Sweet Autumn
I’ve proclaimed my love of the ‘Sweet Autumn’ clematis before. It’s a winning vine in my garden. Much tougher and more resilient than many other clematises. There are a few of them growing throughout the gardens, trained on fences, up trees and hopefully, one up one of the front porch posts.
A few years ago, I planted one on my front hillside. The plan was to to eventually put in a nice archway in a break in the boxwood hedge, but that plan never materialized. As a result, the vine now happily scrambles up a small dogwood tree nearby.
I’m especially loving these vines this year because they’ve come through the drought with flying colors. One of my largest vines grows in the gravel driveway (yes it was planted there by previous owners) and has never been watered. Amazingly, it’s lush and covered with flowers this fall.
My front hillside suffered tremendously with the drought of this past summer (I blogged about Cutting my Losses over on the Your Day Blog last month). The clematis I planted up there a few years ago is providing some much needed beauty in an otherwise stark landscape.
In the future I may use this clematis as a ground cover as well. It’s so robust and lush it would be perfect for hard to cover areas. It also provides a much needed source of food for the honeybees at this time of year when not a lot of other things are blooming. My vines are always swarming with happily foraging bees.
What’s your favorite tough plant?
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Quote of the Day: Oscar Wilde
To live is the rarest thing in the world.
Most people exist, that is all.
I’ve been thinking about this quote lately and was just telling Mr Chiots on Monday that I love our life. We have spent a lot of time and effort weeding out the things that we think waste our time and money and aren’t worth the return of “life” that they provide.
This is one of the reasons we do so many of the things that we do. When you sit down to a breakfast of pancakes and the maple syrup you use was collected and boiled down by your own hand, it truly does taste sweeter.
When I cut a piece of bread from a loaf I baked using the sourdough starter I’ve cultivated for years it satisfies more than just my hunger.
Living deliberately is something we really focus on and feel it gives us a deeper richer life.
Big bold plans are in the works for the upcoming year, new ways to live life even more fully and hopefully encouraging others to do the same. Can’t wait to share what we’ve got up our sleeves!
What are a few of the things you do that you feel really enrich your life?
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Yard Stick, Walking Stick, Squash?
Early this summer I planted seeds for ‘Trombetto’ squash from Renee’s Garden over at my mom’s.
The flavor is supposed to be like that of an artichoke. We had one for breakfast yesterday morning. Not sure if artichoke is how I would describe it, but it was good. Different than the usual zucchini.
It’s a climbing vine, much like a cucumber. The fruits hang down and are quite amazing when you see them, so much different than any other type of summer squash.
I harvested these two beauties on Thursday. My mom said she had no idea when to pick them so she left them on the vine. Growing interesting varieties of vegetables is one of the fun things about having an edible garden. Each year I try to grow a few new fun things.
What’s the strangest vegetable/fruit you’ve grown?
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Friday Favorite: the New Stairway
Mr Chiots and I were talking about all the work we’ve been doing around the house and which part was our favorite. Oddly enough, with two new bedrooms and a new bathroom, my favorite part is the old stairway that just got a bit of a redo. They were covered in beige carpet, the only remnant of the original house. They were plain pine stairs, just like the ones that went to the basement. We debated on covering them with wood that matched our hardwood floors, but the way they are installed would make it very difficult and it would have been very expensive.
I decided to paint the risers and trim white and stain the stairs dark. The results were nothing less than remarkable. Instead of spending almost a thousand dollars on wood and the headache of trying to figure out how to install it, I spent only about $30 on supplies (paint, stain and some moulding) and a few days painting and staining. (I used a mix of half Mahogany half Walnut Minwax Polyshades)
The area needed a bit of flair, so I printed out a bunch of old Grow Your Own posters and hung them. This stair area, which used to be the only eyesore left in our home, is now a real focal point. It’s my favorite part of the house redo.
When it comes to stairs there’s nothing I dislike more than carpet. I find them very difficult and tedious to keep clean. The wood, on the other hand, cleans up in a snap! This stairway is my current favorite thing about our little house.
When it comes to stairs do you like with or without carpet?
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Frost Kissed Seed Tin Giveaway
Yesterday, we arrived home and found a package on the doorstep from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. Of course that made me giddy, as packages of seeds and garden goodies always do! I’m very familiar with this company, because my parents have been ordering from them since I was a little girl. Back in the day, they were one of the few places to find organic gardening supplies.
Inside my package I found a big bag of Soil Builder Cover Crop with an envelope of inoculant. Being a huge fan of various cover crops and the wonderful benefits they provide, I’m really looking forward to trying this out!
I also received a collection of various seeds that I will experiment with planting this fall and winter. Which seeds arrived? ‘Little Finger’ carrots, ‘Flame’ lettuce, ‘Bloomsdale’ spinach, ‘Pink Beauty’ radish, ‘French Breakfast’ radish, ‘Sparkler’ radish, Mesclun mix, Braising greens mix, arugula, ‘Tres Fine’ endive, ‘Freckles’ lettuce, and ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ lettuce.
Along with all of the wonderful cold tolerant vegetables above, I also received the Frost Kissed Spring or Fall Mix Seed Tin. I plan on planting some of these this fall in a low tunnel to see how they do. The remaining seeds will be planted early next spring.
In order to kick start you fall garden, Peaceful Valley is going to be giving away a Frost Kissed Seed Tin to one lucky reader. All you have to do is comment on this post. Winner will be chosen September 12. Winner chosen, thanks to Random.org Joy Giles won. She said “Looks like a small Farmers’ Market to be in a tin. Would love to plant test garden with these.”
What’s your favorite fall/winter vegetable?
