Garden Notes October 2025

  

Worked in the Orchard with my wheelbarrow.  I pulled up all the ageratum.  It has finished blooming, but has not started to throw off seed.  I weeded the area and sowed Ox Eye daisy seed and Coneflower seed.  Tied up some flopping goldenrod.  Yanked up Sweet Autumn clematis seedlings.  There are a few bad spots of weeds in there still, but it looks pretty good.  I dumped all the mist flower in the Meadow.  I cutoff stems of Shinners Sunflower seed heads and spread them in the Meadow.  This plant is too unruly for my gardens, but it will be perfect for the Meadow.

I pulled up the ageratum in the iris bed in the Star Garden, also before it set seed.  I dug out some giant blue mistflower and potted it up for the plant swap that will be in a couple weeks.  I don't want the tall mistflower in the iris bed.  It is an aggressive seeder.  I also dug up a clump of Southern Wood Fern for the swap.

I continued pulling up ageratum in the Star Garden.  It has an incredibly extensive root system, so I do not need that stuff to throw off seed.  I weeded as I went.  I pulled up all the Mexican sunflower plants that had fallen over.  I don't know why I love those plants so much, they are unruly.  They get 10 feet tall and topple over.  Often they will continue to look good despite that because the roots are still in the ground.  If that is the case, I will let them live because they bloom their hearts out in the fall and are much-loved by the butterflies.

I sowed seed, about 50 5 inch pots of the short goldenrod that I got from Ann Thames, coneflower, roughleaf coneflower, eupatorium rotundifolia, and Heliopsis.  Right now I have so many gallon plants in the Vegetable Garden, a dozen Passalong Pink, lots of John Fanick phlox, elderberry, native passionvine, Coral Bean, and some I can't remember as I sit here writing notes.  I will rid myself of some of them at the plant swap.

I planted a shrubby blue sage (that I got at the spring plant swap from Swee Leng) and 6 or so salvia azurea (from the fall plant sale) and Ashy Sunflower (from Buchanan's) in the Rose Garden.  

We finally got a good rain - the first half of October and September were very droughty.  I sowed Black Eyed Susans, Clasping Coneflower, Indian Grass, Prairie Parsley, and Cow Pen daisy along the trails just before the evening gully wash. Job well done.

I dug up a good-sized Giant Coneflower and potted it up for the swap.

Weeded in the Vegetable Garden, too late unfortunately, because all the weeds had dropped their seed.

I prepped beds and sowed lots of Ox Eye Daisy seed in the Rose Garden.  I also collected seed from my Hyssop Leaved Thoroughwort.

I spent quite a bit of time dividing day lily clumps that did not bloom well last summer.  Finding places for all the day lilies is a challenge. I started digging up salvia and planting the daylilies in those spots.  I have more than enough salvia. 

I prepped a bed in the Vegetable Garden with leaf mold compost and planted 6 Brussels sprouts plants.

I moved 2 mature Texas Orange Lantana in the Orchard.  I put them in the same beds, but I moved them from the edge of the beds to the middle of the beds.

I potted up a flat each of Hyssop Leaf Thoroughwort and Ivy Leaf Mistflower.

Cleaned up in the Shade Garden.  I raked the paths, all debris goes into the beds.  Cut away or pushed back plants that were leaning into the paths.  I cut some branches away.  Pulled up Snakeroot growing in paths.  The Snake root is blooming right now.  And I can see my darling, reliable little Fleabane seedlings coming up.  They make a charming stand of white flowers every spring.  And they like that shady little spot.  My toad lily is blooming.  It is not as full as it was in the past, but it still shows up every year, long may it last.

I dug up some double orange daylilies that had spread into the paths.  I stuck it in one of the rain barrels until I decide what to do with it.

 

Swamp Sunflower October 20, 2024

I planted a handful of plants in the Meadow several years ago.  And now there is a big patch of them.  The are pretty floppy, so this is the perfect spot for them.  I have them growing in 2 other places where they are not nearly so welcome - until now!  I learned that I can prune them and make a flowering plant that is only 4 feet tall at its tallest.  Game changer!  I can't wait to try it out next summer.  I won't mess with the ones in my Meadow, but in my 2 gardens, I will give it a try.  If I can keep them from leaning over, they will be soooo pretty in the fall.

 

Red Firespike October 23, 2024

 In full bloom right now, so pretty.

 

At the Farm October 18 - 20, 2024

 This is second generation Cosmos.  I sowed some in the beginning of summer.  And I pulled them up once they got tired looking.  A whole new crop sprung up, and I have a second wave of gorgeous blooms from the seeds that dropped on the ground.

Busy October for plant-related activity.  The La Bahia plant sale was October 5.  And the next Saturday I attended the milkweed propagation demonstration at the NPSOT Symposium in New Braunfels.  

I planted 4 Frogfruit next to the Possumhaw, live oak seedling and grama grass at the edge of the Star Garden.  Ever since the linemen came and cut down the dead tree that was growing there, I've been trying to wrap my head around the fact that the area is sunny now.     

I cut yaupon and poisoned the tips in the area I am trying to convert to native that is next to the Greenhouse.

Cleared out the bed by the front arbor.  In the spring, it always gets covered by chickweed, so I am not going to seed the area.  

I worked in the shady parts of the Star Garden clearing, weeding and tending.  I spread lots of Philippine Lily seeds.

Planted a live oak sapling along the boardwalk.

I pulled up all the mistflower in the front bed and sowed the area with wildflower seed.  And I pulled up all the zinnias on the other side of that bed, roughed it up, and watered.  A couple of months ago I threw down zillions of coneflower seed in that area.  So, now that the zinnias and weeds are gone, it is prepped and ready to grow coneflower.  

Watered in the Greenhouse Garden all day on Saturday - so dry!

I began the milkweed propagation process by putting the milkweed seeds (that I got from the demonstration last weekend) into moistened vermiculite.  They will stay in the fridge in baggies of moist vermiculite for 6 weeks.  I'm kind of fired up about it.  That would be amazing if I could successfully grow milkweed.  It is notoriously hard to grow milkweed from seed.

I stayed outside working and wandering until darkness (and fear of snakes) drove me in to the house Saturday evening.  But before I went in, I watched the moths on the Almond Verbena shrub.  Constant activity here at the farm.

The Mexican sunflowers and Cosmos are a so entertaining to watch.  Butterflies by the hundreds are fluttering all around them.  And the white and blue mistflowers are waiting in the wings, just about to bud out. 

I tried to cut down some yaupons in the wooded area next to the Long Border, to open up the area and also to really showcase the loblolly pines that grow in that area.  I used a new electric saw to do it, but that was a total bummer.  The chain kept coming off.  Not happy about that.

Sunday.  I cleared out the remaining beds in the Vegetable Garden.  I raked pine needles in my good spot and laid them down over parts of the beds that I am not currently going to use.  I sowed turnips, parsnips and cilantro.  I sowed some pea seeds in one of the beds to use as green manure.  I will turn them under in a month or so.  So, lots accomplished in there.  At one point I was pulling weeds, and I picked up a copperhead IN MY HAND!  I thought I had a handful of weeds, then I felt movement, looked down at my hand and saw the snake.  Naturally I threw it down.  But I let it live.  I shooed it away - which is not easy with copperheads.  Their instinct is not to move at all, so prodding them mostly just makes them mad. 

Headed home about 3:00

  

At the Farm September 26 - 29, 2024

 

Wednesday.  Worked.

During lunch, I sowed Moss Verbena and Purple Prairie Clover in a corner of the Rose Edge Border.  I marked the area with sticks so I would remember the spot.  I'm thinking about seeding the whole bed.  I haven't done that in some years because it's been taken over by Tall Winecup in the spring which is so pretty, why try to improve on something so successful and effortless.  

I also seeded another bed in the Rose Garden with Moss Verbena and Purple Prairie Clover.  

Watered them both.  I'm planning to be here Wednesday through Sunday, so I can keep the seed beds moist while the seeds germinate.  This is the most critical time for success.  

After work, I sowed seeds in several more places.  Marked the spots with sticks.  I cleared out the Country Girl mum bed while I watered them in.  I seeded the Country Girl bed after I cleared it out.  I gathered some handfuls of mum runners that broke off while I cleared the bed.  I decided to pot up the ones with a little bit of root and see if they will take off.  I made 3 small pots and 2 gallon pots.

I cleared one of the big beds in the Vegetable Garden and sowed lettuce seeds  I used up the last of 3 different kinds of Bibb lettuces.  Lettuce seeds are small and don't have a long shelf life.  Better to use them up  

Outside to the Vegetable Garden.  I cleared out a 4 x 4 bed and sowed 4 rows of kale.  Watered it in and watered my lettuce seeds.  Keeping the soil moist until germination is important for lettuce. 

Next to the Rose Garden to water all my new seed beds.  I made 3 more seed beds of Moss Verbena at corners so that the flowers will spill out into paths.  I seeded some of the rose buckets with moss verbena as well.

Pruned the Noisette.  It's big, but the canes are scabby.  I really need to cut away some old canes to encourage new canes.   Maybe next winter.  But I pruned it quite a bit and cut away a lot of dead canes.  It would be great to get some late October and November blooms.

I pruned the Mlle Franziska Kruger and a couple of the Perl d'Or in the front bed.   

Friday.  Watered here and there while I worked.

During lunch I cleared a 4 x 4 bed in the Vegetable Garden and a bucket.  I sowed Cilantro in both.

After work I hand watered seed beds in the Rose Garden.  Just a little more babying and they can make it on their own.  Upfront work produces future results.  I'd love to get a good show.

I sat on the sofa for a long time watching the butterflies on the Bandana orange lantana.  It was quite a show.  So far I've grown many colors, and I  find the whole series to be stingy bloomers.  But it was very lovely today.

I ran into some poison ivy in the armadillo fence around the Paw Paw tree.  I immediately washed up as carefully as I could, changed clothes, threw away the gloves.  That took the wind out of my sails and I didn't do any more gardening that evening.

The butterflies are entertaining.  I saw a Variegated Fritillary yesterday.  First one this year.  And the Giant Swallowtails, the black and blue swallowtails, Zebra Longwings, Gulf Fritillaries, sulphurs, Hairstreaks, Long Tailed Skippers, the tiny skippers - they are all here this weekend.

Saturday.  Cool morning.  So pleasant.  I started in the Rose Garden.  I cleared out the wild corner and sowed Purple Prairie Clover and Rattlesnake Master.  Watered the area.

Finished clearing out most of the Rose Edge Border.  I sowed Prickly Poppy that Molly Glentzer gave me, Moss Verbena, Rattlesnake Master, Clasping Coneflower and Mexican Hat.  Watered the area.

I went down to the Orchard and did a bit of weeding, not much needed because of the heavy layer of pinebark mulch I put down.  I got the Orchard under control, now I am trying to maintain it with mulch.  It looks really pretty in there right now with ageratum and coneflowers and salvia blooming.  I am loving it, and only a few months ago, I was despairing that I would never get it back under control.  I scraped away some mulch in 4 or so spots and sowed Moss Verbena and Purple Prairie Clover.  There are a lot of Tall Winecup and Brown Eyes seed in that garden, and they are going to want to take over in the spring.  So no sense in seeding too much.

I cleared out a 4 x 4 bed in the Vegetable Garden and sowed parsley seed.  I cleared out another space to sow dill, but I have none!  I'm so surprised that I didn't re-order when I ran out last fall.  

Worked the majority of the afternoon in shady locations in the garden.  Clearing, clearing, clearing.  Looks pretty to me!

Sunday.  Another cool morning.  

I sowed 2 packages of Calendula in the Vegetable Garden.  I cleared an 8 x 4 bed on Saturday.  I was going to plant dill there, but I ran across the calendula seeds in my seed box and decided to plant them

Frostweed September 29, 2024

 This is snakeroot and frostweed.  I am liking how this looks.  This is the wild area in the Star Garden.  I sowed a ton of frostweed seed last winter, so I have lots of it just about to bloom.  This is a good fall pollinator plant. And I like have big leaved plants in the garden.

Fruity Pebbles Lantana September 27, 2024

This is a fun plant.  It is growing in the Rose Garden.  After the flowers are pollinated, they create a cone-shaped cluster of purple berries / seeds. For me, the plant behaves like an annual.  But I get lots of plants the next season from all the seeds that drop.