We're getting a lovely late flush here, too. Carmella Fairy Tale is putting out huge bouquets of blossoms larger than any I saw all season.
Cinderella Fairy Tale isn't far behind. The pinks are just beautiful in the cooler weather. Nothing is fading out.
That incredible Easy Does It keeps growing more and more buds. The blooms have 10 different shades of orange!

I gotta take pictures of the frozen buds. Some of them look perfectly freeze-dried.

Disaster has turned into a real blessing. When I went up to Frank's to collect mulch, he lives just up the road, I found out that he has to come with me with his gun because the area where I can get the right kind of leaves is infested with rattle snakes. Arrrgghhhhhh. I got 12 bags of old leaves and had to come home and shred them using the weed wacker in an old garbage can before I could put them down.

My friend, BJ, had several piles of leaves that she shredded last year when they raked up the leaves on her property. She lives about half an hour's drive down the mountain. I went down yesterday, to collect those leaves. Pure gold !!!!. The piles of leaves had been sitting out in the weather for almost a year and had broken down beautifully. (This year's leaves have not begun to drop.) I was on my knees for three hours raking leaves into bags and brought home 14 bags of leaves that are ready to put down. AND I didn't have to worry about rattle snakes. Yeah, she carried her gun, too, because she's had bears and cougars showing up on her property this week, but mostly at night. I had to quit at twilight because she was getting kind of nervous.

I'll have to go back a couple of more times to get more mulch, but I'd rather spend the gas money and not worry about snakes.

Frank is building a compost bin for me this year and will splash a lot of vinegar around the whole area, so I won't have to worry about snakes on his property next year.

Since I can't buy mulch up here, it's wonderful to have friends that are saving material for me for next year.

Yeah, I feel blessed.

Smiles,
Lyn

That's extreme gardening - armed escort required!

I hadn't thought of that ! It's just part of living in the mountains in the midst of a forest.

I've only had one snake hole in 9 years. When I found it this year, I poured about half a gallon of ammonia down the hole and filled it in and then poured vinegar all around the area. I only had weeds growing there, so that was fine. Since I haven't found another snake hole, I think that snake has moved onto my neighbor's property.

The fox that moved onto my property got rid of the skunks and the bears that live in the park across the road always raid my neighbor's garbage, but don't touch mine. I bag meat scraps with ammonia and other kitchen waste gets buried in the compost pile.

I've only seen one cougar on my side of town. They are here, but they seem to prefer the other side of town. BJ's cougar will stay around until she's gotten rid of the whole herd on BJ's property, but most likely the deer will move to where they think it is a safer location.

Franks says I have to learn how to use a gun. Ha ! I doubt if I could hit anything I aimed at ... some protection.

I just don't like snakes !



Smiles,
Lyn

Snakes are good critters. They eat pests, don't make noise, don't make a smell (unless it's a garden snake, and you pick 'em up), and the dangerous kinds always warn you to back off before they do anything. Snakes are our friends. I have quite a few snakes (little ribbon) in my yard.. at least 4-5 of them. Some of them are a little bigger (3-4', about an inch thick), others are like overgrown earth worms. But I don't hurt them and keep them safe from the dogs. They keep the prairie dogs / mice population way down with all the bird food I put out.

It's snowing out right now as I type this. Most of the trees have changed colors and the cottonwoods have been dropping their leaves quickly. Only the maples & ash really are leafy right now and mostly are gorgeous. My silver maple is dropping it's leaves (and branches.. I hate that damned tree) with a vengeance, but I don't use the leaves for compost 'cuz they're usually mixed in w/doggypoo & doggypoo makes for really bad compost material. Yuck! One of my Winter Magics did bloom one more time before this last freeze last night, and so many of my roses were putting out new growth even after that hard freeze a couple of weeks ago. Just waiting now patiently for them to realize that it's over, go to sleep, see you next year.

It's so depressing this time of year.

You are right, I should have been more specific. I hate rattle snakes ! The baby snakes do not warn you and are more deadly.

Sorry, you are depressed by winter ... I love it because it gives me time to do things I just don't have time for during the gardening season ... like reading books

Our night temps have been hovering around freezing and I cut the last blooms for a friend's child. Others, during this fall flush went to the nursing home.

It's cold, but the sun is out, so I am headed outside.

Smiles,
Lyn

Snow snow snow
My last little rose to bloom, Winter Magic, decided that it's definitely wintertime w/one last set of blooms before the real cold came in.

This is what I woke up to this morning:



My lows are in the mid-lower 30s / upper 20s now, highs are in the low 60s / upper 50s. Late next week it's supposed to warm up a little, but then shoot right back down.

Winter is coming my friends. Winter is coming.

Took some pictures of the extremely heavy frost this morning.

Hotwings Maple tree & Fragrant Plum



A very frozen and freeze-dried Yankee Doodle (froze last week, frost made it look even cooler today)


Picante is beautiful, no matter what the weather.


Ring of Fire.. keep blooming right til the end.


One of my minis.. I can't remember who, right next to Karsh Heinrich. You can see the new leaves that got froze out.


New Year got VERY heavily covered in frost.


And my one section of beebalm is just gorgeous in the frozen state it's in.