Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Before the Cold Front--Last Fall Colors

It was 78 yesterday here in Lincoln, a record high for the date, and the warmest it's been this late in the season since the moon hit the earth and set us in rotation. Remember that you old farts out there who read my blog?

So I spent two hours piddling. Piddling? Make sure no plants had overexposed root balls--placed an inch or two up out of my heavy clay--so I mounded dirt around some, mulch around others. The first year is the most important you know--this is the year the plants begin to formulate language and create basic ethical and moral constructs.

The last fews days I also watered the trees since it hasn't rained for a month or so (wait, does .001" count?).

Below are pics.

1)The orange-ing sedum angelina
2) The red-ing sedum dragon's blood (I will have a carpet of sedum throughout my garden within 3 years by golly)
3) Prairie smoke
4) Ninebark coppertina finally resembling copper (and won't it be awesome in the fall when it's grown up?)
5) A sunset during the best time of year for sunsets
6) And lastly the view out my office window. Why didn't I put the garden on this side of the house? Because I thought it'd be better to see it whilst eating dinner on the deck, or entertaining the invisible guests we entertain whilst grilling out. Blimey. Who has time to be social? Have acquaintances? Read books, grade papers, write papers, write books, pet the turkey, cook the cat....















6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, neat--I didn't realize that prairie smoke foliage developed any fall color. Your Coppertina is lovely, too; I wish mine had done that.

By the way, you expressed interest a while ago in trying variegated pokeweed, and the seeds are ready now. If you'd still like some, you can let me know at ondra at verizon dot net.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Hey, I had no idea either the prairie smoke did fall--I'm new to all this! But I'm thrilled--I hope it does more now that the snow is on it. As for the coppertina, I've heard some folks say it doesn't even look copper during most of the season, but I gope they're wrong. I need a copper color where I put it, but then again, that's only a half day sun location, too....

Benjamin Vogt said...

I meant hope. Not gope. Dope.

Anonymous said...

Count me in among those who say that Coppertina really isn't all that coppery, except at the shoot tips, where the chartreuse newest growth starts to take on the purple color of the older leaves. Unless you're close by it, early in the season, and the moon is in the proper phase, and you've chanted the proper incantation, it's basically purple.

Benjamin Vogt said...

Great. I was so excited about coppertina. Maybe I'll go hack it to bits right now.

Anonymous said...

Oh, no, don't do that! It's a nice plant and can't help that its name is misleading. Live with it for the next growing season, and if you're really dissatisfied with it there, move it elsewhere next fall and find something else for that spot. At the moment, nothing comes to mind that is shrub-sized and hardy and truly coppery, but if I think of something, I'll report back.