
in the plastic bag of cinnamon sugar mixture a few at a time and shake to
lightly coat them.
Orange
or cherry juice can also be used to flavor the balls.
You can
store any uneaten balls in a zip lock bag or freeze them, but I bet there won’t
be any left.
Well,at
least it’s rain not snow
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without
permission.
And So On….
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I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
research each week. It keeps me engaged with people and horticulture. It’s a
hobby, basically. I hope you enjoy it. If you are on my mailing list and at any
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