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GA, have you ever seen the BBC series The Victorian Kitchen Garden... I just looked it up and it was make way back in 1987 but I'm sure I didn't watch it quite that long ago! It was a charming little recreation/restoration of a walled estate garden, your English garden comments made me think of it :)
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Here in the high desert of Idaho, we went from 96 on Saturday to 81 on Sunday with rain Monday night for about 6 hours. Slowly creeping up but long term forecast shows highs is 91-88. Wait to see if it changes. I hope not.
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All those crickets are in my family room

There's even a hint of fall in the air in SoCal today with mild temps all week - I love it !
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Crickets - I haven't heard them this year, and come to think of it, I haven't seen as many fireflies as I normally do. I enjoy their impromptu ballets; I hope they haven't moved someplace else.

Okay, no more talk of Fall until CWillie's though with Summer! But you know, we gardeners can enjoy 2 seasons at a time - it's permissible! And one of our local supermarkets has fresh cider all year round now. What a treat!

And BTW, I found a beautiful new magazine, English Gardens. $6.99 at a local grocery store. It's stunning, ab-so-lute-ly stunning, and filled with photos of those magnificent English masterpiece gardens, beautiful roses tumbling over lovely trellises, parterres filled with massive plantings in delicate pastels, old redesigned castles and estates, and enough to exceed my sigh quotient for months.
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Yes, I've noticed that the sun is setting earlier and I'm having to turn on lights in the evening, the garden is definitely moving into the ripening and dying phase, the nights are cool and the crickets are out in full force. No! No! No! Please no talk of cider, pumpkins and cornstalks, I'm not done with summer yet!
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Is anyone else experiencing a bit of fall weather? It's still warm, but a different kind of warmth, more like that of a balmy fall day when the sun removes the chill of the morning.

I've seen half a dozen trees already competing to be the first and most colorful trees to display their autumn foliage. They're typically brilliant orange or red with blends of gold and fading green, and stand like an advance guard leading what is one of the most beautiful times of the year.

My thoughts have already turned to cider (well, and of course donuts!), and harvesting grapevines to make a fresh supply of wreaths. This year I'll decorate them with clippings from the arborvitae, juniper, and some of the volunteer maples if the foliage is golden or reddish.

A trip to the local park to check for pinecones is always a favorite and relaxing activity as well. This year I plan to plant some to see if they'll grow. I know that some need to be heat activated, but I really don't want to bake them; I've done that before to ensure that insects didn't snuggle in and set up housekeeping, but the odor of warming pine cones is not very pleasant.

And that reminds me; I have a collection of about 8 oz. of seeds from a beautiful red/burgundy maple that I have yet to plant. I might try to bonsai them, as I really don't want them to grow to full height - just not enough room in my narrow yard.

Has anyone ever bonsai'ed a tree? Any suggestions?

Another favorite activity as fall creeps in is going to Jo-Ann Fabrics and lazily perusing the special fall collection of costumes and home decorating. I haven't done this in a decade; maybe it's time for another fabric treat, if I can get in and out with just admiring, sighing and daydreaming but w/o buying more fabric.

I have more costume patterns than I could use unless I were to become a costumer for a theatre or operatic production, but I enjoy thumbing through the pages just to see what's available from new designs. One thing I do plan to do is make some medical scrub outfits - no buttons, no zippers, just wash and wear. They're great for gardening.

So, what are your fall plans? Mums to be planted? Crops still to be harvested, or a fall garden to be planted? Halloween plans? Big pumpkins and corn stalks (if Glad still has any!) to be tied to lampposts?
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The corn is as high as an elephant's eye, and it looks like it's climbing right up to the sky!

O what a beautiful morning!
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Corn perking up again. Or is it my imagination or wishful thinking?
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CWillie's right about the raccoons, cats and corn stalks. What you could do is try to erect a large hoop house or protective barrier around the corn stalks, leaving perhaps an opening at the base so the barrier doesn't cut off all air circulation around the stalks.

A cheap way if the corn plot isn't really large is to poke branches, sticks or stakes in the ground, creating a corral around the corn, and secure a tarp around the stakes. If the barrier is higher than the stalks, most of the wind should generally blow the tarp around, but the stalks would have some protection.

That's not to say though that the wind won't just blow the entire barrier down. Winds have minds of their own and can get downright nasty!
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Thanks cwillie, I didn't even think of that. Storms all week are forecast. The corn stood back up by itself after a storm about a month ago. Maybe it will again.
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Raccoons will eat anything, it is one of the reasons they have adapted so well to living among people. I wouldn't think they would eat cats though, they aren't really predators just opportunists.

I would be leery about trying to stand the corn upright, in my experience that often causes even more damage to the bent/broken spot. If it isn't too bad the corn may still manage to produce a crop anyway?
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GA, thank you, hadn't thought of that. I do not think the raccoons are in my area, though I could very well be wrong. My main problem is feral cats. So maybe no raccoons, too many cats? Do raccoons eat cats? I think they they are more vegetarians?
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Glad, are there any raccoons in your area? If so, I'm sure they'll consider wind beaten corn stalks a welcome treat, even though when I grew corn I found they could quite easily confiscate the corn without much effort.

Fingers crossed that your corn is still viable and untouched by four legged creatures.
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What happens to my pretty good crop of corn after 60mph winds. Will wait until tomorrow to try to stand them back up again, more winds forecast for overnight. And the corn was growing like weeds, welcome ones.
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Still waiting for the landscaper to call. I will wait until next Thursday, if I don't hear from him, I will contact someone else.
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Ah the weeds have run amuk with the afternoon rains! Not a really productive garden this year, but I've learned that some years are great, others are less so. It's all about the process, the hands in the soil, sun on my back, quiet and beauty.
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Scuffle hoe? Might have to try that out. Lot a of grassy weeds. Hmm. Is it really so easy to use as YouTube videos I am seeing?
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LOL GardenArtist, my dad used to tackle the big ones with an axe!
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The finches love thistle seeds, and the big ones really are kind of pretty.
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OMG, thistles bring back such prickly memories! There was a patch of them that grew prolifically (at least I thought so) in the back of my sister's house, surrounding the storage shed. After she died, I had the unwelcome chore of keeping the area weeded until the house was disposed of.

The flower was lovely, but the thistles seemed to have a plan to attack me from all sides. Even though I tried to be careful, always emerged from weeding them with multiple cuts on my arms and legs. And of course by the time I forced myself to weed them, it was too hot to wear long sleeved shirts and pants.

I tried to use a scuffle hoe (my go-to weeder) but they were too thick and stubborn.

I don't often dislike a plant, but I really disliked thistles.
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Veronica, you got me beat. My tallest whistle is probably only about eight feet. Hope to get to those later today after it cools off. Will cut them then later try to pull them.
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Wish I was able to partake of a little of this therapy. My thistles are aout 12 ft tall now! Maybe next year if i don't break something else!
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Ugh! I have had just about enough therapy, thank you very much. Every weekend pulling weeds from what is supposed to be a lawn area, but is completely overrun. Sit on my butt last weekend pulling and pulling and pulling. Nearly eaten alive by who all knows what. So badly, my mouth started to swell, allergic reaction to something. A couple of benadryl did the trick, but OMG the welts I have.

Got smart today, bought a galvanized bucket to use for a stool to sit on. What a difference not so closely congregating with the insect world did! No swollen mouth today, and much better angle to get at those weeds! Maybe by September ready to purchase some grass seed for those areas that are now barren of nearly all green. Tempted to do a bit at a time so weeds have some healthy competition.
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I planted the babaylon queen iris rhizomes this morning. They are smaller than what I planted last year and they sent 2 extra!! They will be beautiful next spring..
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Send, Midget does think she is a Rottweiler!! Haha.

Glad, we can't afford to do more at this time re the yard. Hubs wants it done this summer. I have already eliminated drip lines for flower beds, concert curbing and I will have to do my own flower beds as well. Eliminating these steps will knock about $600 off the estimate. Plus I did not like want the landscaper said I had to do for the flower bed by the back fence. I want it raised and made into two rolling mounds about 4 ft wide. He said I would have to do 6 ft wide berm with concret curbing. 6ft wide is too wide for me to maintain easily so I will do it my way myself.
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Sharyn, compost tilled in, not filled. Raked smoothly, then sod laid. And if they have a fescue blend sod, even better. Does not need as much water in these arid climates.
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Sharyn,
Your avatar looks like a dog. Named Rocky? hehehe.
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Sharyn, you need to do more than just add topsoil. I would think a good compost, filled in before laying sod. A bit more expensive? Yes, but well worth it. The grass will do great with proper amendments, tilling to depth of three inches or more. Call the county extension service for recommendations.
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Send, we are having the back graded, then topsoil will be down before laying the sod.
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Just catching up here.....

Gladimhere: Saw your container garden grown when you had that as your avatar. Amazing success there! Meant to mention it, but I was distracted. The containers were like metal horse troughs? Beautiful! Was not aware you were planting so many and grouping them. Good job!

Sharyn: You ordered more Iris for your new home! Landscaping a new just built property just doesn't always take off the first time, even if you hire landscaper.
The dichondra lawn had to be replaced with St. Augustine after a year. The soil with construction debris is just so difficult, and may need several inches to feet of good topsoil, imo. Good luck on your new flower bed!

My goal is to ask hubs to take out and discard the dead Cape Honeysuckle that died in the heat. There is another one just taking off, growing green, and huge!
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