Quote of the Day: Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace,
the celebration of work and the simple life… a true folk-festival
that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons,
the beauty of seedtime and harvest,
the ripe product of the year
and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.
~Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)
This year I’m particularly thankful for the changing seasons and the beauty and variety it brings to my life. I really appreciate the ebb and flow of the seasonal changes and I love being in tune with those through gardening and eating locally and seasonally.
Happy Thanksgiving from Chiot’s Run!
What are you thankful for this year?
Share this:
There’s Still Some Color
There’s still a little color left in the garden. We’re having unseasonably warm weather this November, after an very cold September ruined most of my fall crops. I still have a few things blooming in the gardens, providing some much needed color.
I have a few black-eyed susan’s blooming in one area of the garden (actually they’re growing out of the driveway).
My hanging baskets are hanging on, still providing some bloom and some food for bees. I keep watching them, if I see bees and small pollinators I leave them.
The bacopa is also blooming well and the bees are still enjoying it as well.
I have a few nicotianas that are still blooming as well.
Do you still have anything blooming if you live in a cold area? If you live in a more temperate climate, what blooms for you this time of year?
Share this:
And the Winner is: MAYBELLINE
Mr Chiots made a random number generator to pick the winner of the calendar. Who did it choose? Maybelline, is the winner of the large 2010 Chiot’s Run calendar.
I must say, I’m very impressed with the quality of the calendar, the paper is heavy, the photos look great and it’s way bigger than I thought it would be (although I knew the dimensions, it seems bigger in real life). It’s quite amazing to see my photos this BIG. I never print them off and usually just looking at them on my computer or on the blog!
If you’d like to buy one use the links at the top in the sidebar, there’s a big one and small one. A big thanks to all of you who buy a calendar, I get a few dollars from each sale (helps me pay for the one I gave away and perhaps I’ll be able to buy a miniature Meyer lemon tree with the rest). Remember, calendars make a great Christmas gift, everyone needs one! Even if you don’t buy a calendar head on over to Lulu and rate my calendar (you can use the links in the sidebar)!
A big thanks to all of you who read my blog and take the time to comment, I always appreciate reading what you have to say. I wish I could give you all a calendar.
Share this:
Last Chance
The calendars arrived yesterday, so I’ll be drawing a winner tomorrow. Make sure you comment on the calendar post for your chance to win. Maybelline is the winner but you can still buy a calendar. See the top of the sidebar for details.
Share this:
Protecting Hydrangeas from Winter Weather
Hydrangeas are beautiful shrubs, I’d have to say my favorite flowering bush. I have 12 hydrangeas in my gardens, 11 different kinds. I don’t know if I can pick a favorite, I really love them all.
I have a few that have never bloomed because they’re the kind of hydrangea that only blooms on old wood. They aren’t hardy to this zone and the buds freeze out on the stems each year. I also have some hydrangeas that bloom on both old and new wood, these varieties are nice for our zone because if the buds freeze out you still get some blooms.
This was my hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ in 2008, it’s 2nd year in the garden. This past winter was tough on the hydrangeas, we had some very cold weather. Because of all the snow on the ground, the local deer decided hydrangea buds made for delicious winter eating. My ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangeas didn’t bloom all summer long because the deer ate all the early summer blooms. They bloomed this fall, but they weren’t nearly as pretty as last summer.
I have “Nikko Blue’ hydrangea that has only bloomed 3 years of the 8 we’ve lived here. This one needs crated to bloom because it only blooms on old wood. I have a few other varieties like this, a variegated hydrangea, another red one (can’t remember the name) and one that gets wintered over in the garage in a big pot.
This year I finally decided to protect a few of my hydrangeas from the harsh NE Ohio winters and the nibble deer. My efforts should be rewarded with beautiful blooms all summer long!
There are several different methods for protecting hydrangeas. I’m going to use 2 of them. The first method will be used on my large mature hydrangeas. I’m wrapping them with burlap and stuffing the burlap with leaves. This should insulate the stems from the cold and keep the deer out.
I used red yarn to tie off the burlap because it’s easy to see. Next spring it will make it easy to unwrap the hydrangeas, I’ll be able to spot the ties easily. It also makes for easy spotting of your needle in case you drop it.
I put stakes around the shrub, 3 spaced in a triangular shape. I used 3 instead of 4 because I only have 6 nice wooden stakes and I have 2 very large hydrangeas that require heavy stakes. I’ll use smaller bamboo stakes around the smaller bushes.
I wrapped burlap around the stakes (it’s 4 ft tall) and filled the area inside with leaves. I finished wrapping one and I still have another large one to wrap. I’ll fill you in on the second method I’ll be using next week when I have some photos to show.
It’s not the prettiest thing, but I think in the snow it will look nice. I think it’s worth looking at burlap all winter to see beautiful hydrangeas all summer long. One hydrangea down, 11 more to go.
Do go to any great lengths to protect any specific plants in your garden?
