Greetings from a rejuvenated Susie’s Gardens. The rain and cooling weather has spurred some new growth and refreshed the gardens quite a bit. More mums are now in bloom, white balloon flower, new roses, and more dahlias and asters, are brightening up the place. The red cannas, blanket flower, phlox, gaura,  obedient plant and others continue to bloom. The “grass” is greener than it’s been all year. It actually resembles a lawn! But then I’ve never been a lawn person. To me a big expanse of lawn is a biological desert.  

     The vegetable garden is full of “weeds” (vegetation) but I’m still getting tomatoes. I think I finally identified the mystery plant—its button weed. The hedge bindweed had two huge weed pods on it—much like a milkweed pod without the “warts.”  I have not found such a description in any books I have. So there is room out there for more info to be disseminated. I have color in the back of the vegetable garden too in the form of many zinnias that just keep coming (Cut and Come Again is the cultivar). I’ve got pots with romaine lettuce, cilantro, turnips, and other lettuces growing real good. I mentioned I had over 16 new shoots of asparagus. I remember back in Wisconsin that asparagus commonly grew along the highway rights-of-way, especially in western Fond du Lac County and Green Lake County. We would pick it in May and June. When highway crews would mow the edges of highways in late summer, they would of course cut all the asparagus down. It was common to see all new shoots growing up as late as September as the plant attempted to glean as much sunlight of the waning summer as possible to nourish their roots. 

     September 21 was the last time I saw the hummingbirds, but as of yesterday I still saw chimney swifts. Monarchs have been migrating the past two weeks. Raccoons, skunks, and opossums are high on the roadkill menu at this time of year as they are forced to disperse from their family groups. We have numerous cardinals in the yard and I look forward to a colorful winter at the bird feeder.  

     Out on the road we see dogwood, sumac—some red, some yellow—and maples turning. Its funny how certain trees start turning way in advance of others even as some flower earlier than others of the same species. Our neighbor has a maple that has turned beautiful reds, oranges and yellows already, while others are still green. The late rains may delay the turn this year although I think waning sunlight hours other than temperature have something to do about it too.  Black-eyed susans, goldenrod, asters, ironweed, and joepye weed are common along the roads now. The dogwoods in our yard are a deep purplish red. Some dogwoods will turn bright red. The oakleaf hydrangea is a coppery red and the crabapple, full of fruit, is turning now too. Weather has been beautiful—high 60s and low 70s over 50s. 

      We celebrated our 43rd anniversary on the 28th by taking a trip to Charlottesville-Harrisonburg areas. We left on the 27th stopped at Viette’s nursery in Fishersville, where Susie got a few new plants, and I bought a gardening book. We then headed for Harrisonburg, stopping for a buffet lunch at Ever’s Family Restaurant (a household name up there!), then on to Harpers Garden Center. Susie got a new large birdbath, new bunny and cat statues, and other décor for the garden. From there we headed for Charlottesville and stayed over at a Fairfield Marriott. That evening we had dinner at the Boar’s Head Inn. The next day we drove to Jefferson Vineyards to do some wine tasting and stock up the wine rack, stopped at a country store at Michie Tavern to shop and then went to Carter Mountain Orchards for some fresh apples. From there we headed back north to the Barboursville Winery for another wine tasting and purchases, and had lunch at the Pallacio, a very special lunch. Our waitress was a young girl from Madison, WI who had just moved to Virginia with her parents. I was wearing a Green Bay Packer polo shirt which started our conversation. Earlier at that little country a guy pulled up in the parking lot, looked at me as he got out and said, “I don’t think I like you!” I responded with, “it must be the shirt!”  He came back with “I’m a Chicago Bear fan!” We had a nice talk. Turns out he has a summer home in Eagle River, one of my favorite places in Wisconsin. Wearing the Packer shirts always brings some sort of a response wherever I go—even at art shows, I’ve had Wisconsinites come by. 

     Well, back to the drawing board. Have a commission to paint (a red-headed woodpecker), art for the Franklin and Mechanicsville Ducks Unlimited dinners, a special painting for the living room (to go with another that I painted 30 years ago!), and start a wildlife montage poster for the Southeastern Wildlife Disease Coop’s 50th anniversary. Our Wildlife Division Director is heading up the program for the 2007 Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Departments conference in Atlanta, GA. He wants this poster to honor the disease coop. The 2006 Conference will be held here in Virginia in Norfolk. 

     Hope all is well with you. Take Care, Be Safe, Hang Tuff, and God Bless you. Spike Spike Knuth 

© 2006 Spike Knuth All Rights Reserved.

Editor's Note: If you would like to write about your back yard, please feel free to do so. And include photos. JAF