Month: November 2017

The Marshmallow Has Landed

We are on that autumnal roller coaster, but despite the relatively balmy temperatures—it reached at least 49°F today and will be in the mid 40s all week, except Tuesday, when it will reach into the upper 50s—I have to put the garden to bed for the winter.

Enough leaves have fallen to finish wrapping up the fig tree, for example. This tree is still shrub sized, so I am still wrapping it the same way: one bunny-chewed acrylic blanket, three tomato cages, four yards of floating row cover, and some big piles of leaves. Continue reading “The Marshmallow Has Landed”

Hard Freeze on the Heels of a Cold Front

I wandered by my little fig tree yesterday when I was photographing fall color—I even gently tweaked a couple of the remaining figs to see if there was a chance of them ripening. I thought not, but today the answer is definitely no.

We have had a couple of nights in the last few with frost enough to do in the hostas’ leaves, but the fig was fine as of yesterday afternoon. Today one leaf remains attached, as are five frozen figs. I ate the last ripe one that the chipmunks missed on Wednesday.

Photograph of fig tree that dropped almost all its leaves in one day.
One leaf remains attached to this fig tree, which had all its leaves yesterday.  Photographed on November 10, 2017.

Continue reading “Hard Freeze on the Heels of a Cold Front”

November’s Gloom Has Its Bright Spots

The weather people are starting to make breathless prognostications about sleet and snow flurries—Novemberish weather, in other words—however, the sun came out for a little while shortly after lunch today, so I zoomed outside to capture some more color. Continue reading “November’s Gloom Has Its Bright Spots”

Fall Is Mostly About Leaves

I have been sporadically raking and moving leaves around the last couple of weeks, although most of the raking is still to come. Most leaves are still firmly attached to their plants. I love fall colors, so it is worth getting away from my desk in the afternoon.

Photograph of backlit pawpaw leaves showing fall color
Pawpaw leaves turn a beautiful bright yellow, which is especially striking when backlit in the late afternoon. Photographed October 26, 2017.

Continue reading “Fall Is Mostly About Leaves”