Hi everybody, sorry to leave you all hanging for so long, but I've been recuperating from all the cuts I received a week ago, while tying up my ornamental grasses!

Not really, but I did manage to get quite a few cuts, doing this and other weekend chores. You see, I remembered to wear protective gloves while tying up the grasses. However, I did not remember to wear long sleeves! So I must stress to the rest of you, if you're planning to tie up your grasses, rather than cutting them back for the winter, make sure you wear proper protection. The fine blades of the grass can wreak havoc on your skin. And while it doesn't sound that bad, imagine 20-30 little paper cuts all up and down your arms!
Anyway, I choose to tie up my grasses rather than cut them back. Either option will not harm the grasses in any way (it's pretty difficult to kill grass). I like the way they look throughout the fall and into the winter. And as I've stated before, in the spring when I do cut them back, I save the cuttings, tie them together, store them in the shed and viola, come fall I have unique decorations for the front of my house.

As pictured here, they are a economical/ecological way to decorate, instead of buying corn husks.

Over this past weekend, I managed to get a few things on my To Do list done. Like cleaning up the leaves on the patio - this has become a regular chore over the last month. It seems like the dynamics of my patio make for a perfect gathering place for leaves ... so every weekend I go out with my handy-dandy Black & Decker leaf machine and suck them up. With three dogs, I get plenty of leaves inside the house as well, and it all goes into the compost pile with grass clippings from the lawn. The combination of green matter and brown matter makes for a good base for next year's compost. (Of course, I'm still hoping for a good yield of compost, after failing miserably the last two seasons.)
And the leaves don't just end up on the patio ... the pond is full of them too. So Saturday it was time to get the net out! I hate getting the net out, it's my last admission of defeat (that the summer's really over), but it had to be done or the fish wouldn't have any room to swim! Anyway, in preparation for covering the pond, the summer pond plants had to be removed as well. So that means the canna and black taro got taken out to die back from the cold nights, and then placed in the basement to hibernate till next year. The net tends to confuse the frogs too.

Black Taro
And since my neighbors have left for their winter home in Florida and covered their pond already, I have more frogs to tend to. So I can't completely cover my pond, or the frogs wouldn't be able to get in or out. It usually takes a couple of days to figure out exactly where they are comfortable jumping in/out, so I can leave that end a little open. Every now and then over the years, I find a frog early in the morning sitting in the middle of the net, confused, cold and in need of rescue!
Still have to plant the dward rhododendrons my previous neighbors left me when they moved a couple months ago ... time's running out. And I still haven't planted my precious Allium bulbs yet. If you still have any perennials, bulbs or shrubs left to plant, get them in the ground ASAP. Especially since last night we actually had frost.
And most important (because I've been forgetting this one too) WATER! This month's lack of rain has not been kind to our plant life. Especially for any new plantings, get out and water! Just because summer flowering season is over, don't forget your plants still need water ... I can't stress this enough. Water early in the day, if possible, since the temperature has been dipping at night, it's not a good idea to wait until near dusk to water. You wouldn't want to be out there at night all wet ...

OK everybody, it you haven't done so yet, today is the day to bring in any houseplants that might still be outside! A Frost Warning is in effect for the northern and western suburbs of Philadelphia tonight and tomorrow night!
So that means, bring it in (houseplants), cover any fresh plantings and get ready to dig up those taro, elephant ear and canna bulbs! You don't have to dig them up today, but if there is a frost, any vegetation will be dead and/or dying tomorrow. You can either cut the foliage off or dig up the bulb and wait for it to turn brown and fall off.
And don't forget to wash those houseplants. Set them in your shower and give them a good rinse. Then examine each individually, removing bugs and yellowed growth. Repotting can wait till spring.

This past weekend provided the perfect weather for some much-needed yard work. So I spent yesterday outside getting reacquainted with the garden and starting the task of dismantling some of my oasis. It was time to say good-bye to my solar tiki torches, the rope light flamingos and my floating parrot boat till next summer :(

But I didn't mind getting rid of my spindly tomato plants at all! Tearing down the vegetable garden almost seemed like a labor of love!

Funny how things seem to run their course each summer ... from first planting the young seedlings, watching them grow, imagining all the fresh vegetables ... waiting and waiting for the first tomatoes to turn red, savoring those first few home-grown salads ...Then a few weeks later, bribing coworkers just to take all the excess tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, etc. off my hands ... Also, mowing the lawn doesn't seem like such a horrible task anymore, now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. There should only be a few more cuts till next year!
I also finally got that Japanese Maple I bought way back in July planted. And I recommend that the rest of you do the same with any new purchases of perennials as well as shrubs. Plant now so that the roots have time to get established before the ground freezes. There is still a little time left to divide those perennials too. I divided all mine last fall, so they get a break this year (I try to leave 2-3 seasons between divisions). Although just about any perennial can be divided, I wouldn't bother dividing any fall bloomers right now. Wait till they start coming up next spring.
Also get any new spring bulbs in the ground now. I'm telling you this, while my newly-bought alliums still sit on the kitchen table. Hey, I couldn't get everything done in just one day!
Now is also the time to transplant trees, evergreens, shrubs and perennials. So if there's anything you didn't like the position of this year, move it! Just make sure to give it plenty of water over the next couple weeks.
And last but not least, I finally got the front of the house decorated for fall, just before dusk ... So I didn't get a chance to take any photos yet, bear with me ...

Sorry to have left you all hanging for a few days, but I'm having a hard time finding uplifting garden topics to write about. Unlike my sister, whose favorite season is Fall, I tend to spend the beginning of the season mourning the loss of yet another summer (my fave).
And I'm still trying to recoup things after my extended vacation. (And to be honest, I'm still a little absorbed by that darn Twilight Saga. I read thru it the second time while I was away.) I think the only thing that might get the pond straightened out is a partial changing of water along with a vacuuming. Definitely a job that'll have to wait for the weekend.

In the meantime, a bright light has shown on me in the form of an email from my favorite greenhouse, Glick's in Oley (www.glicksgreenhouse.com) .
Along with tips on gathering and storing seeds from summer, there's lots going on at the greenhouse in the form of Fall colors.
Chrysanthemums are now available, 9-inch for $4.25 each/10 for $40 and 5-inch for $2.95 each. The .99 cent perennial sale is still on for what's left, and flowering cabbage and kale (9-inch) are $4.25 each/10 for $40.
Purple fountain grass, which looks great through November, is on sale for $7.95, while Icicle Pansies, which bloom now and again in late winter are $4.50 per 6-pack. They're also offering pumpkins, cornstalks and more for all your fall decorating needs.
And besides Glick's, I'm sure all of our local nurseries and greenhouses are gearing up for a great Fall season, so take the time to check them out. Also, now's the time to start looking thru all those Fall catalogs that clogged your mailbox last month. Ordering now is best to ensure you get what you want ... more on that later.
PS -- And with the nights getting longer and gardening time getting shorter, why not check out my new blog "On the Set"? You can access it thru this blog or thru The Mercury's website www.pottsmerc.com for information, updates, reviews, previews and my general musings on what's happening on television.

Every year, towards the end of summer, I can't help but go to my favorite greenhouse just to see what bargains might be left for the taking. You never know when you might find something great that's been overlooked.
About five years ago, while perusing leftover annuals and perennials at Glick's Greenhouses in Oley, an odd-looking plant caught my eye. It had two stems about 5-ft. tall with large blooms resembling sunflowers. It was in the area of the perennials, and I thought how great would it be to have a perennial "sunflower." There was no tag, so I had no idea what this "mystery" plant actually was, other than perennial.
It cost $1.95, so I figured what the heck ... I took it home and found a spot near the corner of the garden pathway, between a butterfly bush and clematis. I couldn't wait till the next summer to see what it would do.
Well, it certainly didn't disappoint. The plant came up abundant the next year, much more dense than the two stems I had purchased it as. It grew at least 4-ft. tall and had fabulous sunflower-like yellow blooms from July-September. We absolutely loved it and referred to it as our "sunflower bush."

It continued to stay hardy and spread. I had to start digging it up each year, because it was spreading too much. I've given it to my mother, friends and coworkers and they've all had success. I've planted it all along our fence and it provides a beautiful screen.
I recently found it in a nursery while on vacation and, after learning its proper name (helianthus x multiflorus), looked it up on the Internet. Here's what I found.
It's common name is Capenoch Star, and it is actually considered a Perennial Sunflower. Who knew? It's clean, deep green leaves give way to large, single, bright yellow flowers that are reminiscent of annual sunflowers with their wide centers. Refreshing and attractive .. especially to butterflies and bees. It prefers moist soils in full sun, but is tolerant of drought and light shade. Fertilizer is recommended, but believe me, I've never had to do anything to propagate this plant. It may be divided or can be rooted thru cuttings.

The site warns that Helianthus can be quite invasive, which I've found to be true. And because of its height, it's best utilized in the back of a border garden to accent lower growing perennials.
So don't ever be afraid of buying that Mystery Plant. Sometimes you get a better bargain than you ever thought you would!

When I got home from work on Friday, the postcard had just arrived! Yes folks, it's that time again - the Oley Valley Perennials' Annual Public Open House Sales!!!

For those of you who haven't been, this is one of the best perennial sales around! Tucked back off Covered Bridge Road in the scenic Oley Valley, is a beautiful farmhouse, barn and greenhouses beckoning everyone who has ever yearned for a green thumb.

Sometimes I refer to this place as Hosta Heaven, because I've never seen so many varieties of Hostas in one place. And, yes, I've bought my fair share of this versatile plant there. I also got all my ostrich ferns there.

There's also many varieties of daylillies, grasses and numerous other perennials all for great sale prices!! You simply must make the time to go! And for your convenience, this weekend is just the first weekend of the sale.

Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Friday and Saturday and also June 6-7 and June 20-21. And while you're there, make sure to get on the mailing list so you can get the postcard next year!

Ok, how to get there: from Rt. 422, take Rt. 662 north to Yellow House (Rt. 562), cross over and take the road to the right at the fork (Covered Bridge Road), go about a mile and look for a sign on the left; there'll be a driveway on the right, just turn in and you're there!

From Rt. 73, turn at the Pleasantville Diner onto Covered Bridge Road (south) and follow, past the turn for Glick's and look for the sign on the right hand side/driveway on the left.And as you go down the driveway, take time to look at all the beautiful hostas and ferns planted under the trees on the property. It's spectacular!

In other news, no, I didn't get the new waterfall installed on the pond over the weekend. Sunday was a complete wash-out, so now it's on the agenda for Memorial Day Weekend. Our own Brangelina (the fish) is still pregnant (I think), and Hank's returned! (Hank is the frog that inhabits our pond, more on him later).

I should have mentioned this yesterday, but better late than never. We didn't actually have a frost last night in Douglassville, but the next few nights could get pretty cold.

So, if you've received any early perennial deliveries and planted them during last week's warm weather, you'd better cover them up tonight thru Thursday.

I planted those perennial geraniums last Thursday night and I'm happy to say that they're really starting to come up. So last night they needed covering.

All you need is a leftover pot from last year or a bucket. Actually any container will do. You can even use plastic trash bags lying across the plants. Nothing too heavy to crush the plant though. Just remember to uncover them early in the morning after the sun is up, or it'll get too hot under the covers!

Enjoy these red lillies from last summer.

This is how things look today -- but not for long!

Spring is the season of renewal, and it's also an exciting time for gardeners.
It's when you get that feeling where you can't wait to get your hands dirty and to see what's coming up, so to speak.
All over my gardens, things are starting to pop up, and I don't just mean the spring bulbs. Of course, I have my share of daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses and tulips -- most leftover from Easter blooms of year's past. Yes, each year, I can't resist purchasing one or usually more Easter flowers just to brighten up things in the house. And speaking of Easter blooms, now's the time to get them into the ground. Don't expect them to bloom next spring though, most were forced to bloom early for Easter this year and will need a season to recuperate.
OK, now on to the perennials! The daylillies are sprouting green stems, the tall lillies are coming up, the grasses are off to a slow start, but they'll catch up, and my spring favorites, the bleeding hearts are shooting up rapidly! I've got green leaves on the butterfly bushes, and best of all, there're plants coming up that I can't remember what they are! It's always a fun surprise to see where I planted all those perennials I divided last fall ...
The hostas are spiking up, the astilbe and hydrangeas are breaking through and even inside the core of the ferns are little green pinwheels just waiting to unfurl in warmer weather. It looks like it's going to be a good season!

In anticipation, a few photos of what's to come in my garden this summer.








Up next I'll be getting into planting my new perennials (hopefully tonight) and starting seeds, as well as opening up the pond for spring. I just hooked up the filter this past weekend and the fish are looking good!