Fall Leaves

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No need for many words today, when the trees are turning such brilliant fall colors.

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Don’t rake your leaves and burn them–that’s such a waste. Pile them in an out-of-the way spot and turn them occasionally to help them decompose. They’ll make good mulch later. Or save a handful and dip them in melted wax. String them with a needle and invisible thread, and hang them in a window to enjoy. Your leaves will last for many weeks!

The Bark – What’s In Your Autumn Landscape?

“Summer’s loss seems little, dear,

on days like these” ~ Ernest Dowson

 

“Our house is a very, very fine house,

With two cats in the yard” ~ songwriters Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young

 

Delicious autumn! ~ George Elliot

A cup of coffee with a friend

Is happiness tasted,

And time well spent. ~ unknown

(I love a cuppa that smiles back at you.)

Fall Is Here – And Miss Paws Is Back!

Here I am, in my new autumn scarf. Admit it. I'm kinda cute.

Peeps, I’ve missed you! Writer-grrrl has neglected to post my updates lately because she’s been so busy, and I can’t do them myself. It’s kinda hard to type with these toenails. But hey—we’re back! Writer-grrrl has curtailed a few of her activities because she wants to blog and finish her middle-grade novel (yep, the one she’s been working on for two years. Just imagine how long that is in dog years!)

So here I am, dressed in my new fall scarf. In case you can’t tell, it’s plum-purple and has cute little pumpkins outlined in black on it. Makes me feel so good, I could run around the neighborhood and bite all the pumpkins on the porches! But that is frowned upon around here. Party-poopers.

Nevertheless, I am here and ready to party! I’ll keep you posted on all our comings and goings. Check back with us often!

wags,

Miss Paws

 

Fall for Roses, Even in the Fall


Are your roses looking pretty sad and dreary by now? Here in the Atlanta area, the bushes and climbers are just about finished. Black spot has done its dirty work, making our roses drop their leaves and slowing their flower production. There’s not much we can do to perk them up again. The first cold snap is coming soon, and it’s too late to fertilize. We stop feeding our roses in August around here, because we have to discourage any new growth. They need the next few weeks to harden off for the coming dormant season.

But ahhhh….we went to Statesboro to visit our son, who goes to college there, and found that their roses still in beautiful bud and blooms! Of course, the climate south of Atlanta is much warmer, and there have been some recent rains that encouraged the plants to put out a fresh flush of blossoms. Hope you enjoy these pictures, which we made during out trip. We didn’t see any identifying labels on the plants, but you can oooohhh and ahhhh just the same.

I recently did some research on how to care for roses for a magazine article I’m writing, so I’d like to share some tips with you. If you crave a rose garden for next year, start planning for it now. You’ll need to select a spot that gets nearly full sun all day, although your plants will appreciate a bit of light afternoon shade, when summer temperatures are at their hottest. Otherwise, the sun can scorch your rose leaves and fade the colors of their blooms.

Dig your soil deeply, and add amendments like compost or peat moss to help loosen any heavy clay. You can also add these materials if you have sandy soil, to help the ground hold precious moisture, since sand drains fast. If you can build raised beds and fill them with good organic material, that’s great, too.

From late fall into very early spring, go ahead and buy bare root roses for your new beds. You’ll find the bare root plants sold either in cardboard cartons, or in long, narrow, plastic tubes stuffed with moistened packaging materials. I’ve had good luck with both mail order roses as well as those sold by local garden centers and nurseries.

Before you plant the bare root roses, give them a nice soak for a few hours in a tub or bucket of tepid water. This will help any shriveled canes and roots plump back up again.

Pick a day when the soil isn’t frozen to plant (of course–otherwise, your shovel will bounce off the rock-hard ground!). Refill the hole with a cone-shaped mound of soil, and put the plant on the of the cone so that its roots dangle loosely down the sides. Finish filling the hold and water well.

When the temperatures start to warm up again, and new growth appears as tiny, green leaves, it’s time to add some fertilizer. I like the kind with a systemic insect control mixed in, to help prevent damage from black spot.

Water deeply and regularly, and watch for your beautiful blooms to open as spring progresses. Roses and springtime…how can you beat that combination?