Monday, November 30, 2009

Remnants

This last day of November is such a beautiful if chilly day.  We were out walking Luna on the new sidewalk along the new road a block over from our house

when I noticed up on the hill the last remnants of an orchard that used to cover the hills.  It is sad for me to see there is so little left of this family's life long work.

Right in front of the few trees that are remaining there is a little patch of pumpkins that they sell at their orchard store.  Now days so much of their product comes from orchards in the South. You can see the pumpkins that were left over were plowed under.
                                         
Along the sidewalk there is still a Rudibeckia bloom here...
                                      
and there.  White clover and some ...          

                             
red clover still has a few blooms.
                              
I haven't had time lately to even look around my garden. Today I decided I must get out there to see what is going on since the first of December is bringing with it much lower temperatures.
                                                   
June is the last of my hostas remaining.  She probably won't last another day from the looks of her.  The cold hard frosts coming will tuck her in for the winter.
                                         
The bittersweet made the most berries this fall.  I wonder if it was the amount of rain that made the difference or the longer growing season.  They sure look pretty as a fall decoration.  I hope they produce as well next fall.
                          
Very little is blooming.  Even the Gooseneck Loostrife foliage is giving up.  It has been a beautiful yellow.  The burying browns are coming upon it.
                                               
There are only a couple of flowers really hanging on.  One is this Black and Blue Salvia.  The harsh weather to come soon will take it to the ground no doubt.  This is one annual that I will have to have in my garden again next year.  What is happening in your garden now?  I hope you have time to get out there and have a look around before the snow flies.  If it is already  snowing in your region what are you looking forward to next summer?  Is it too early to begin thinking of what we will have next?? I don't think we gardeners ever stop thinking of our next planting. Do we??

28 comments:

  1. Things like this always make me sad. What happened to the farm and the family who lived there?

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  2. The Patriarch of the family died. As often happens the remaining family members aren't business savy enough to carry on. The lure of big $$ from developers was accepted by the family. Now developing is being done in the orchards. I am sure the Mr is rotating in his grave. SAD.

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  3. your photos are lovely. love the shadow of your dog in the first one! So sorry to hear about the orchard.

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  4. Lisa...you are right we are always thinking of our next planting.
    We are expecting a killing frost tonight...with so much water around they are saying it will freeze and the roads will be icy...here comes winter.....

    I felt very sad seeing the orchard.....how sad when something so beautiful disappears due to lack of support. He have lost many orchards here in Kent....mainly to do with cheap imports from Europe. I won't buy foreign apples or pears......

    I love salvias.....I planted many this summer....they did not do well.....I will try again though.

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  5. Hi Lisa, we had snow Thanksgiving eve but it had melted by sunrise. Most of my perennials have good foliage still but very little is blooming. The nepata and Rozanne have a few pretty blue flowers.
    Marnie

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  6. Seeing your Black and Blue still blooming makes me think I haven't checked that part of my garden in awhile. I doubt that mine is still blooming, though. It was a pretty but chilly day here,too. Instead of spending it in the garden, though, I took Sophie for a walk at the local park and enjoyed the last remnants of wildflowers there. A great way to spend the last of November!

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  7. Awww... poor orchard. :(

    I'm with you on the salvia. My 'Black & Blue' is going gangbusters right now, too. I always hesitate to buy it in the spring because we typically can only find the $9-and-up sizes for this one around Cleveland, so I wait for clearance prices. And then at this time of the year I think about how much bloom I missed, and how much bigger the plant would've been if I had paid the extra cost (equal to 2 measly cups of coffee, really!) and planted it earlier... and I kick myself!

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  9. I hate to see orchards disappear. In the last 15 years, we've lost half a dozen around here. It's getting to be the end of the growing season here too, with just a few flowers hanging in there, but I doubt they'll last the week with highs predicted in the low 30s.

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  10. Our province's big orchard area, the Okanagan seems to being going into vineyards ... miles and miles of vineyards as wine seems to be the "in" thing now.

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  11. Isn't Black and Blue salvia amazingly lovely? Funny thing I've found is that in the spring it sulks considerably if the weather is cold, but it tolerates the end-of-season cold much better.
    Yesterday we went out for a drive and were looking for winterberry branches to harvest. One place we stopped, way back off the beaten track, hubby found a clump of red clover, and brought me a flower. For some reason that pleased me more than the carnations he gave me last week. Joy is in the little things.

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  12. Hi Lisa, What a lovely blue sky day you had for the last day in November. We had the same here. Tonight our temps are droppping and I was out gardeneing in the dark protecting a plant... as you do ;-)

    Found it interesting to see the stage of your hosta June... I've that variety too and its leaves are on the ground now.

    Next year, oh yes I agree completely... there's always a time to look forward in the garden. Perhaps we'll be lucky and see a successful brood from our camera nestbox... tonight we have a rooster :-D

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  13. It's too bad that no one wanted to continue the orchard...sigh. We have an ugly strip mall where once there was a historically registered farmhouse~~it mysteriously burned to the ground;) The killing frost you will get will be heading down here a day later! But today the garden has a little color left. A few flowers here and there~~rudbeckias and salvia. gail

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  14. So much farmland has become victim to suburban sprawl around my area that it's unbelievable. It's tough to see the historic landscape swallowed by strip malls and subdivisions. But you're right about how we always look to next year's garden! Here everything is finished for the year but I am avidly planning for the next!

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  15. Here in Seattle the Black and blue salvia is still blooming as is a Tangerine Sage and another that is hot pink in color. They are the last snacking spot for the hummingbirds.

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  16. Luna is so aptly named and obviously enjoying her walk. Sad about the orchard and my garden, well, it is time for vacation as there is little of substance going on in the garden. Will catch up in two weeks...off to Nepal.

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  17. Hi Lisa, Great to see a post from you again--or maybe I haven't checked recently enough! I do think it's sad when farms stop being farms... Happy December.

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  18. That's so sad...Here lots of people are also abandoning agriculture which makes me worry about the future.
    I was glad to see that Luna is doing fine despite her heart condition.
    love the balck and blue salvia.

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  19. Hi Lisa, one thing about the economy slowing down, the urban sprawl makes an abrupt halt around here. Did you know that in OK there aren't many orchards. Those late freezes makes them a very risky business. In southern OK, there are more, peaches and such. As for my garden, most of it has frozen once or twice, but the roses hang on, especially 'Old Blush.' It makes me smile when I drive into my driveway.~~Dee

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  20. Hi Lisa, the fate of the farm is very sad, but your photos of the fruit trees are superb. We love seeing dear Luna again, walking on the nice new sidewalk. It is amazing that the salvia is still blooming there. Hard frosts have knocked out many of the late hanger ons here. Your garden still has interest, even without color. :-)
    Frances

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  21. Such a great photo of Luna & her shadow :-)

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  22. So sad to see farms, ranches, and orchards being bought out...and big corporations taking over...and food being transported from further and further away. I try to buy fresh, in season, local produce when possible. We have to do what we can to help the small farmers.

    Luna is just beautiful. I bet she loves cold weather. Bittersweet is so pretty, I remember my grandmother cutting it to bring in for decoration every Fall. I just love the color.

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  23. Lisa, We are very lucky we have seen an orchard saved in our area. Sometimes the younger generation does step up to the barn - even if they are GIRLS! I'm celebrating my second blogoversary and I'm hoping your readers will visit and leave a comment. They might win Nan Ondra's great new book, the Perennial Care manual and lots of CowPots.

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  24. Lisa, Luna looks like she is straining at the leash and ready to get on with the walk, while Mom stops to take pictures. :)

    I was in the garden on Friday and amazed at a few blooms still hanging on. One was Victoria Blue salvia. Another the Gloriousa Daisy. Like yours, they are great plants to have have lasted so long.

    Glad you had a good Thanksgiving-it looked like fun.

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  25. Your Monday was gorgeous. Autumn always leaves me feeling comforted. The whole process works for me. I love the quiet that comes with T'giving weekend. Thanks for these images.

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  26. The destruction of orchards and farmland is not just sad but really scary too. Where is our food going to come from when it's all bulldozed for strip malls and housing developments. Something should be done to save farmland and prohibit development of it.

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  27. Dear Lisa,
    All my blooms are gone. The hard frosts have put the gardens to sleep. I am planning on growing Flax next year. I have my spot picked out and I am doing my research. I would love to learn how to spin flax and weave it into cloth.....
    It is sad to see the orchard turned over to developers. When my neighbor died the house became the property of a grandson. He is getting it ready for the market place and for some strange reason he thought the old apple tree looked bad...he had it removed. I cried and cried....
    Namaste,
    Sherry

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  28. Our city is expanding farther and farther into land that used to be farmed. It can't be good that there are more people to feed and fewer people farming, and on less land.

    I enjoyed your photos. We have snow, and I am looking forward to new growth in spring. I am hoping for spring to be warm and not wintery.

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