Our weather has continued to be warm through most of the month, not really getting chilly at night until this past weekend. But I know that the garden is winding down, most of the flowers are done. It is time to prepare for some things to come indoors for the winter. One of the plants I want to keep over winter is this schefflera, and it was getting potbound. It was a gift, and I had not paid any attention to it other than to set it out on the veranda and water it. So it got a bigger pot.
While it was still nice outside, I wanted to dig up more of the day lilies. I was going to a quilt retreat early in the month and wanted to give some away to friends. So I dug up two more big clumps, divided them, and put them in bags to take with me.
So, the brick planter in the front looked like this last summer, full of two colors of day lilies. This was one end….
and this was the other. Between these two clumps of day lilies were several purple iris plants.
After I dug up the daylilies and the irises, I planted two perennials on one end. They are miniature asters. I haven’t had these before so will see how they do.
I got them on the bargain shelf at the garden center for 50 cents each.
I also needed to make room for these, a bag of irises. They were picked up from a gardener friend who got three times this amount on a free giveaway. I don’t know what color they are. With my luck, they will be purple, LOL, since I am already overrun with that color. I really hope they are white or yellow. But, I won’t know until spring. They went into the brick planter on the other end until I know what color they are. If they are purple, I’ll dig them up and give them away next summer.
Believe it or not, I still have tomatoes growing. Some larger ones I just had to pick and bring inside to the window to ripen. There are still over a dozen really small ones that may not make it to maturity. But, I’ll leave them there for now. I am still not happy with my tomato pie recipe, but DH has asked that we take a break from that particular recipe for a bit. So, I am shelving any further testing on that one until next tomato season. Not to worry though, I have other recipes ready to share in November.
One more hydrangea, and these will be done for the season.
The African violets got huge over the summer, and I brought them inside for the winter.
I brought in the red amaryllis too. A few days later, the leaf fronds started to turn yellow, so I cut them off and put the bulb’s vase in a cool spot in the Carolina room and covered it up so it could rest. It needs about six weeks of dry dormancy. I’ll bring it out the first of December to start watering it in the hope that I’ll get earlier flowers next year. If it blooms again, it will be the fifth year that it has bloomed. Amazing to me, as I have thrown these away in the past after the first year!
Putting the orchid outside in the summer heat was good for it, but it still doesn’t look like it is going to flower. I was happy to see some new leaves, though, so there is hope.
Back outside, there are two daisies that decided to bloom once more before winter.
Wildlife is visiting our mountain home regularly as well. Just past the hosta seed pods, there are four deer in this photo. A small family unit with one male, a female and two juveniles. Look carefully and you can see their tails on the right.
Beautiful buck, isn’t he!
Both of the little ones still have their fawn coloring with spots.
On another day, a second small herd with two females and two young ones stopped by for some acorns.
These deer were much more skittish, and took off for the woods fairly quickly, so getting their picture was a challenge.
On the feeder, the purple finch is stopping by more often. He discovered the lower feeder that DH put up.
The goldfinches live here year round, and are in the process of losing their bright color for winter.
This little guy, a young woodchuck (or ground hog if you prefer), has been seen several times. He loves the acorns like the other visitors do.
A large flock of female turkeys are stopping by on almost a daily schedule. There are 12 or 13 of them, and they have decided that they like the bread I give them. It is funny to go out on the veranda and call out “hi, girls!” and then watch them run up the hill from the meadow or the driveway toward me to get a bite.
They don’t get a lot, and I try to throw the bites so everyone gets one. When I am out of bread, I go back inside, and they dine on acorns for a bit. Then they move on. I have seen a male only once, and that was down the hill. I’d love to see Bert and Ernie again.
I am still harvesting parsley and I plan to just leave this for as long as it wants to continue. The yellow calibrachoa are still blooming their heads off.
The torenias continue to bloom a little, mostly on new growth at the top, but the trailing parts are looking a bit ragged. A Carolina Wren has taken to sleeping in this pot, buried in the foliage, and I scare him sometimes when I go out at dusk. He startles me as well when he flies out unexpectedly.
Today’s giveaway is from my collection of Gooseberry Patch books. This one is out of print, and was published in 1997. It is charming book, wonderful for cold winter days to read about gardening and planning, recipes for garden veggies, herbal treats and more. It has some fun projects to do with things grown in the garden, and to do for the garden. Charming and fun in traditional Gooseberry Patch style. I have two copies, so one can be yours!
Entering today is easy, just leave a comment on this post about your garden, what you are doing now or your plans, anything to do with your garden. Yes, international entries welcome, I can send anywhere. Good luck!
Sharing
From My Carolina Home 
i livein the middle of jerusalem in an old courtyard. we have carved out space in the middle for a garden, with mostly cactuses, they started out [40 years ago!] tobe the small tiny ones but with the years, they’ve grown huge and ofter flower in the spring and summer! each year we add some spring or summer color, annuals depending on what is available at that time. everyone loves to come sit and enjoy the green and beauty.
I am always inspired by your posts. Putting my garden to bed and anticipating more quilting time
Hi Carole,
What a fun post! I love seeing all the different plants in your garden. I think you will like the aster – very similar to a mum. Oh those day lilies are just my favorite! Good job dividing them. I wish you lived closer so you could tell me what I need to do in my yard – give me a list – and then tell me what to add and where. I would be in heaven! You don’t find the deer too destructive? Here they eat everything it seems – I always here about friends fighting a losing battle with deer. ~smile~ Roseanne
Yes, please include me for your giveaway. We just finished canning the concord grapes into juice (they’re always sweeter after the first frost!) and then finished the last double batch of Tomatillo salsa yesterday. Since it’s Rainy today I hope to eliminate a patch of lilies in the garden surrounding the garage and replant them into the boundary of our properrty next week. The more I can get done in the fall is the less I’ll have to do in the Spring. LOL
Packing for a quilt retreat I’m attending with a friend this weekend.
My garden is a mess right now. I was not able to keep up with it this year due to medical issues. I am hoping that I can at least get everything raked and the plants that need to be cut back done. Weeding will have to wait until Spring.
Just planted two mini mums in the planters on the front porch and some pumpkins in the garden–but fear too late on these. Oh, well. Love your plants and flowers.
What a beautiful place you have. I greatly enjoyed seeing all the animals and the plants/flowers. My potted plants have been pulled in because of coming frost. I do have flowers all summer but they are mobile because our yard is so small in our retirement home. Manageable for us. I wish we had all the animal visitors like you do. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing and the chance in the giveaway.
Here in NW Pennsylvania, snow flurries are in the forecast. My flowers are all but gone, just a a few New Guinea Impatiens are left since we haven’t had our killing frost as yet. I do have some iris and a crape myrtle that need to be planted, but I’m unsure where I want them to be. Guess I better hurry up. The colors are more vibrant the past few days, we’ve finally gotten some much needed rain so perhaps that is the reason. This season’s colors just weren’t there due to dryness. The rain also brings down the leaves as yesterday the winds were howling! I do have my two mums on my porches which turned out to be beautiful ones. They are so full and big and I only paid $5 for them at a local farmer’s market! That is it flowerwise! Thank you so much for the giveaway and I love seeing all your wildlife and gardening photos! Thanks. Carole
Beautiful pictures of nature’s bounty. I’m busy cleaning leaves out of flower beds!
Supposed to have slushy snow tomorrow, but that may have changed! 79-80 high today, 45 tomorrow, go figure. We have some blossoms left, but cold enough most is gone, several frosty nights, and son and DIL are covering their roses, and cutting back some things. Surprisingly we have one volunteer petunia growing like crazy, which is odd because DIL planted other types of seed in that pot! oh well… I’m thinking more petunias next year, and some pansies, they seem to survive further into the cold. I keep looking on United Country Real Estate at your part of the country and sighing! OH and my quilting will be for new grandbaby late spring next year! maybe my birthday, May 30. Just found out last week. I hope for a girl, got a baby dress to pass down! Thanks for sharing dear lady!
Your garden and visitors are simply delightful to see! I so enjoyed the variety of plants. My garden….not so much…
Loved seeing your pics of all your flowers and fur & feathered friends. We had to give up our garden because of the deer, even with it fenced. This spring tried growing tomatoes in buckets and they were doing great until both of us got sick and couldn’t take care of them. As for flowers – was turning a big spot into a lily garden – oops – deer think lilies are a delicacy. Will try again in the spring.
It’s always so much fun to see the garden in different seasons. You have so much wildlife in yours. Thankfully, I don’t need to bring my plants inside for the winter. With the heat we’ve had, we have a ton of tomatoes.
My poor garden consists only of a couple of irises at the moment as I live in a flat without much room on the balcony. I have a friend who has a lovely large proper garden that she shares the produce with me and I’m sure she’d love to share this with her grandson, another gardener in the making! Thanks for the giveaway!
I have flowers in pots on my patio. We are to get a hard freeze this weekend so things will be cleaned up and put away for the summer. I miss living in the country and having a large garden and flowerbeds to putter in. Time to hang out the feeders for the winter birds to enjoy. I love Gooseberry cookbooks! Thanks for the give away.
You certainly have a green thumb – my thumb however…I planted my amaryllis two years ago, but have never seen a flower! Maybe I will think about putting it in a container as well – it’s a red one & was so looking forward to a bloom! I will cut back my miniature azalea bushes this spring, they have always given me beautiful white flowers, but are looking a little ragged! Thank you, Susan
We are giving the garden a rest this winter. It was overrun with grass last summer, so we tried to burn it off. There may be a volunteer potato plant coming up. We’ll watch it and see.
We’ve been working some on our garden and I too just got a dwarf aster. We went to a talk on monarch butterflies so we are trying to do more plantings for them. Another couple of plants were dug in and two trees, a sycamore and red oak. Our huge bradford pear where all the bird feeders hang can’t last too many more years so the red oak will take its place. I got a few pansies and violas for my barrels and cleaned most of the containers of their plants. The main thing left is to dig up the peonies, put some good compost in and replant them. They have been declining the past few years and need a boost.
I forgot to mention that while visiting my DIL in CA she showed me some fantastic pots she got from Home Depot for orchids. They are ceramic with cut work all over so, when you water them they drain totally. I put a little moss on top of the cocoa chips to hold them in when I turn them sideways to drain totally. An orchid I’ve babied for years, is finally sending up a flower shoot. I am thrilled. If you want a pic I’ll send it.
Good morning! My house plants have all been brought inside, and yesterday I finally dug up the strawberry bed and put it on the compost. They don’t produce well, and I I’d like to use the space for some vegetables, or maybe an herb garden (if I can keep the deer out, lol).
I live in Penna. I still have tons of cherry tomatoes. I cannot pick (or eat) them fast enough. I plan to pick my remaining peppers (sweet and hot) and cut them to go in freezer bags. They are good to use in winter in chili. I brought all of my potted plants in last week. My brother gave me a pineapple pot which is potted. It is now on my enclosed porch. I have to bring it in (and find a place for it) before it gets colder. I will miss my outside garden till next year. Thank you, peterstankovich (at) comcast.net
We moved into our home last fall. I am afraid this last spring and summer I did not get much done in my garden. My husband decided to rip out much of the shrubs that were present. I am hopeful for next spring when I will have retired and has more time to work in the yard.
Hello Carole; This year, I did not do much of anything in my flower garden at all. There are several personal reasons. I do, however, plan on doing some fall changes. It has finally began to rain and that means our dirt will not be like solid rock, no matter what we have tried. Yet, almost everything I have planted has done wonderful. I would like to move several plants and bulbs into pots and then set them about. Your photos are fabulous and I enjoyed reading each detailed paragraph about the photo. Sorry that you have not seen Bert and Ernie! Have a great day!
Putting the flower beds to bed for the winter seems almost too soon here in Ohio, things are still flowering, roses look great!
My garden is overrun with weeds. I had right shoulder surgery in Feb, have irritated tendons on the left wrist, then fell and hurt two fingers on the right again! I wish it was pretty, but it isn’t.
We raised a lot of butternut squash this year–would like to make a squash soup like “Paneras”–it’s really good!
barbkaup(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com)
NO gardening for me as I have too many rabbits I will be planting some pansies when it gets cooler — since I’m in Texas it will be next year -Jan or feb ! Haha
i am still cutting okra from mine
My husband is in charge of most of the gardening. I design where each plant should be placed and he takes it from there. I also live where we see wildlife on a daily basis. Our white tail deer have much longer ears than the deer in your photos. We have a mule deer which is easily spotted by thier very long ears. Thank you for sharing your wildlife photos.
Your garden is a delight, Day Lilies, mine are starting to flower, the deep smaller yellow ones first, somehow I lost the deep purple one, but might be able to get another from a friend who has the same. Your brick planter is so lovely, I have the last tulips just flowering, the very late daffs, 2 out of the 5 bulbs still have blooms on, and all else has huge spring growth, including weeds. Have you ever tried the method to lay down old carpet on the ground/weeds/ grass/ then cover with thick mulch? Our younger daughter goes to the carpet stores, and they have older removed carpet in skip bins, free to take away. Then a truck load of mulch. Off to a quilt fabric shop today!!!
Our garden had dried up due to lack of rain. We took down the tomato cages and mowed. I now have a wonderful crop of new green onions coming up!
Here in southwestern New York at our altitude we have already had several hard freezes, and the only fresh green thing remaining from the garden is some parsley that my DH potted up a week or so ago. Time to start using some of the winter squash and make squash and bean enchiladas. I have a tomato pie recipe that we really like, give me a holler if you would like me to send it to you! Our tomatoes are long since gone except for jars and jars of salsa and stewed tomatoes in jars in the basement. We had a mama turkey and 8 young ones visit us for several days in the summer, then they moved on and have not been seen since. It was fun having them stop by every day and wander through the gardens.
Two years ago we all received a tiny Christmas cactus at the Tarheels luncheon. After a summer on my front porch it is rewarding us with about 100 breathtaking fuscia blossoms sitting in pride on the coffee table. A gift which truly keeps on giving 😀
My garden….well I live through your beautiful garden.. I did grown tomatoes…..well all I really did was provide food for the squirrels. I live trapped and relocated way to many squirrels and then just decided that the squirrels won. But I do enjoy your beautiful garden pictures.
Crystal in Cedar City
I am loading my greenhouse and getting the yard ready for winter. Today I planted about 50 more daffodils. They will make a beautiful display in the spring. I mixed these in with the hundreds of day lilies.
Just trying to get everything tidy at the moment before it gets too cold and I don’t want to go outside
Your plants and animals are beautiful! In northern NJ, it got cold a few night and then back to summer and now fall is in the air again–we’ll see if it lasts. I brought all my plants in and we’ll see if they make it through the winter.
Don’t you love those sales this time of year when you get plants so cheap-I just planted some pansies and a rhododendron this week.
Let me ask you this–when do you prune/cut back your hydrangeas? I read that it shouldn’t be done now.
Thanks!
It is wonderful to see what is happening in your garden, and jnteresting to see your visitors, the fawns are so cute and the ground hog, haven’t seen one in the flesh ever. Here in Australia spring is happening so everything is flowering, the new leaves are on the trees, the fig trees have fruit developing and I have just planted tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, beetroot and carrots. The potatoes are growing well, the tops are healthy, hopefully there are potatoes underneath!! There are many kinds of birds around, the nosiiest ones are the galahs, but then parrots seems to have a lot to say!! Thank you for your giveaway Carole. I have enjoyed following your Autumn Jubilee.
I like your garden posts! You have such a variety of everything! Your little finch looks like he might have that bird version of blepharitis. I have heard about that. I like that you put flowers in with your parsley! Good idea!
I enjoy your garden pictures and the wildlife too. Today I brought the last of my plants in as we are expecting a heavy frost tonight. It will be getting much colder here in central Ohio than where you live. Thanks for the chance to win the book.
Connie
I am really enjoying your posts. I loved this latest post with all the various animals and bird life wandering freely – I do miss seeing this close up. I live in New Zealand and we are coming into Summer. I have just moved house and I am looking forward to putting my mark on the garden. Spring growth is lush at the moment. Thank you for sharing as it is always a pleasure to see what each issue brings.
I’ve got the vegetable bed cleaned for the winter. Now to winterize the pond and get the koi settled into the basement tank.
I am about done cutting back my perennials and general cleanup of the flower beds. Doing it now saves a lot of time in the spring.
I live in Florida, and it’s not cold yet. I have a butterfly garden and they are very busy flittering around the flowers all day long. I never get tired of watching them.
A heavy frost is predicted this weekend and that means I need to be out tomorrow saving a few plants and just telling others goodbye. This time of the year in my flower garden is bitter sweet. I hate to see the plants go, but I’m already planning next year. I always enjoy seeing what you are doing in your garden.
All the things I should be doing in my garden! I did get all the dead flocks, black-eyed susans, etc,cut down and planted about 50 tulips, 25 daffodils and lots of grape hyacinths before I got tired. We had a hard frost about 2 weeks ago and then nice days but it wil be in the low 20s for the next week.
I am planning to make a corner sitting space next summer!!!
Your deer are much bigger than ours in Fl.
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Our garden is quickly winding down here in okc. Our first freeze is coming Friday and I’m usually more prepared. This is an early freeze for us. I would love a new book to read this winter along with all the garden catalogs.
We covered my mom’s garden spot. Didn’t do well this year.
Your garden is still doing way better than mine, and I am definitely a little envious that you have the time to enjoy the birds and the critters. I feel as if I haven’t had a moment all summer to really truly enjoy the wildlife and the beauty around me. Sigh, it’s tough being being a gardener at heart but also working full time and being SOOOO busy in spring/summer/fall!!
I live in Michigan so its cleaning out the gardens and prepping for winter! Mums in bloom and still apples on our apple tree and the bosc late pears to be harvested all soon. I love your photos of the wildlife! Thank you !
I am going to plant the chrysanthemums we purchased.
Marion
The back and front yards need to be cleaned.
Joan
Next week I am seeding the front lawn.
Marilyn
We live in San Diego CA so we really don’t have winter here. I have a flock of quail who come for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The squirrels come all day long, and the rabbits only come for breakfast. The Blue Jays swoop in for the peanuts, and the pigeons and finches eat everything else. No animals eat my veggies because I feed them. Win-win!
Our fresh vegetables currently come from the grocery store! But, summer is coming!
We have put our garden to bed now, just a few missed carrots and a turnip left out side now. We have the final batch of tomatoes ripening on the dining room table, and the I am done canning for the year too. We are moving our daylilies, so digging them up and drying them out to spend the winter in the garage until next spring. We have rabbits in our neighborhood now, and some prairie dogs have taken up residence on the golf course, so we will watch and see what kind of drama takes place when they are discovered! (We are surrounded by the golf course created in the flood zone after the 1972 flood. Most of our street was condemned after that, so the entertainment of golfers vs. wildlife can be quite entertaining.😆)
thank you for chance to enjoy a give away. It ha been a beautiful in Wi. Dried some parsley,used last of tomatoes. Garden I moe flowers then veggies & hanging plants onporch are still blooming .Even som e pansies deicded to bloom again. Our apple trees did not produce this year so bought and just finished sauce and apple butter -smells delicious .
No garden this year. Our cabin is being remodeled and the whole yard is torn up. I moved a few plants to locations I thought were safer and they got run over by the skidster anyway. Next year will be a new landscaping effort so I have the winter to plan.
Our temps have finally cooled some . Our pecan trees are keeping us busy . The leaves and pecans are falling. We enjoy the bountiful harvest. I will be bringing some plants inside this week. I am looking forward to eating pecan pie and working on my quilt. I enjoy reading your posts.
Thanks for sharing your garden pictures. I always enjoy them so much. I just planted some ever-bearing strawberry plants in my newest raised bed, and a raspberry cane. I’m in So Central PA, weather is just starting to get colder.
I’ve pulled all the stakes and trellis for our tomatoes. Picked bigger ones for ripening in a brown bag and left the smaller ones for now. I love fried green tomatoes, so many will be a snack for me 🙂 My turnip plants are looking quite lovely and I pick the tops occasionally for a side dish to our dinners. They are very tasty.
I can not find African Violets where i live. I Just need to cut back my day lilies actually as they have almost all gone to their dorment stage. Mowed and did final fertilization of the yard. Raking leaves….that’s it as I’m not a big gardener. V:)
Such beautiful photography….I love your posts that are picture-filled! We’ve already had 2 or 3 frosts last week so my garden (and me) were taken by surprise. The only thing I had left were some green tomatoes and winter squash. The squash was unharmed but the tomatoes, alas, are gone now. I didn’t do much planting of flowers this year. I had mums in planters on front porch but just my usual roses in my stone circle. I moved several things in the spring to a more shady spot…and they didn’t do well…so I’ll be moving them back, (day lilies and coneflowers). In-house plants are 9 orchids and a few African Violets. My violets usually don’t winter well because I have a very chilly house—wood heat only.
I’ve cleaned out my garden for this year. We had our first deep frost last night. I love the pictures of the deer. I dread seeing them here because i usually see them from my windsheild.
I took out my tomato plants a couple of weeks ago – they just decided to start turning color and so I cleaned them up. Still have peppermint and parsley and some flowers though……
In middle of relocating so garden in limbo . Hope to move some iris and rubarb to new home . maybe get tomato and squash plants cleared for new owners before final move. Is everything fenced to keep deer out of main garden area ? Had deer at one house they ate the tulips but only certain colors and loved the sunflowers.
Here in Southern Ontario I have just cut back my roses and covered them with peat moss and their winter houses. My hydrangeas are still blooming so I cannot cut them back yet but will have too soon. We have not had snow as yet but in Western Canada where my sister in law lives they have snow on the ground. I love reading about your garden and wild life keep up the great emails.
Linda