Month: September 2023

Early Start on Fall Tasks

| Flower Roberts

Fall is a busy time for anyone who collects seeds and cuttings. It is also a time to prepare house plants to go back inside. I have been doing my fall tasks early this year. There have been busy years when no prep was done.

This Ric-Rac has not been trimmed in three years. It will get a good cut and cleaning today.

These traumatic falls involved my whole family hastily hauling in all house plants the afternoon or evening before an early freeze. This resulted in bringing in stow-aways such as worms, spiders, and lizards. The unprepared plants were too big and crowded. Air flow is essential to prevent diseases. Crowding results in deaths over the winter.

This epiphyllum is a tangled mess from neglect. Unhealthy parts will be removed.

House plants grow quickly while outside in the sun and rain. They get so large that they must be pruned and purged. This is also a good time to take a last batch of cuttings. Succulents and cacti pieces need to lay flat and callus over. I keep them separated and oriented in paper bags.

Hoyas need purging also, but do NOT cut the ends off. New blooms form there. Remove whole shoots and root them.

Purged pieces that are unhealthy are composted.

These pieces were damaged, diseased or deformed.

After several weeks of callusing, the pieces of plants may be potted and sparingly watered.

Cuttings from (L to R) Ric Rac cactus, Dragon Bones Cacti, Night Blooming Cereus, Epiphyllum(red), Pencil cactus, Hoyas

I am getting my supplies for mixing my rooting medium of potting soil, perlite and orchid mix for these cuttings. Good drainage is essential to prevent rotting instead of rooting.

I give away or sell these new plants once they are established.

FLOW in fall

My First Trough

| Flower Roberts

I made this hypertufa garden trough almost thirty years ago.

Maiden Stone Garden Art

It was the beginning of Maiden Stone Garden Art. I spent over five years creating troughs and stepping stones and bird baths.

Stoneshrooms from Maiden Stone Garden Art

It was hard, heavy work. The last pieces linger as a reminder of my past creativity and strength.

I am thankful to sit here beside this first trough made with too little Portland cement and not enough fibers.

Old hypertufa plant trough with dunce cap in corner

I did not know what I was doing, but I was determined to follow my path.

I made some money, lots of muscle and many friends in those years.

MAIDEN STONE GARDEN ART

We are both worn by time but still standing and doing our best.

Hooray for dreams and determination.

FLOW

September Plant Surge

| Flower Roberts

It seems as though the garden celebrates its survival through the summer in September. I know if I can just keep plants alive until now that they will experience a second wind. My new Oxblood Lily has shown up to celebrate fall.

Oxblood Lily

I am glad that I am home to enjoy this last little splurge of garden flowers.

Thomas Edison dahlia

The blue ginger has finally settled in after years of struggle. It bloomed last year but is much healthier now.

Blue Ginger

The Life Saver plant, Huernia zebrina, is putting out many blooms and buds.

Life Saver Cactus

Even the Night Blooming Cereus is budding one last time.

The dahlias are blooming as well. I am glad they survived another summer of neglect.

Firepot dahlia

I guess all living things breathe a sigh of relief as cooler and wetter weather moves in. I am glad to be home for a bit.

FLOW in fall

Swirling Sherbet

| Flower Roberts

I love my flowers for their colors and forms. Some of them remind me of other things that I love.

This hibiscus reminds me of the orange sherbet that my grandmother would serve. There was orange or light green and sometimes a mix of orange, green and yellow. It was very cold so I would swirl it around in my bowl to make it soft and creamy.

When I look at this hybridized orange hibiscus, I see a bowl of swirled sherbet.

Sweet

FLOW

Key Lime takes its Time

| Flower Roberts

Years ago I made a Key Lime pie for Rose. It is her favorite dessert. Of course I planted some seeds from those little limes. Now the tree is over six feet tall in its giant pot on wheels. It must be hauled inside for the winters.

The tree has made tiny white blooms during the summer for a few years now.

This year is the first time it made limes.

They are tiny even by Key Lime standards. I am hoping they will continue to get larger.

This is what we gardeners live for, our hard work coming to fruition at last.

These limes have been a long time coming.

FLOW

Fair Feathers

| Flower Roberts

My favorite part of the fair is the poultry exhibit. The barn is full of chickens and roosters.

The roosters took turns crowing. The chickens made sweet little sounds. The turkeys did not gobble.

Each cage had one bird with a cup of water and a cup of feed.

A few cages contained two birds. I guess these were inseparable poultry pairs.

I find the array of feather colors amazing. No wonder women used to adorn their hats with feathers.

The mix of patterns was nature’s art work on display.

There was saw dust everywhere to keep down the poultry odors.

I was glad not to see a rabbit display. I might have had to leave with my own little prize.

FLOW

Fair Colors

| Flower Roberts

September means fair time to this small town. We usually make a quick visit. Not much changes.

I go for the colors and the chickens. The poultry will be in my next post.

I enjoy walking around the margins and looking in at all the lights and colors.

It was dusk when we arrived. There were threatening clouds and lightening, but no rain.

I remember when the color, lights and sounds were thrilling. There were many excited and dusty children eating colored ice or funnel cakes.

Some were carefully carrying prizes of toys and goldfish.

There were rainbows of color everywhere.

We enjoyed our brief foray to the fair.

Stay tuned for the poultry post.

FLOW