If you look closely at the photo above you should be able to see some apples on the tree. Actually there are quite a lot there and some of the branches were bent under the weight, but I picked them off last week, just before they would have fallen off and some have been eaten in a crumble, the others were blanched and are in the freezer.
Japanese anemones – they grow like crazy and some people see them as a menace, but I love them, especially as they last such a long time and there aren’t too many pink flowers around in the autumn.
This is actually a different variety of Japanese anemone, they’re a bit frillier, there are also some montbretia (the orange flowers) in the photo, now they ARE a menace. This area is sort of organised chaos in the cottage garden style, that’s my excuse anyway!
I love daisy shaped flowers but Michaelmas daisies aren’t my favourites which is weird because I love the lilac colour but they always seem quite weedy to me.
I love my liquidamber tree but I’m getting a wee bit worried about it as in past years it has had a mass of leaves and this year it’s definitely looking a lot sparser. Maybe it prefers miserable wet and cold weather and this year’s unusual warmth hasn’t suited it – it suited me though.
The one above is my golden hop. If you’re a beer drinker this is one of the main ingredients of your brew. The flowers aren’t all that startling but I like them and it’s an easy plant to grow.
Some white autumn crocus this time or naked ladies as they are sometimes called as they pop up with no leaves at all and the leaves don’t appear until the spring, just on their own.
I love this time of the year. We went on a woodland walk today and I left the house armed with a plastic container just in case we found some juicy looking brambles which I would just have to pick. The mission was a success, but more about that at a later date.
We seem to have a lot of liquidambers planted as street trees in Philadelphia. Those and ginkgos. I’m also a fan of hop vines. We found one growing by the road at our last house. We hadn’t planted it, but I made a point of walking down there to look at the leaves and flowers, both lovely.
Thanks for sharing your garden with those of us who are gardenless!
Joan,
I should have more garden photos but I can’t find some of them, I know I took some of roses. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ginkgo in the flesh so to speak, but I love the look of them, the leaves look so delicate and elegant.
The ginkgos are lovely, with their delicate fan-shaped leaves, and fascinating because they’re such ancient trees. However, there are apparently males and females, the females bearing some of the stinkiest fruit. I don’t know if they can tell the difference between the sexes before they reach the age of fruit bearing, but the female ginkgos I encounter while walking around Philly I refer to as ‘stinkos’!
Joan,
Yes I’m sure I’ve seen some ginkgo fossils. I had absolutely no idea that they even had fruit. I should find out if they will grow here, it would be lovely to have one in my next garden but I want a blokey version, no smelly fruit required. There must be a reason for the smell I wonder which animal eats the fruit.
I’m on my way with a book to sit in your garden!
Peggy Ann,
It was actually warm enough to do that today!
Oops! I’ve been one of those who see Japanese anemones as a menace. I planted one about 6 years ago and totally misjudges its height. The next year I decided to move it and war was declared! Every year since it has defiantly popped its leaves and flowers up where I originally planted it – it obviously liked its original position!
Japanese anemone 5 – Linda 0
I’ve now given up and am learning to enjoy its lovely pink flowers in completely the wrong place.
I love your white autumn crocus, I must remember to plant some next year!
Linda,
My Japanese anemones have been spreading a lot and are coming up amongst the paving stones, I must admit that is annoying. Maybe in my next garden I’ll confine them in a tub as they seem to be almost as bad as mint for getting around!
What lovely, lovely plants. I love Japanese anemones and I loved how they spread, because I have such a small space to plant things in and they can’t go out of bounds. But mine have died out recently. We have had them over ten years.
TracyK,
I wonder why they died out, so far mine are getting stronger every year but I don’t think they’re quite 10 years old yet. Maybe yours just used up all the nutrients over that time. I’m going to dig some up to take with me, whenever we get our house sold.
The Japanese anemone is lovely. We have loads of apples on our tree right now and they are all too slowly getting ripe. I too am looking forward to having some in a crumble!
Stafanie,
That’s a surprise I thought with your heat they would ripen before ours, I suppose it depends on the variety. The apples we didn’t eat are now in the freezer, waiting to be turned into crumble or pie.