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| The O Isami |
I've been looking forward to the fall color for the last month, and it started a couple weeks ago with the first yellows, and my big O Isami. It showed a bit more red this year, but it's pretty much gone now. Then some of the grasses and the grape arch lit up, and now the dogwoods and some of the A. palmatum Japanese maples are picking up the color. We haven't had any sharp cold nights here yet, so the colors are just trickling through the gardens and woods a little at a time. That's fine--a nice long fall is a lovely feature. And after the astonishing 8" of rain in September, I haven't had to water anything but my potted plants, and that's been nice. I've had a chance to catch up on my garden chores too, and now I'm leaf-ing the garden, even as I get to murder the young weeds that sprouted after the big rains.
But I'm way behind on my posting, so this is a long one:
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| Red Dragon, Miscanthus sinensis Zebrinus, and Hydrangea Merritt's Beauty |
This early morning combination of the Zebrinus flowers, the Merritt's Beauty dried flower heads, and red tints of the A. palmatum Red Dragon was irresistible.
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| Disanthus cercidifolia |
The big Disanthus showed the most color ever this year, and lots of red.
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| Fog at sunrise |
Just a little ground fog on the Christmas trees on the hilltop east of here.
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| Mixed Panicums and Helictotrichon |
Three Panicums turned gold (a fourth on the far right edge) to contrast with the Blue Oat grass.
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| I love red leaves in the fall |
The A. palmatum Hilleri, now taller than I am, and the first palmatum I planted here.
Another view in the afternoon light, showing the bright lime green of the young bark. I had never noticed this color contrast before. While I was weeding around it, I found a tiny baby red-leafed seedling! I marked it with a stick and next year I'll move it to where it'll have a bit more room. Hope it's like its mom!
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| These were translucent, with delicate sawtooth edges |
An old chunk of fir stump or root sprouted these pink mushrooms the other day, and they were so pretty I snapped the photo, not noticing the two big and one tiny slugs having a meal! In the spring and fall I get about a dozen species of mushrooms in my garden, and I have a pretty good photo collection but have only managed to identify a few of them. I've found both poisonous and edible ones, but the slugs and mammals beat me to the edible ones. I'm okay with that.
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| Anna's? It was 2" - 3" head to butt |
This morning while I was planting my winter broccoli starts, a hummer came to sample the pineapple sage hedge next to the veggie bed. When it noticed me noticing it, it flashed its bright red throat at me.
I had my camera with me and miraculously managed to get these photos.
