Showing posts with label ornamental kale. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ornamental kale. Show all posts

Saturday, January 10, 2015

A Bittersweet Start To The New Year

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About the only thing that is showing any beauty or color in the garden are the ornamental kale and cabbage I planted last Fall.  They are putting on quite a show!


At the end of October 2014

Mid December 2014

Early January 2015 












Meantime, back at the house....a pipe burst during the freeze we had the last couple of days and it happened to be in Mother's new apartment.  A piece of the wall in the guest bedroom had to be removed together with all the molding around the floor.  Additionally,  the padding for the rug and some of the hardwood floor in the rest of the apartment have to be replaced.  We have six large and noisy fans drying the floors and MM is back upstairs.  After seven months of problems and delays, we got to enjoy the place for less than two months.  Now we are back to square eight and another big expense.

The nostalgia that engulfed me at the beginning of the year has now turned into a full fledged depression.  Madame Mere and I both agree that someone down there doesn't want us moving into their old space.  The time has come for some drastic measures and a serious cleansing!


My new cleaning crew


Back in a bit.

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Gardening Into Fall... Ornamental Kale

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Until this morning, mild temperatures have been the order of the day here in Georgia and it has been difficult to get into a Fall mood.  Thus far my front yard, as well as my cooking, have been in transition mode waiting for cooler weather to get into the swing of Autumn decorating.  Most of the materials I use are in a room in the basement and you know what is happening down there...les appartements prives de Madame Mere, or the never ending story.

I am so sick of this remodeling that it will be hard for me to enjoy it once the contractor and his crew leave the house.  Suffice it to say they were supposed to be finished by September 1, but the painting and the wood floors are still to be done. I can't even think of what it will be like to go back to normal...whatever normal is.

One of the benefits of the setback has been looking for inexpensive things to transition into the pumpkins while keeping some of the annuals that are still doing well.  Take the geraniums...they just won't quit.  Same with the dahlias.  Enter ornamental kale and cabbage.

I  have never used either so, with guidance from one of the staff at the local nursery, I picked up three kales and one cabbage.  Originally they we intended to go in the ground but there was still too much going on there so I decided to use an urn and  keep it simple,  That way I could move it around come Christmas time.   The kale will turn a deep fuchsia in the winter and the cabbage white in the center. At some point I will have to think of something to replace the white mum I added to the back of the urn. That is, if these things do what they are supposed to do and don't die on me!





It's a shame to replace the white geraniums.  They keep throwing new buds.  If they don't stop soon I will just have to delegate them to the back.




I have never bought this color of chrysanthemum before.  They have turned out much lighter than I thought and I can't wait for them to go away.  They were $10 for the four of them at Costco.  I can't do my favorite burgundy mums unless I pair them with another color so they stand out against the brick and the mulch.  




There's a pot of burgundy mums in the back waiting to be paired with some pumpkins once the pink mums go away.  It's been so dry recently the sprinklers have been going on every day and the walkway is a mess.  It needs another good power wash before someone slips and we lose our house!

As I finish this post, it is cool outside...cool enough to snuggle with the Sous Chef under my down comforter.  Here comes Fall!



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