Oct garden walk...Pine Hollow

Fall has arrived in Pine Hollow...








Enjoy the garden walks...there are a total of 5 posts.

Oct garden walk...front landscape

As we leave the backyard to tour the front lanscape we walk past the bed on the side of the garage.When we get to the front rose & iris garden...
we spot the two tin houses from C & R (read barn post).

Don't they look right at home here?
While the iris look kind of tough this month the rest of the garden just keeps blooming and blooming.

The other side of the front landscape still looks equally good...in spite of filling up with blown leaves.
The red ribbon grass front and center made for striking color against the green of the mum and autumn joy sedum all summer. Now, they are giving it a challenge in full color! The little bourbon clematis on the ground makes me smile...it died off this summer and I pulled out the trellis and gave up on it and in August it started growing back from the roots.
My poor little pee gee hydrangea...I still haven't found time to cut off the weight of all those blossoms. I also have to repot and take in my passion flower vine in the pot under the front window. It is only rated to zone 6 and I am a zone 4 gardener so I am hoping it will overwinter in the basement.
The front pots are also looking ragged these days...by Nov 1st they will be filled with their winter greens.
The dogs are barking on the side of the garage we better head over and see what's the matter, on the way we spot the spanish lavender...I'm going to try and overwinter that as well.
Oops, I guess they noticed I forgot to show the sedum wheelbarrow. Now, Ruger wants us to follow him...
another sign of how windy it is...this flower pot blew over, the flag is horizontal and Ruger can't even hold his tail straight :)

Oct garden walk...the backyard

Walking to the backyard from the barn garden we see this view showing the giant cottonwoods in the background are still completely green.It has been so windy the past couple of days the patio is covered with pine needles.


I need to be watching out the window to catch a goldfinch feeding off this sunflower birdfeeder. They are on their 3rd small sunflower head that fits into it, so it is a popular place to stop for a snack but I'm just not fast enough with a camera.
The white lisanthus just keep blooming and blooming.
Every few years the Pine Lady loses tons of needles and this year is one of them. The needles turn brown and she looks quite ill and then the next year continues to thrive, but it makes for a pretty sparse looking tree this winter.
Is that what it looks like?
Yes, this crazy gardener has moved her dead Christmas tree from the back of the cabin to be near the rock for the winter. We have huge numbers of robins here feasting on those invasive buckthorn trees that are taking over our grove and they come in large groups to bathe. My poor little serviceberry tree was bending over the weight of 15 robins one day so I decided to give the birds another place to perch. It has proved to be extremely popular with all the birds as it was by the cabin. They love to bathe and then perch on it to preen.
Most of the coneflowers have gone to seed and are a goldfinch buffet...
and the self seeded annuals in front of the cabin continue to put out a colorful show.
A white datura also self seeded itself next to the cabin. Next year, I am going to plant some buy the barn for beautiful white blossoms in the evening when we entertain by the firepit.
This month we can actually make our way through the back arbor after I pulled all the cosmos out.
The paths are quite overgrown but with a limited number of days until it is all over I have just let the garden do it's own thing.


The honeysuckle vine is putting out some late season blossoms for the few straggler hummingbirds that are still around.


Walking back up to the patio you can see how windy it is here by the "Marsha's Garden" flag.
Hard to believe it is only in the upper 50's with the shot of this tropical canna in the sunshine.
I actually took my October 1st garden shots in the afternoon yesterday (9/30) since we were forecast to have rain today. It is a good thing I did as today is actually only 48 degrees at 1 pm, raining and very windy!

Oct garden walk...the barn garden

The October barn garden is already in the fall cleanup stages. Most of the vegetables have been pulled out and the herbs have gotten a serious haircut. The evenings are cool and we have been enjoying a few bonfires in the evening darkness...nothing like the smell of autumn with a fire burning. Did you notice my new little treasure? My regular readers probably remember the "it takes a village" post where I showcased my collection of vintage tin dollhouses. Chad & Ronda went to an auction and found me two more houses and the wonderful little barn...it's it cute? Thanks C & R!!
We already had our first frost so I better get my red cordyline dug up and in the basement soon.
And last, but not least we have Wendy, the witch, standing guard over the October garden.

Oct garden walk...wildflower garden

The October 1st wildflower garden is looking a little wild these days. But that's a good thing meaning it is all going to seed and I'll have a lush wild garden in 2010.

When October arrives you can see how the blackberry lily got it's name...the seed pods of the little orange flower burst into blackberry look a likes.

Hershey is checking out all the pine needles that have been blowing off the trees as it has been very windy here all week.

All those coneflower seed heads are a very popular place to hang out these days.