Mid-Autumn Garden.
It’s a wet Columbus Day. Tropical Depression Nate passed through Pennsylvania this morning on its way the New England. The Garden is full of surprises.
A better gardener than I would have everything pulled up and covered by now, but I can’t bring myself to do it just yet.
The Marigolds remain in brilliant bloom. They have grown so resilient the wild Morning Glories have twisted themselves around their stems, using them as trellises.
The Creator has his schedule. Clearly.
We put a trellis at the end of the pumpkin patch two years ago, but it proved far too delicate for the Morning Glories we planted that year. Perhaps I’ll put up a sturdier structure for them in the Spring.
Meanwhile, the purple blooms mix with orange and yellow.
Fall is here, to be sure. The leaves have turned. But the blossoms of Summer are stubborn this year. We should be done with this now. But we’re not. I’m strangely OK with all this.
A walk through the dewey grass reveals a pair of min-Pumpkins among the otherwise dead vines.
On the other side of the patch, one of the Marigolds grew into a veritable bush. These plants make for an effective insect repellent. We’ve had no problems with Japanese Beatles this year. Marigolds produce a chemical called Pyrethrum, an ingredient found in many insect repellents, and they have a unique aroma which bugs find repulsive.
Upon the fence separating the squash from the rest of the vegetable beds, another wild Morning Glory vine tenaciously spreads itself out.
Between the toolshed and the burn barrel is another surprise. Readers here will recall this wild Pumpkin vine spreading all Summer yet producing nothing. Two weeks ago a female blossom appeared. The pollinating bees did the rest.
Gardening tips for the fall? When the Marigolds come up, make sure to cut off the heads and dry them out. This will make seed extraction for next year a breeze.
Selah.
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