The ornamental grasses look as nice in the late fall as they do in the summer. Different, but nice. I'm determined to cut them down right after Thanksgiving because in my opinion, they do not provide attractive visual interest buried in snow and are a terrible mess to clean up in the spring. If Alley Cat wasn't part of our family, I'd consider bringing in some plumes to arrange in a tall vase.
Staghorn sumac is a decidious shrub that can grow to a height of 25'. Its leaves are very colorful in the early fall. The cylinder-shaped berry clusters are red and fuzzy looking and last through the winter. The branches have a velvet appearance that resembles deer antlers, thus the name Staghorn. Only the female plants produce berries which provide food for birds, especially game birds.
Our neighbors have this tangled conglomeration of yellow apples and red berries growing together in their front yard. I can't walk by it without stopping to admire it.
The very talented Carol from May Dreams Gardens is the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and I thank her very much for doing so. And I thank YOU for stopping by Mamma Mia Days.
Beautiful pictures Donna! I love your shot of the Miscanthus. Your neighbor's combo of apples and berries is beautiful. The Sumac here is a bright red right now.
ReplyDeleteHi Donna!
ReplyDeleteI love the Sumac. IS this the same neighbor that stole your wheelbarrow? Maybe you should borrow some apples.
Rosey
You're lucky to have somewhere out of sight to store your containers, Donna. It seems nice and sunny too - our back patio where I overwinter some of my terracotta pots doesn't get any direct sun between October and March, so the pots either get green with lichen or crack with the frost.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen the staghorn sumac you've featured. Nice to discover something new.
I had a lot of sad pots this time of year too.
ReplyDeletePretty photos, Donna :) Love sumac's bright face! Can't believe it's mid-November :(
ReplyDeleteI say any color this time of year is great, whether it's berries and apples or flowers! All pretty :)
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, thanks for the comment on the windows. Yes, I have every intention of returning to MI. Hope to in the next few years. I would love to buy a small farm and put those windows to use!
ReplyDeletePretty photos, I love the apple/berry combo, sounds like it would make a nice pie! Are the berries edible?
ReplyDeleteHi Donna, for gardens I think it's sad that winter arrives. But you've captures some great colors still. Love the yellow apples and red berries. Wish you a wonderful week to come.
ReplyDeleteHey Donna. Well you empty flower pots may look sad but at least they are organized. Mine are a big mess. I need to think about putting in some of those beautiful fall sumacs. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeletebtw I'm glad you enjoyed my little Oregon Trail/Time Traveler post. Small inside joke there. Some weeks past on my other blog,Troutbirder II, I did a review of the movie Time Traveler. Said it was trite and hard to follow. Ouch! Did I get blasted by the commenters. Was informed if I had read the wonderful book I would have enjoyed the movie better. :)
The sumace is such a bright spot on the landscape--certainly eye-catching! I like the pots all lined up for the winter; hopefully, your neighbor won't decide to borrow any of those:) I bragged yesterday about how beautiful November has been, but it looks like we're back to dreary October--nothing but rain for the past 24 hours and in the forecast for most of the week.
ReplyDeletelucky you to find some beauty in our now grey november....
ReplyDeletefunny, I felt that 40 degrees yesterday was just a bit too chilly for me.....
a bit spoiled we've been, haven't we ?
lots of dreams in those empty pots awaiting a new spring ...
ReplyDeleteI like that combo of golden apples and red berries as well. And your staghorn sumac - wow, it's great! I really need to get more bird friendly plants like that in my garden.
ReplyDeleteOh, Donna -- I'm in the same boat -- pots put away, things (mostly) cut back. I love the autumn grasses, but since I don't have any, not aware of all the care elements! Yes, I can see where that could be an Alley Cat hazard!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your comments on The Marmelade Gypsy lately. My Rick had a serious bike accident and while he is home with me, I'm on my pokey dial-up, so I'm just replying to one batch of comments, unlike the usual and having a hard time loading up blogs (graphics). (He'll be OK but it was a tricky weekend.) Needless to say, we're trying to keep the pet therapist from jumping over his bruises and sore bones!
Just wanted to let you know I may be a little behind for a few days. I'll post updates on TheGypsy, though.
That grass looks amazing. It would like great in the house, but I think you are right to not bring it in. It would be too fun for a cat to ignore.
ReplyDeleteI like your pots in a row. I leave dirt in some of mine, too. That is a good looking grass. I forgot to say earlier that I love your lone leaf photo. Also, I may have said this already, but you are blessed to live so close to that nice park.
ReplyDeleteDonna, Hello! I am recovering from my surgery and am just tiptoeing around the blog world again. I had to stop by to see what was going on in your garden. Your pots do look forlorn a bit... but just think of it as hibernating for the winter.
ReplyDeleteI am doing really well on my recovery from my spinal surgeries a month ago. I totally walk on my own, my pain is manageable and I am TALLER. For now I just look out the window and admire the fall colors of the hydrangeas, grasses and the smoke tree. Some day in the spring I will clean up the soggy mess... but for now I will just rest. God has been faithful to me! I hope you are well.
~ Mindy
Oh, it's so sad when there are no blooms left in your garden. We are still enjoying a pleasant fall, and I have some flowers yet to enjoy. But they are slowly dwindling away. Boohoo!
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