In The House

Spent some time today cleaning off the seed shelf and containers for forcing bulbs. Just a start though. Most of the containers used last fall have to be washed. But, I washed enough to maybe start some paper whites tomorrow. Orders placed a few days ago for a small selection of seeds from Swallowtail and bulbs from Longfield Gardens arrived in 2 days. This was the second year I waited for Longfields bulb sale.  Swallowtail Garden doesn't have sales on their seeds but their shipping is a flat rate of 4.99. Two types of tulips, alliums, hyacinths, and paper whites arrived healthy and firm. The bulbs are good size. 

Cuttings from  a pothos plant and sweet potato vine from the yard. Maybe I won't have to buy any sweet potato vine next season. It seems eager to grow and has sprouted one new green leaf since bringing it inside last weekend.The potatoes from the green variety are still planted outside and waiting to be pulled and stored before frost.

Some blooms for inside the house.

Will the already battered bird of paradise bought at at discount survive winter? Stay tuned. The discount fiddle leaf fig is in the bedroom near the window. Hopefully it'll do well there till spring.

Humidity domes from Primex  Garden Center on Saturday. Hoped to get 2 new amaryllis but nothing from their selection drew my attention this year. I'll work with the ones I have from last season. There's something about greenhouses. On Saturday, although I din't buy any plants, just walking among the lush plants in their greenhouse while staff tended plants was fun. Air plants soaked in buckets while other plants were being hand watered. So far perennials are only discounted 20%. Not enough to get excited about. I wonder what they do with all the perennials, shrub, and trees they don't  sell before winter. They must have other greenhouses to store them.

Begonias from Swallowtail Garden. Begonia seed is so small and pelleted seeds are welcome.The plan is to start them this week. It's early I know but they should be large by spring. Starting begonias from seed have done well for me in the past although they don't do well indoors for me as houseplants. I know they like humidity but I haven't mastered their other needs. The humidity domes will allow them to stay covered as they grow larger and taller. 

Pretty lilies. 

Sunday In The Yard

Waited late to buy mums for the yard and now they're picked over and those left have the buds already open. I like to buy the ones which only have a few blooms opened so they'll last longer.  I don't miss them.

 

Will clip the dried blooms off.

Pulled the canna and will let the bulbs dry out some before I put them in the basement.

Pepper abuse. I didn't come out and pick them so I'll let them continue to dry and save the seeds. I do have one still green that I may take inside.

Will wash the pepper containers for spring.

There was not a good selection of pansies and violas in my area this fall. I looked in 3 different places. Maybe they'll be more of a variety in the Spring.

Yes we've had rain but the ground doesn't look like it. Leaves haven't started turning in the yard yet.

Removed canna from the black planter also and saved the few bulbs that had not rotted.

Can't kill that broccoli planted in the spring.

Threw out the old coir liner and will get a fresh one for spring.

Ready for bulbs.

I rested and enjoyed the beautiful day after raking, washing down the white vinyl fence, cleaning the flower bed and adding some color to the planter.

I need to clean up this area.

And this. In time. 

Just Thoughts

The weather is feeling like fall. Cool nights in the 40's with 70's during the day. I welcome fall and winter but that time before turning on the heat indoors chills me to the bone especially at night. Being a woman of a certain age I'm sometimes cold and put on my soft fleece pajamas. A few minutes later they're off, my face dotted with sweat and the window is open. 

Today didn't go as planned. I hoped to clean up the yard once again of those plants like some canna that have died down and need to be removed from their containers and the bulbs placed in the basement for the winter. The yard needs raking, not so much due to leaves yet but from seeds falling from the trees covering the ground. Hopefully I'll stay put at home tomorrow and get something accomplished. Fall and winter have become my favorite times to garden indoors.

Two new clearance plants have donated their lives to our home this fall. A bird of paradise and a fiddle leaf fern (sorry I meant fig). They weren't the prettiest but hopefully can be nursed back to health or death. You know fall brings out my desire for impulse plant buying and paying closer attention to my house plants, force bulbs, prepare the seed self for sowing seeds, and making plans for the porch that may not be accomplished. I have all winter. My to do list:

1. Take pots from the shed and neatly stack them on the porch so I actually can use them.

2. Clean the seed shelf so I can start some seeds early that take a long time to reach a good size like vinca and begonias. Begonias also take a long time to germinate almost a month. 

3. Prepare pots of bulbs for the porch and the yard.

4, Prepare hyacinths for forcing.

5. Buy 2 new amaryllis.

6. Try to wait for the first frost and remove sweet potatoes from ornamental sweet potato vines and put in basement until spring.

7. Remove dead leaves from 2 Martha Washington pelargoniums on the porch and bring them inside. Spray them first before bring inside.

8. Bring in other plants from the porch including palm, impatien, and 2 house plants. Let the Thanksgiving cactus stay on the porch hopefully until it sets buds then bring it inside.

9. Order a small selection of seeds and use old seeds that I have first.

10. Take an inventory of what seed starting supplies I already have and what I need to buy.

11. Clean seed starting trays. An unpleasant job for me.

12. Start organizing the house for Thanksgiving. Buy spices, sugar, and dry items for holiday baking.

13. Finish exterior home repairs including porch roof and stucco. The main roof was reconditioned during the summer.

14. Start planting bulbs in the yard and out front. If you've followed this blog for a while, you know this usually doesn't happen yet sometimes until the first snow flake. As long as the soil can still be worked you can plant bulbs.

15. Finally, sit by the fire and drink coffee, hot chocolate, can't leave out tea, and watch the snow fall. Until it's time to shovel. And of course around January lust over plants in the arriving seed catalogs, and complain that I've done nothing on this too do list and worry when it'll get done. Till tomorrow.

The Farmers Market

This is what I bought at the Farmer's Market. The radishes and carrots were beautiful as were all the veggies.

Lettuce, very delicate.

Carrot pesto? Maybe next time. The stems smell like carrots. Not something I noticed before.

Stayman winesap apples. My favorite.

We'll have salad for a few days. The carrots are sweet and crunchy.

On the Porch. Removed two blooms from the zinnia and pulled the plant from the flower bed out front. Looking forward to starting zinnias for spring and maybe next year they'll be more than 2 plants. The dahlia tuber was left in the soil until the first frost.

This is a good by for that many bulbs. From Home Depot. I had a bulb order but think I forgot to place the order. So disappointing although Primex Garden Center has a good selection and I'll probably go back for hyacinths. My only disappointment was not getting bulb vases which are probably sold out now. No bulb planting yet and hard to imagine sitting in air conditioning while I write this post.

Montauk daises are beautiful this year.