Autumn Seems to Have Come Early This Year

It's cool, rainy and comfortable out here in the country, and my plants are loving it. It feels more like September than August (which is traditionally the hottest month of the year here in Ohio). It has gotten so cool at night here and there that I had to close my windows, and get out the fuzzy, fleece blankets. Sweater weather. Fairs are happening here and there in different counties. The big one here is at the end of the month (Great Geauga County Fair). Other events going on out here are horse shows, farm markets, "star parties" at Observatory Park (for Astronomy fans). There's always something going on, and I see concession trucks, horse trailers and tourist cars pulling large boats going my house on a daily basis. It's fun to be where all the action is, but far enough away not to be caught in the traffic of it all. Mom and dad live in downtown Burton, where it is very busy. They sit on their front porch and watch the festivities every weekend. I come and watch with them here and there. Parades go by their house, the farm market is right across the street from their house, in the main park. It's like the set from "The Music Man", very homey, old fashioned and happy.

My garden has been providing me with pretty flowers, fruit and vegetables on a nonstop basis. Every morning I go out and harvest blueberries, and the various types of peppers are producing, too. My roses are doing great, leafing and budding, feeling right at home in the garden. The basil plants have grown into small bushes. Looks like I'm going to have to make a bunch of pesto with it all (there is nothing better than fresh, homemade pesto!). I need to learn how to do canning. Many people out here do it, especially the Amish. I'd like to make jams and jellies, and can it all for winter. It's on my to-do list. As a teenager, i spent the summer at a wonderful farm/camp and we picked cherries, strawberries and black raspberries, made jam with them then canned it all. It was a total success and so fun to do. I was one of the fearless kids that had no problem climbing the big cherry trees to get the best berries. Those were the days! Even if this (soon to be) 50 year old body is a bit creaky, I'd still climb up and get the good cherries, if it wasn't too treacherous. Better yet, there are these wire baskets on poles that can be bought on Ebay (and elsewhere) that can help to reach the farthest fruit high up in the tree.

Then there's elderberries..love them. Last year, mom and I slogged around in near-bog conditions, picking them off of bushes. Elderberries frequently grow in bogs/swamps/wet areas. And, they tend to be surrounded by poison ivy. We got a multitude of berries but worked hard for them, then took them back to their front porch, and used combs to pull the little berries off of their stems. Then, we made pies. Elderberry pie is my favorite dessert..especially the way mom makes it. I took berries home and made my own filling later, too. Amazing how anti-oxidants can be had by eating pie. My kind of health food. I need to get my own elderberry bushes so there will be no need to muck about in soggy terrain. Next year, I'll add more berries to my garden. As for this year, I've been too busy to go elderberry picking but might..the jury's still out on that. The older my parents get, the more the task of picking berries belongs to me, so they don't have to strain themselves too much. Dad stopped picking last year, and mom should now. I will get them, if I get up the motivation then she can work her magic on the berries afterwards.

My appetite has been very low lately, now, to exercise more so I take off more weight. It's doable, just takes time. Weight loss is best done slowly. I don't diet, just cut back and drink lots of water. Seems to work, even now, at this age. It's just not as easy as it used to be to drop ten pounds (or more). No big deal, working out with exercise CD's will help it all along. I'm not into going to the gym, because it's a "meet market" at those places. When I'm sweating, the last thing on my mind is meeting anyone, lol.


My Garden Flowers

Gardening Techniques and Propagating Peony Seeds

There is always much to know about plant care and propogation. Though I know how to identify and basically grow flowers, I'm missing so much information about specific, special needs plants so I set out to educate myself with a bunch of good gardening books and gardening know-how websites online. Subjects covered..annuals, perennials, bulbs, roses, etc. I get used books cheap online then study them like college textbooks, focusing on the topics that matter most to my garden. Seems to be going well so far. It's also really helpful to read what the experts and Master Gardeners do via message boards such as GardenGuides.com.

The rose bushes given to my mother and I by a kind nursery owner are all doing great now. She has two and I have two. Books told me what I needed to know to get the bushes cleaned up, medicated and decontaminated. They look so much better as leaves and buds appear. I thank the Master Gardener at my local County Extension Service, where Master Gardeners are reachable by phone. I talked to one about various plants and she was very informative.

Next on my list of things to do is grow herbaceous peony plants from seed. I bought two types of very showy, uncommon peony seeds directly from China on Ebay and now will seek guidance on how to grow them. Apparently from what I read, many types of peonies take at least five years to begin flowering. Well, it's going to take awhile but I'll give it a shot. According to the instructions I got, the seeds will be planted in October (here, inside). If you are interesting in propogating peonies from seeds, here are instructions straight from the Chinese..and they REALLY know their peonies:

In mid-August, collect the mature seed pods (brown-yellowish color) and put them at a cool location, until the seed pod splits, take the seeds out. Do not dry and avoid sunlight. Seeds too dry will lower the germination rates. Prepare the planting location, cultivate deeply with compost, manure and water deeply. Use wet soil to make a "cake" about 2-3 inches high, 1 squre foot. Place the seeds with 1 1/2 inches spacing on top of the cake, then add another inch wet soil over them. Use floating row cover to protect the seeds and keep the soil moist. In about 20 days the seeds will start rooting underground, but you won't see anything above ground until spring. If planting too late or the soil too dry, then you might never see any seeds germinating next year. In dry winter climates, water deeply right before the ground become frozen. In spring, around the time when the peach flowers (usually mid to late Feb in China), remove the floating row cover, lightly rake the ground surface so the seedlings will break out easier. In a couple of weeks, you should be able to see the seedlings.

I have no idea who to credit these instructions from. If you know, contact me and I'll include it. It was from an anonymous post on a gardening site.


A beautiful deep red-violet Peony flower from my mother's bush.