Bogieblog

Maples are Strutting their Stuff

In 2017 I planted 3 maples that should be colorful. All the maples in the back yard are of a type that go yellow then brown in a short time and never look really pretty, so I wanted some that would give the reddish color that New England maples are so famous for. Last year, the Burgundy Belle was a bust and I didn't even bother taking pictures of it. The Autumn blaze was more brownish, but the October Glory gave some really good color.

This year, October Glory has yet to even start turning, but the Burgundy Belle is putting on a nice show

And Autumn Blaze is too

October Glory is waiting until Late October apparently - at least I'll have something to post in a couple of weeks :)

Fall Foliage 2019

Thursday I took Rita to the vet for some issues (she is okay, or at least we can't find anything wrong and she is rebounding). The drive to Peterborough is along a nicely scenic Rt 202, despite the heavy overcast, so on the way back I stopped a couple of times to take pictures.

My first stop was just a couple miles from the vet at a Peterborough dam on the Contoocook river

This Russian Olive is at the place I parked to get the dam pictures. Yes, it is an invasive non-native species, but has very pretty berries.

These next 2 pictures were in Greenfield and you can tell I stopped in the breakdown lane.

These next 3 were in Bennington along the Contoocook River. There is a "boat launch" just large enough for canoes and kayaks, so I stopped there to take pictures of an island in the river

And the far bank was looking pretty nice too. Too bad I just had my phone and not my camera as I couldn't zoom enough to really get the impact.

This is ome autumn dressed fungus at home :)

Autumn Crocus Happenings

Yesterday morning was our first real frost and the coldest morning of the season at 32* (same temp so far this morning). This picture of the Giant Autumn Crocus was taken yesterday afternoon.

The Saffron crocus (croci?) are beginning to send up shoots. I see 2 shoots in the picture, but there were several more in the planter.

Fall Flowers

Pictures from last Monday. First up is the swamp side of the house with Sweet Autumn clematis - I really need to clean that area up and make it a real garden

Hydrangea tree blooms are blushing - those have spent a couple of weeks in the white stage

Yesterday while mowing, I noticed these hydrangea tree blooms on the back side (pretty much full shade) are greeen. These two pictures are the only ones taken yesterday.

The burning bush is starting to turn

Turtle heads are still going strong as are the wild New England asters behind. The bees and butterflies are thick amongst these flowers

Next is the shrub/perennial garden on the opposite side of the yard. This is some sort of rudbekia - I failed to get a pot that had a label when I bought these a couple of weeks ago.

Unsure what these flowers are - pretty sure they are not a rudbeckia though. Maybe some sort of coneflower (although the flowers are a bit smaller than most coneflowers (echinacea)

Winterberry berries

Roadside garden from the property line. In the front, center are some mums I potted (red, white and purple)

From the end closest to the driveway

Fall cabbage that I put in a planter (can be seen in picture above)

Volunteer pokeberry. Yes, it is poisonous, but it is native and has very pretty fall colors in the stems and berries. It is actually outside the garden itself, on the property line (if you look at the first roadside garden pic, you can see some green berries and leaves hanging over at the very left). I will yank it in a couple of weeks.

Oh, I almost forgot, one more picture taken yesterday of a Giant Autumn crocus starting to bloom in the roadside garden - just started poking up on Friday. It is located just to the left and front of the sedum - which in Monday's picture there was absolutely no sign of it.

Watching for a Butterfly

On the first of this month I noticed a monarch butterfly caterpillar on the Butterfly Weed.

It has been munching away steadily on seed pods and leaves. On the 3rd, I got pictures of a butterfly as well as the resident caterpillar.

Yesterday morning I saw the caterpillar still feeding and it better hurry up if it is to make its change before cold weather hits. We've had a couple of mornings in the low/mid 40's so far, so it is pushing the timing.

I haven't just been watching the caterpillar. I spent some time cleaning up the yard from some limbs that had come down, cutting stalks from lilies and yucca, and pulling up a couple of Blue Princess hollies that didn't make it thru the winter (the Prince survived - go figure). Took a decent load to the dump. That "stick" at the bottom left goes almost to the dashboard. Although thoroughly dead, it is thick enough that I couldn't get it to break and it wasn't worth getting the chainsaw out for one limb.

Although the gardens are slowing down, there are late bloomers of note. First is the Seet Autumn clematis. Too bad the willow tree had to come down because I planted it in that spot so it could climb the tree (the vine can get to be 10+ feet if supported). The bees were loving the flowers and the second shot shows one that has a load of pollen on its sides.

The colony of Turtle Heads is also blooming. And again, bees love them

The Autumn Fire sedum is getting closer to its full color

Lily of the Valley berries. They always surprise me as the appear so long after the flowers.

I am leaving this weed for the pollen and nectar feeders. I did see a hummingbird Wednesday or Thursday although they should be leaving the area soon.

Fall is Approaching

Proof is in the flowers.

The tree hydrangea in the shade garden is a late summer bloomer. This view is from the house side

This is the view from the fence at the swamp. Notice how you can tell where the deep shade is - right where the blooms stop

The Autumn Fire sedum that I placed in the new roadside garden is starting to blush. Actually this is a picture from last Sunday, the blush has advanced since then.

The maples haven't started turning, although I wouldn't doubt that the swamp maples will start their change very soon. In recognition of the changing seasons, last weekend I tackled a job that I was dreading, fixing my primary snow blower.

Last year, at the end of February, my Sno-Tek blower quit throwing snow. The engine is fine, and the auger would turn, just very slowly. I ended up doing a lot more shoveling that day than I had planned. With storms coming on a regular basis, I bought a simpler Craftsman snowblower to finish out the season. the Craftsman don't throw snow as far (by about 1/2) and direction and angle of the chute are managed purely by hand (the sno-tek is controlled by cables). The Craftsman is fine as a backup, but the Sno-tek far outclasses it and I needed to get it fixed.

I was pretty sure that it was a matter of a stretched attachment belt not being able to turn the auger strongly. Sunday I decided to attempt fixing it. This was a bit daunting to me since you have to entirely separate the front of the machine (or in the manual's technical speak, the "attachment") from the engine and controls portion of the machine. I didn't really figure taking it apart would be a problem (I excel at demolition), just getting it back together again would be my issue. Here it is apart

The offending belt

The new belt installed

Totally back together

3 hours it took me to do probably a 30 minute job, but it is done. Well, I think it is. Although I added oil (I had drained it a couple of weeks ago), I did not add gas or attempt to start it or run the auger. It was hot and muggy, and the engine depends on cold air and snow to cool, so I wanted to wait for a cooler day. Hopefully it is all set, but the verdict is still pending.

Too Hot to do Anything

We are in a heat wave with the days getting in the mid 90's and last night it was still 80* at midnight (74 was low this morning). I'm just happy the humidity has been less than 80%. So I'll just post flowers and foliage pictures taken this week.

Day lilies taken 7/16

More Day lilies taken 7/19

I love this one - it really stood out with the eye popping yellow center and deep red petals outlined by the windmill cage

Ruby Stella D'Oro

Echinaceas (Coneflowers) - first is Double Scoop Mandarin, then Sombrero Granada Gold, then a NOT Double Scoop Mandarin (as I thought it was supposed to be)

Brand new foliage on the Lace Leaf Maple I planted in the new roadside garden

Not quite as new foliage - but still new since I planted it

Yucca stalks - first picture the stalk is 8-9' tall

Gay Feather

Nine Bark foliage from the driveway garden. Don't know the name. Early in the season I think it is Coppertina or Centerglow (I bought bare roots of them both back in 2015, potted them up to overwinter since I wouldn't get them planted, and immediately forgot which were which). But with the uniformly deep color it exhibits in the heat, I think more a Diablo (which I did not get)

Roadside Garden Progress

I have not yet finished up the roadside garden, but it is getting closer.

Here are the plants I put in on 6/30/19

There are 4 peonies (Filix Crousse and Madame Emile Debatene), a Laceleaf Japanes Maple, and two Beleza Dark Pink Gaura's (the blooming plants). The Gauras won't make it thru the winter, but since they are in front they will be easy to replace.

A Buzz Hot Raspberry Butterfly Bush at the other end

And in this shot from the side, you can see the Autumn Fire Sedum that is to the far right.

On 7/3/19, I got a couple of tall Phlox (Niki) from a nursery in Wilton to add. I also side dressed everything with compost (not mine, it was bagged).

And on 7/9/19 I got some mulch put around the plants that are there (no additions since the phlox)

Okay, I just remembered that I hadn't taken a picture of the new Buzz Midnight Butterfly bush that I put in on 7/3/19, so now you see it in the mulch (the one on the right).

I still need plants for the area between but that will take some time to find what I want (I don't know what I want, but will know when I see it/them). I do know I want a small shrub that will balance out with the color of the Laceleaf Maple so that is on my search list. And then of course a couple of smaller perennials to go around it.

And yeah, the inside "wall" will eventually be covered by mulch but for now I am loving the convenience of being able to step there to lean over to install the plants/soil/mulch. I thought I was just using up broken wall blocks while hopefully foiling grass and weeds from the lawn. But it was a small stroke of genius since they are lower than the wall, but higher than the native ground so just the right height for taking that step to lean in.

UFO or Maniacal Firefly

Friday night I went out on the back porch and noticed a red glowing dot hanging out just off the railing, down the ramp several feet away. What the heck?

Was it the worlds smallest UFO maybe? Maybe a firefly that was a mutant or evil?

Then I realized that one bloom from a firecracker plant was catching the light coming from the kitchen window just right so it seemed to glow.Here is a picture taken tyesterday morning.

I had filled a couple of my planters on Sunday, just before leaving on a trip for work. I had set the planters down the railing so they weren't under the porch's roof eave, for nature to water them while I was gone.

The Clematis are Putting on a Show

Year 3, with its rain, dark skies and cooler temps seem to be to the liking of the clematis

This one is especially gorgeous

The second clematis is not quite as showy, but I think it will catch up

I'm sure it helps that I put up the oblisks toward the last of last summer, so now they have something to climb.