Saturday Farmer's Market - Change is in the Air

Created by Heather at Capricious Reader, and now hosted by Chris at Stuff as Dreams are Made on.

UPDATE from Last Week:  

I don't know exactly when the Saturday Farmer's Market posts are supposed to wrap up, but I still seem to have plenty to write about. So if you will bear with me, I will continue until I run out of material.

A strange flower
for birds and butterflies
the autumn sky
- Matsuo Basho 

Blowing from the west
Fallen leaves gather
In the east.

- Buson

  A cool fall night--
getting dinner, we peeled
eggplants, cucumbers.
- Matsuo Basho

Consider me
As one who loved poetry
And persimmons.

- Shiki

A caterpillar,
this deep in fall--
still not a butterfly.
- Matsuo Basho

 This week I did a little maintenance work that did not relate directly to growing things.

First up is the little wood burning stove that sits outside my front door. The food dish for the outdoor cats sits on it and it's a place to set things when fishing door keys out of a full purse. (The interior is also a handy place for a few garden supplies I like to keep on hand.)

It hadn't been painted in quite a while and was badly in need. After only one new coat it looks just like new. My garden cat (along with all the furry travelers who stop by) is happy as a fuzzy little lark.

You're probably wondering what those red things are and what they have to do with the garden. (So does every body else.)

For years I have been dragging a heavy hose around to do my watering, and I'm sure you know how much damage a hose can do to delicate plantings. I needed hose guards, and especially at the numbers I needed, they can be pretty expensive.

Plumbing isle to the rescue! (You'd be surprised how useful that section of the hardware store can be.)

My husband cut lengths of PVC pipe and topped them with 45 degree elbows. We painted them red and they work beautifully - protecting my plants (and sparking conversations). They were also in need of repainting.

We have another project in the works that will include these little gems. Stay tuned.

The little bed with the Japanese Maple needed a some work. The verbena had reached the end of the line. (You can see it starting to go in the picture on the right.) I expected it to last until the cold weather set in, but it didn't. So I pulled it out.

Luckily, this is the season for plant sales!

I was happy to find a cousin to my Pieris Japonica. This one has variegated leave and turns red in the summer.

The existing plant is on the right and the new one is on the left. I had seen one of these in a nursery years ago and couldn't remember the name. So I always called it the Lily of the Valley bush because of the ton of little white flowers that cover it in the summer.

My Jade tree is getting ready to bloom again!

I didn't know that they can bloom twice a year

- early spring and winter.

This isn't exactly winter, but it's a great surprise anyway, especially considering I almost lost it last winter.





After running the weed eater, I got my blower out, (Both are electric and very light weight) but my garden cat steadfastly refused to acknowledge the operation and move.





I was not happy with the Mums this year. Yes, they bloomed twice, but they also harbored bugs and the foliage looks terrible.

I had already pulled them out of the front bed and this week I pulled the rest out of the barrel near the Japanese Maple, replacing them with Shasta Daisies.

I like the contrast better too.

The sale also netted me two little Agave

- and now the family expects me to start making Tequila.

 

Me thinks they mock.