Well, I can fool myself no longer, summer's really gone. We had our first frost Sunday night. And just like that, everything changes.
When I went home at lunch time yesterday, I took stock of the gardens. The elephant ears that were so big and bold, are now shriveled up and hanging over.


The tall and proud, purple Persian Shield (that I must have every season), is black and crinkled.


The banana plant (Musa Basjoo) that I coddled all summer, which was finally starting to shoot up in height, oddly, this past month, has withered and turned brown almost instantly.


And, as I turned on the bubbler for the fish, I noticed that all the food I had thrown in before leaving for work, was still floating on the top. Which means the water temp has dropped below 50 degrees (the fish stop eating when the water gets too cold).
End of Summer Bummer ... sigh

So now it's time to dig up all the elephant ear bulbs, caladiums, dahlias, cannas and other tender bulbs and rhizomes, preferably as soon as possible. Take off the dead foliage and carefully store them in a cool dark place until next spring.

You can still continue to divide perennials, just make sure to cover any tender new plantings on night's when frost is expected. Just until they have a chance to root in.

Pull out impatiens, roots, dirt and all, and throw them into the compost. This green matter and soil microorganisms are an excellent combination with dry tree leaves.

And for Pete's sake, get those spring bulbs into the ground (that goes for me too)! Times running out. The ground is still relatively warm, but we can't be sure for how long!

Don't forget to water new plantings!

Oh, and if you have one, now's the time to start last year's Christmas amaryllis. That is if you have kept it unwatered for six weeks to induced dormancy. This worked for me the first year. Last year I only got green foliage (no blooms), because I didn't have it out in the sun over the summer. And this year, having left in out on the patio for the season, it got to waterlogged and rotted. So, if you don't have time to go to the trouble, just head over to any nursery or big box garden center, and buy a new one. But get it started soon if you want a big beautiful bloom by Christmas!

With the Fourth of July only hours away, gardening season is really "heating" up. Most people see the arrival of this holiday signaling that summer's half over, but for gardeners, after the 4th is with the real magic starts happening!

So with that in mind, I'd like to tell you about my Musa Basjoo ... or Giant Banana Plant! Nothing recreates the feel of a tropical paradise in your backyard like a tropical plant -- pictured here getting some "special" fertilizing from my mom's yorkie/maltese mix Brody.

However, since we live in Zone 6 territory, chances are that a tropical plant won't survive past October. But if you still crave that tropical feeling, there is hope.

The Musa Basjoo is the world's most cold hardy banana tree, and can be grown in all 50 states! It is hardy planted in ground to -3°F and with protective mulching it can survive temperatures reaching down to -20°F.

The plant has long, slender, bright green leaves and features one of the most beautiful flowering stalks of all banana trees. The Musa Basjoo is an ideal landscape plant, adding a tropical splash wherever it appears, even in cold temperate climates. Musa Basjoo also does very well in containers and makes a good interior plant.

In warm weather months it can grow up to 2 feet in a week. It's mature height is 18 feet. It can flower and bear fruits at 10 feet or whenever it has 35 leaves. The bananas are not edible. This handsome broad leaved variety can be grown in almost every state since it can handle temperatures of 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit if the ground is mulched properly in the very cold months. At 40 degrees it will stop actively growing and at 28 degrees the leaves will die back and the tree can be cut back to a 2'or 3' height.

Gardenweb.com has an entire "banana" forum dedicated to these wonderful plants. Check it out and you'll read about many folks who have tried this plant and are getting humongous results!

I first read about this plant last summer in another newspaper, featuring a man who lived in Manayunk with an 18-foot musa basjoo in his backyard. He said the plant was over 10 years old, dies back to the ground in winter and comes back bigger each summer.

So I decided I'd try it. I Googled it and came up with a small one at Lee's Tropicals in South Carolina with a price tag of $8.99. What the heck, if it didn't survive, I wasn't going to be out much. Another search of the Internet this year produced a nursery called Logee's Tropical Plants (http://www.logees.com/) that currently sells a larger starter plant for $19.95.

It arrived within a few days, and I first planted it in a pot. When the weather was warm enough I transplanted it to the ground and it grew to about two feet in heighth. Over last winter I not only mulched it, I surrounded it with burlap to ensure it would come back. And it did. Hopefully when the weather gets warm enough with hot and humid nights (maybe this weekend) my banana plant will indeed grow up to 2 feet per week. Maybe it will even spawn a few "pups," referring to new sprouts, and I'll get a whole grove of banana plants ... I can always dream.

Recently neighbors of mine went on vacation and asked me to feed their tropical fish and water plants in their garden in case there wasn't any rain. Their home is currently on the market, so they wanted to make sure the yard was looking its best for prospective buyers.

While their tropical aquarium is nothing short of fabulous, their backyard is outstanding! Since they're moving, I decided to take some pictures on my last day caring for the property. Talk about a backyard oasis, they were happy to let me share the snapshots with you.

When you first step through the sliders off the dining room onto their covered deck (with skylights, of course), you can't help but be taken with the whole scene, but first let's start with the patio off the deck to the left ...
A chimnea sets the focal point in the corner surrounded by various ground covers and a bird bath. Just past is a hand-crafted pergola complete with Wisteria vine framing an alcove planted with irises, lillies and two clematis. Follow the path to the right up to the quaint gardening shed, surrounded by hostas.

Beyond that in the far corner sits another hand-crafted item - an exquisite suspended swing offset by more hostas and yet another pergola atop the back gate. (There's one more pergola on the other side of the front-facing part of the also hand-crafted privacy fence, complete with another Wisteria vine. It doesn't get more fabulous than this folks!)
All the plantings are just so ... the complete opposite of my garden. I tend to over think and over plant, as everything at my neighbors' seems to have been put just in the right place, with just the right amount of statuary for accent. There's also hand-crafted bird feeders and houses (have I written "hand-crafted" enough?) Yes, they're also very handy with power tools and wood work.
So if there's something they think would be perfect in a certain spot, unlike me who will search the net for it, they'll just make it themselves!

Check out this serene scene along the back fence, what bird wouldn't want to take a break and get a bite or bath in this pleasant setting? These are also the people I mentioned in a past blog entry that have taken broken lawn statues and placed them on their side in the garden, creating a natural rustic look.
And the best part about all this for you is ... it's for sale! While I'm going to miss my neighbors greatly, this oasis could be yours. I forgot to mention, there's also a pool, and if you think the yard's fabulous, just imagine the interior ... It's available via Century 21 Agent Sharon Sapp and can be found on the web thru her site www.berkshomebuying.com/ Check it out for more photos.

Coming up this week: Round 2 with the Muck-Vac (and other pond stories), Daylillies, Salvias and the Musa Basjoo (oooh what's that?). And remember, if you're planning a cookout for the 4th, cut your grass at least 24 hours ahead of time to cut down on possible allergies and green feet!