Sitting at home, sipping tea, wrapped in a blanket, sniffing and watching a cold front move in – a perfect day to clean up some computer files. I found all sorts of old photos and files. The one that caught my attention was taken 10 years ago in our front yard. My, it has changed so much (and so has fashion!). Originally there was a little bed around some trees, and the rest in St. Augustine grass. Weed killer was used constantly to keep out my neighbors travelling hypericum and the continual popping up of redbud trees, cherry laurel and Turk’s cap from seeds left by the birds. The grass has long been gone. The cherry laurels, oak trees and eastern red cedar have grown so much. Under them are a wide variety of native and well-adapted plants. Oak leaf hydrangea, Japanese maple, viburnum, lots of Turk’s cap (I let them pop up wherever they please), aralia, leatherleaf mahonia, coralberry, a solitary gardenia and camellia (for fun), salvia guaranitica, possumhaw holly, inland sea oats and many more plants thrive under the trees.

Weed killer is no longer used. My neighbor’s plants are always welcome. The earthworms are happy and so is my husband. There is no grass to mow.

I am just thrilled. My Meyer lemon tree, now probably 5 years old, has produced what I think is a bumper crop. The first couple of winters, I kept it in a spare bedroom when temperatures approached freezing. Last year I potted it up into a 19″ rectangular pot. The tree has flourished to the point that a big decision must now be made. If I want to have guests, there is no room for the tree. Which shall it be – tree or guests in the spare bedroom? Alas there is no choice. Sadly I will have to miss the fragrance of its winter blossoms – they will help perfume the greenhouse at our Arlington store instead. (As a footnote, Michael and Lorie planted their Meyer lemon outside in a protected spot. I will let you know how it fares this winter).

Meanwhile we are in the process of harvesting 56 lemons. I have already made some Meyer lemon marmalade – my husband loves it. I am anxious to taste the preserved lemons – this is a new one for me. Meyer lemon limoncello is next on the list. And half of the lemons are still waiting to be picked.

What a treat this has been…

For well over a month now, one of my favorite late-blooming perennials has brightened a dark spot in our shady front yard. All summer long, lush deep green foliage fills the spot – it almost looks tropical. Then, in late fall, dark red spiky blooms shoot out and will last until the first frost. It is called firespike (Odontonema strictum).

Nothing has bothered this plant for the past three or four years that have had it. This past summer, during our hot dry spell, the wax myrtles suffered die-back; the firespike did not miss a beat, staying lush throughout. Foliage stands about 2 ½ to 3 feet tall, and the blooms are 12 inches and more. It is planted in soil that has been amended with compost and other organic materials, and is usually well-mulched. We fertilize it three times a year with our organic fertilizer (our regular fertilization for the whole yard), and that is it – a great underused plant.

P.S. When I wrote about our employee garden last week, I was in big trouble for neglecting to mention Austin’s plot. His would definitely fall in the practical category – jalapenos, radishes, broccoli, mizuna and ruby streak mustards – typical plants for a high school senior! Austin has been with us for a year and a half now. We will surely miss him when he graduates.

In early September, I handed over a small portion of the “Back 40″ of our Arlington store to our employees there. The instructions were simple – plant a vegetable garden and use only items (seeds, plants, materials) found on the premises. As hard as it was for me to do, I then stepped back and let them proceed. I am loving the progress so far. Some started the next day; others took time thinking about it. Some are works of art; others reflect a more practical bent. I hope none of them is offended as I describe them.

Laura has used chopped stone to define the perimeter and spaces within her area.

It is beautiful. A border of red romaine surrounds a Brussels sprout plant, black seeded Simpson borders a cauliflower plant. There are stands of evergreen onions, Italian and curly parsley, sage, Italian oregano and chives. Freckles romaine edges the area around a beautiful kohlrabi.

Evan has fashioned a trellis out of four bamboo poles and hog wire. Peas are planted at the base and are getting ready to climb it. Eli has diagonal rows of nasturtiums, cilantro and several varieties of lettuces. Matt is cutting arugula and endive from his space daily for salads. Ever the practical one, he also has radishes and cucumber planted. Kathy and Meaggan also have steered towards the practical, planting peas, carrots, lettuces, arugula and radishes.  The one unclaimed space has been planted with red clover – it will be turned over early next spring.

They have all had fun doing this. For those of you in the area, do take a moment and check it out.

Here it is the end of October, and so many of the plants in my garden look the best they have all summer. The African blue basil is huge and covered in bees, especially now that we have had a couple of days of sunshine (hallelujah for that). Red pentas and purple cuphea are big and beautiful. The orange hibiscus and even the bougainvillea are behaving more like the middle of summer than the waning days of fall.

However, it is a small space and I need to plant some more cool season veggies and winter color. It is such a gut wrenching decision. How can I justify tearing out these plants and send them to the compost pile? This is not easy – I cannot let go of summer and its plants. There are still tomato plants and they are still producing a few fruit. I seeded greens all around the base of them, so that when I finally do yank them there will be something growing. That is not doable in other spots. So I have finally taken deep breaths and started the painful process of saying good-bye to my summer plants…