The dying green makes way for color then rest

It's that time of year again...

Boy. Things change over night it seems. Just a few nights ago the temperatures dropped for the first time at night into the high 40s, low 50s. And the next day you could see a change. Some of the leaves are yellowing and some are starting to drop.

Some of this is due to a lack of rain for the last few weeks. Spotty at best, sprinkles here and there. We had a pretty wet summer though. Hard rains greeted me upon my return from India and I thought I had brought the monsoons with me. I'm hoping that there is enough moisture in the ground to give us a showy fall full of all types of colors. It seems that when we have a dry spell, just before autumn, the colors are more muted and all in pretty much the same hues, with very little variation. We'll just have to wait and see.

The echinacea have been completely compromised by the Goldfinch

Leaves are already falling

Hostas are getting ready for their winter nap

Some last minute flowers are popping up, but for the most part things are starting to die down, literally and figuratively. I'll start cutting back the echinacea, Ginger Lily and Hosta leaves and stalks as soon as they wilt and turn tan/brown. Mulching the overwintering tubers and roots is a must. I have heard that in this part of the country, we are supposed to see a very bitter winter, so we will take the necessary precautions.

Beautyberries are showing their colors, offering a feast in the coming months for the birds.

The last canna of the season does not disappoint.

Tree killing European Hornets!

European Hornet, post mortem.

Did I get your attention? If you have River Birch trees on your property, then please read! Houston, we have a problem. Our River Birch trees are being mutilated by these very aggressive bees. They arrive mid to late Summer every year and eat away the bark on the newer branches and main trunks.

This is a European Hornet. Wiki will tell you that is is a species that might be soon endangered. Well, I can understand why. Now, if you have read my blog from the beginning, you will know that I try very hard not to be a killer of everything that flies and really have cut down my pesticide and herbicide use. I do try. Really, I do. But these buggers are costing me dearly.

Any gardener will know, that it ain't cheap growing a garden. Especially when you have to purchase your plants. In the last several years, we have gone from a blank slate to a yard filled with trees, shrubs and flowers. We only have lost a couple for various reasons as all gardeners do from time to time. But this is pest related.

Girdled branch on River Birch

These European Hornets chew off the bark, using it for their nests. The big, oval papery nest we remember from cartoons. They also probably get some nutrition from it also. But they are basically killing the tree. By chewing off the bark and exposing the cambium layer, they are girdling the tree. The branch or trunk will die from that point outward or upward. If they chew the bark off all the way around, it will die. If they don't go all the way around, there is a chance that that branch or trunk can survive. It will however, make it weaker, especially with rain or snow loads.

Freshly chewed.

Damage from last year. This will heal over as it did not go all the way around.

So I have resorted to a couple of methods to deal with this. I can't afford to loose these trees. Actually, the worst time for this to happen is when the trees are young. It can severely misshapen or even kill a younger tree. As far as the older one in my yard, it amounts to lots of lost branches higher up the tree, many falling during snow loads or high winds.

I have tried the traps, but they don't seem to work, so I will be returning those. It seems as Wasp and Hornet spray, ones that shoot long distances, are the ticket. I have to go out in the morning and then again, when I return from work. My wife will try to hit them at one point during the day.

I am dealing with a conundrum. I want to be clean and earth friendly, but I can't afford to be 100%. Am I a hypocrite? Am I a bad person. I know there are natural gardeners out there. I have read about them. Let the chips fall as they may and let nature take it's course is the way they garden.

I'm almost there, really I am. But it is so damned hard.

Gardening neighbors

Passiflora - Passion Flower

I surmise now that not everyone is passionate about gardening. Hell, some people could give a rats patootie. It is evident just driving down the road or though a neighborhood. I don't expect everyone to care like I do, or like just about anyone reading this. But some people never, ever, go out in their yard. Some people just scalp mow and that's it. Never having planted a flower or tree. Oh well. To each his own.

I do have one neighbor who cares. She lives up at the end of the street. She always looks as she is driving past, and every once in a while will stop by and ask what we've done that is new. I've shared clippings, seedlings and occasional wisdom with her. She does the same. Yesterday she offered me some babies of some plants that I have been meaning to get for a long time. Passiflora, or Passion Flower vine, Wisteria and Hummingbird vine. She keeps pulling them up and I keep wanting them. To return the favor, she was wanting some butterfly bushes. We have plenty, so off she went and already planted some.

My neighbor also rescues Eastern Box Turtles. Some are missing appendages, some with cracked shells. The has a corner of her yard cordoned off and allows them to eat well and be safe. And they do eat well, eating all they want of corn on the cob, tomatoes and other veggies from the garden and worms. They seem to love it there as they have even started to breed. A couple of years ago, one of the females, the one with only 3 legs, laid eggs and they hatched. This past July she did it again. So we are waiting and hopefully I will be able to post some pics of newborn box turtles!

Two-year old box turtles

Late summer thoughts...

Echinacea in their last throes

Late summer is upon us. Flowers are fading, growth is slowing and there is sense of urgency just starting to creep in the background. I can hear the squirrels gnawing away at the hickory nuts in the neighbors tree. They are also seen using their little squirrel highway, the fence top across the street, hauling large pears back to the monstrous Willow Oak where they live, trying to pack on the pounds, or in their case, the ounces, for the upcoming winter season.

The Goldfinches are busily plucking all of the available seeds from the echinacea and cosmos and have managed to macerate the Zinnias. As I said in the last installment, the Ginger lilies are blooming nicely now and the house is filled with wonderful fragrance.

Ginger lily

Then there are always last minute surprises in the garden. A last bloom on the Gardenia, a late rose or Crocosmia blossom. It is like a last ditch effort to reproduce, to get the last chance in the season to be pollinated.

Crocosmia blooming now in my garden. I planted the bulbs in the spring, not expecting anything until next spring.

Yellow rose blooming now

Then there are the late bloomers anyway. The toad lilies are getting ready to bloom, and are now about 3 feet tall. They are getting later and later due to the fact that the River Birch we planted is robbing them of much needed light. I'm just noticing this now. The photo I took today says we are way off on the blooming time. An older image shows it was blooming in mid July back in 2009. I guess it is time to move them. We started with one plant and they have self propagated and take up a 4'x4' space.

Toad Lily, July 16, 2009

Toad lilies, August 26, 2013

Unformed Toad lily blossom, August 26, 2013

Late summer blooms and other thoughts

Polianthes tuberosa

Upon my return from India, I was greeted with weeds, and lots of them. Most of the plants fared well as we had a lot of rain and milder temperatures than we usually have in Central Virgina at the end of July. Moving all of the potted plants to the back yard under the trees seemed to be the right call also.

The late summer blooms are starting to appear. Tuberoses and Ginger Lilies are blossoming right now, a little early for our area. They usually come out late August, but still seem to be too late to the party and get zapped too soon by colder weather. If we only had another 30-60 days.... oh well. I'll take what I can get.

I love these plants. My wife introduced me to these and other plants whose blooms present us with wonderful scents. Most come from white flowers and are used throughout India and other countries as garlands for puja and other offerings. When in India, we will have the driver stop so I can get some before heading out for long drives, just to smell the wonderful fragrance as we travel around.

hedychium - Ginger Lily

It is hit or miss, it seems, for the tuberoses here. Sometimes we have plenty, sometimes just a single stalk. The Ginger lilies, on the other hand, have been doing quite well for the last several years and are starting to get out of control. They have to be treated like bamboo, which spreads by shooting out rhizomes. It needs to have a barrier set several inches into the ground to stop the spread. I failed to do that on 3 sides and they are spreading into the grass. I guess it could be worse. At least they are growing. Each winter I let the stalks brown up and die. I then cut them back to ground level and cover them with a thick blanket of mulch. So far so good. We did not, however, have much luck with the variegated variety. They didn't make it through the winter.

The last blooms from the Jasmine are still there and one last flower from the gardenia before fall sets in. We will be bringing in lots of cuttings from the Ginger lilies in the next few weeks. The house is going to smell wonderful!

last of the Jasmine...

Polianthes tuberosa

Albizia Julibrissin: Mimosa or Silk tree

Albizia Julibrissin: Mimosa or Silk tree as it is more commonly known, grows everywhere in India. Unlike ours back here in Virginia, the blossoms are almost all magenta, where ours is mostly white with light pink tips. The leaves are a bit different also, being a bit larger and more space between each set.

We saw these in Bangalore in 2011 and the trees can get massive, covering an entire city block with it's ever spreading branches.

Check back for more images and stories of plants in Incredible India!

Frangipani planted everywhere in India

Frangipani or Plumeria grows everywhere in India

Just a quick shot of the Frangipani or Plumeria plant. It grows in most parks and even in the median strip of roads. Always a treat for the eye!