Halloween is fun at our house!

Both Denny and I gleefullly anticipate Halloween during our retirement years!

We decorate moderately inside and out looking forward to the little goblins arriving.  Times have changed, most of them are little goblins and parents are nearby!  We put our lighted twinkling teeth in when we answer the door and grin widely,  which absolutely fascinates the little ones once they notice!  Their reactions are priceless!  Not scared, just speechless staring with amazement!  Parents watch with big grins on their faces.  And we also have treats for any pets that are along for the Trick or Treats Stroll.  

Yes, we have the usual assortment of pumpkins outside and then "Cedric" climbs out of his corner in the basement and "hangs around outside" to welcome all comers to our home on  the 31st!  He even turns on his eye lights so he can see better in the dark!   

I always have a difficult time picking out an assortment of gourds to sprinkle around inside with my other fall collection of seasonal elements!  They are all so lovely!

"Cedric"

 

Community Garden Award!

This week I was honored to attend an inspiring Awards presentation.  

Once upon a time I participated on this committee for several years enjoying the fellowship of special people honoring their veterans.  This memorial is surrounded by "pavers"  honoring by name veterans in Olmsted County, Minnesota and while sprucing up the garden beds, each of them privately visited the paver(s) of their loved ones.

One of our members is a Veteran himself and he has shared that the garden beds with their color and life seem to soften the memories of war when he visits there. 

This special presentation also honored the two ladies who were the original creators of these garden beds and have spent 15 years of service tending them!    

Spooks moved into my indoor fairy garden!

It's that time of the year!  

I have one Fairy Garden that is all artificial plants and I updated it this fall.

Of course the goblins found it and  moved right in one night! 

 

I'm wondering if a Thanksgiving Turkey will chase them away later?  And, then what happens when it snows?   I'll keep you posted to any changes in occupants.  It sits on my desk so it keeps me smiling and when Josie comes over she rearranges the scene a bit!

A fairy moved indoors at my house!

Yep, I moved a favorite small fairy garden container inside the other day and planted two ferns I had over purchased for some indoor terrariums so, ..... made a comfy spot and next thing I knew... one of my fairies with her favorite friends moved right in.  It's getting a bit chilly outside, so I guess I understand!

This sits on our kitchen dining table so we are enjoying her company when we are eating!

First Frost!

We finally got killing frost last nite!  I am hearing my gardening friends are looking forward to it also.  I think we are tired of gardening for the season!

I started fall clean up outside early so I am about done already!  Now I am waiting for the hostas to get bit once more by frost so they all will give up and lie down.  It is so easy then to go out on a dry day and just pick the leaves up and haul them to the compost site!  Much quicker and easier than cutting them down!  Also no risk of spreading any disease that might be hiding in one waiting to be spread to another one!  Clearing the leaves away also removes the protection they provide for the slug eggs that are sleeping on the ground for the winter!  I'm all for that!

Today,  just before we went out for an errand,  we quickly pulled the dead begonias out of their pots and yanked up the sun impatiens for a quick trip to the compost site! Nothing attractive about dead plants hanging out of pots or curled up in the ground!   Next week I'll gather up my yard art pieces and tuck them away for their winter nap.  I have a few new tulips to plant  in the ground and then I am done with fall garden prep!

A few more views taken in Mother Nature's Garden Beds while on our fall color drive the other day:

Falling into fall.....

Time to hit the SE MN roads to view Mother Nature's own garden beds!  We did our annual drive with a few destination eating places in mind!  First stop for food was at the famous Aroma Pie Shop in Whalen.  The color was about gone in that area but the pie was not disappointing a bit!

Then we headed to "The River"  (ole Mississippi, of course) and drove north towards our next destination dining place in Lake City!  I should not have stopped for my annual carmel apple at Pepin Heights Orchard because we were five minutes after closing at the Chickadee Cottage Cafe!  So I missed my awesome meal I was expecting there!  Well, I guess we may have to go again to Lake City  soon and then drive a bit further north to Red Wing,  so I can enjoy a bowl of that awesome potato soup at Chickadee before they close for the season!  Denny has not been there yet and I so want him to have some of that soup!

Mother Nature's Water Feature!

Winterizing in Minnesota

Minnesota State Horticulture Society sponsored a seminar on tips on winterizing your plants,  shrubs and trees for our Minnesota winter, which will soon be on our doorsteps!

It was only an hour but was packed with information presented by Megan Magee of Family Tree Landscape & Nursery, Inc. located in Rochester, MN.  Megan sure knows her stuff and how to communicate effectively to a mixed audience of gardeners!  Not only did we have handouts to follow her presentation with but she took us outside to demonstrate how to prune shrubs with loppers and also, the faster easy way, with a gas powered hedge trimmer!  We also got a first hand demo on cutting back perennials and wrapping a tree trunk!   Needless to say, we were impressed and left with new confidence and ideas to keep our plants, trees and shrubs healthy and in great condition for spring!

I just thought I was almost done with winterizing tasks but learned how to prune my various hydrangeas, prune our new shrubs and how we'd be wise to wrap a few newer tree trunks and my hydrangea tree trunks!  A new trick using a bed sheet to catch cuttings will save lots of picking up chores! 

Keep your eyes open for these opportunities to learn.  They are often low cost and put on by professionals in your local nurseries!  There were quite a few experienced gardeners in the audience and we all picked up some new great tips to help us with these fall chores!

Best $10 I've spent for information in a long time!  The coffee, cookies and networking with gardening friends as pretty good also!

Iris in October in MN!

Iris is one of my favorite spring enjoyments!

Yesterday I was with a group of gardening friends planning some garden tours for our hosta society for the next few years when I spied this lovely sight!  Not only was it absolutely beautiful, it is October in MN!

A reblooming iris!  Yep, just gotta get some!  I'm  sure I can find a place to tuck a few in somewhere!

The softer side of fall

Usually, I tend to mostly admire the bronze and gold  shades of mums in  the fall, but this sure caught my eye in Deanna's garden this week.

Deanna thinks it is on steroids or something, it began life in her garden bed as one of those tiny pots of mums in the spring and has managed to take over a big area in this garden bed!  It is indeed happy in its home!

A fairy pond!

This small pond is just the right size to provide a bit of water magic in a sheltered spot near a deck!

Rita, you scored big time with this little gem!  

As it gets to be time to clean out the ponds and water features, I'll bet you appreciate the size of this one!

 It's a fairy pond!  

Fairy Garden bed set in a larger garden bed!

A bit of fairy garden fun can be tucked in a larger garden bed area!  

Rita did a great job of creating a fairy garden fantasy in a spot where she removed a tree trunk!

Lots of thing to attract fairies to live here!

Mini hosta beds attract fairies!

Mini hosta beds are a perfect place to create a bit of fairy attraction spots!  This one even has a small bubbling rock water feature!  

Found this in my friend Alma's Garden Paradise!

Mum Festival!

"Mum's the word?"   Well, it should read "Mum's the word!".

At least it was the word of the day Sunday at Mayowood Mansion and grounds in Rochester!

The Friends of Mayowood Residence and Historic Sites featured a Mum Festival combined with a tour of the first two floors in the Mayowood Mansion!  It was an opportunity to explore an explosion of mums decorating the grounds and the renovations that continue to be made on the Mansion! The weather was perfect!

Each visit to Mayowood is exciting to find  the results of the renovations, which seem to be continuing!  

Our garden club has invested many years, in the past, planting and maintaining 45 planters on the grounds each year as well as decorating one of the rooms for the Christmas Holidays Tour, an annual November fundraiser.  We can appreciate the improvements as we have watched this historic building being restored and capturing life once again!  It no longer is a dark, dingy, deteriorating empty home!  Thanks Mayo Clinic!  

FALL COLOR!

Yes, there is a non traditional way to enjoy FALL COLOR!

Tree foliage, mums, pumpkins and gourds are great.... but this also is a glorious sight!

My new neighbor, Jessica,  recently knocked on my door and greeted me with this huge pot of asiatic lilies in full bloom!  I had given her an assortment of perennials from my garden beds  to hers as a welcome to our neighborhood.  It is so fun to welcome a new gardener to our little corner of the world!

Best of all I'll be able to plant the lilies when they are done blooming and enjoy them again next year!