Window With A View

Last week my sister was visiting here.  She spent considerable time "watching the mountain" out the living room window.  This is something she used to do when she lived in West Virginia.   Many people would laugh at the idea that the ridge behind the garden could be considered a mountain, but the truth is if I had to climb it, the ridge might as well be Everest. 

 I secretly hoped that the young  coyotes would make an appearance for her.  I thought about luring them in with a cage covered with shade cloth knowing that it is their very favorite toy, but I decided against it.  There's no point in inviting trouble.   While she was here birds and the neighbor's cat were the only visitors we noticed, but it's still a fabulous view.  This week there's been more activity.  Every morning I have to  wind open the window to yell at the half a dozen or so deer that come walking down the path.  With the rain and the cooler weather the trees are increasing the color on the hill a little more every day.  Just in case she misses the view, this is for her.

It is definitely fall in the garden, but we still have flowers to add even more color to the changing leaves.  Ed's chrysanthemums and asters are bright spots. The Nicotiana that I let come up all over  still add their evening scent and  reflect the moonlight if the sky clears.   Clouds and rain seem to be the weather we are getting.

When  it's not actively raining,  I'm still making trips to the garden to pick lettuce, green beans, mint, parsley, carrots and strawberries.  It seems like no matter where I go in the garden, every time I come back in the house I have to pick the seeds of Chinese forget-me-nots off my pants, socks and shoes.  They give me something to do while I watch the rain on the  mountain!  

Lily Regale Winter Ready

We have been working with these Chinese Trumpet lilies for at least four years.  Van Bourgondien lists them as hardy to zone 3 so we thought it was a simple matter of placing the bulbs in the ground and flowers would follow.  Spring frosts burned their new growth black year after year and no flowers followed.  The three bulbs in the top picture spent last winter planted out in the garden.  Frost hit them again this spring but they did manage to send up late green leaves.  The bulb on the right is likely to divide itself next year.  All three bulbs have been placed in the lily sod house where they will enjoy protection from late frosts.  We hope all three will finally flower next summer.

These bulbs spent last winter in the sod house and they did flower this year.  Stem roots above the bulb provide secure anchorage for a heavy flower laden stalk and may support new bulb development.  Each short green leaf springs from a new bulb.  The bulb on the right has quite a tangle of new bulb growth.  We will sort this jumble out next spring when we set out the parent plant.

Each pot is now home to one bulb that flowered last year and one bulb that took the frost.  White foam board has been added to the walls of the sod house to try and control grass growth there.  Last spring the grass curtain provided cover for the rodent that made its nest here.  Limiting that grass is the first line of defense against the lily eating creature.  Traps will be set wherever the rodent chews through the foam.  22 caliber ammunition filled with bird shot is on hand.  Its use is unlikely since it would injure the lily stems.  Repellent granules are also on hand.  Our preparations and vigilance may allow us to keep the pots in the ground here until they grow too tall to fit under the tarp.