This is a place to focus on what's currently happening in the gardens. I want to share fun seasonal garden stories & events with you. Josh is going to archive the posting as seasons evolve. We hope you will embrace it with a fun-filled spirit.

Cosmos are such fun and so easy to grow. Just throw the seeds on the ground then anticipate an explosion of dazzling color in the garden. The thing that makes my Cosmos extra special to me, is my friend, Jan Van Weelden shared the seed with me.

Jan is a wonderful person & gardener. Her full-sun cutting garden is such a fun adventure. I love following her along the mulched paths. Every glance, in any direction discovers perfect plants & blossoms. Each so distinct, yet melding into a beautiful garden setting. Jan knows all the names (and can pronounce them correctly). She knows all the growing info and is always happy to share her knowledge, her plants, & her seeds.

Seed Sharing is an act of faith, hope, & love. Each time a seed is planted it’s an act of faith. We have faith that tiny seed will grow. We hope it grows into a healthy, beautiful plant. And we love it when our great expectations are fulfilled

Cosmos Produces Cosmic Beauty

Orange Cosmos - Cosmos sulphureus

Orange cosmos are also known as Sulphur cosmos and Klondike cosmos

Learn more facts about Calendula (marigold).

See Annuals for more on growing marigolds.

• Compost fall leaves
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs
• Begin exposing poinsettisa to short days in early October for holiday blooms
• Enjoy the fall colors in a state or county park
• Visit a pumpkin patch for the perfect Jack-O-Lantern
• Dig dahlias and cannas after a killing frost
• Clean flower pots and other containers before storing for the winter
• Continue to mow the lawn until the grass stops growing
• Apply fertilizer to the lawn in late October or early November

Additional suggestion:

• Winterize garden tools as you use them the last time this fall.

ISU University Extension 2006 Calendar

October 2006 Newsletter - 'At the Garden Gate' (pdf file)
Suzette Streigel - Horticulturist
Mahaska County ISU Extension Service
Oskaloosa, IA

See Autumn 2005 for more about Autumn in the garden.

Rake Leaves and Make Compost, Mulch - by David Beaulieu

The Scoop on Backyard Composting - presentation by Rachel Sorge

Learn all about the month of October.

Why Leaves Change Color in Fall

Month	Birthstone	Flower	Colour	Meaning
October	Opal or Tourmaline	Calendula or Marigold or Cosmos	Orange	Contentment, Excellence, Loveliness, Good Luck, Grace, Gratitude, Joy, Love of Nature, Comfort, and True Love

Early October & Late September are perfect times for planting hardy spring flowering bulbs.

"Garden Gate Magazine" sends out weekly garden tips via email. You can view this tip concerning tulips online at:

Tulip Tips

I find these gardening tips informative and helpful.

Every fall thousands of tulip bulbs are planted through out the town in Pella. It's all in preparation of celebrating Tulip Time in May each year.

www.pellatuliptime.com

See Tulip Time Slideshow for pictures.

Tulips can fill your spring garden with bright color. But how do you protect them from unwelcome garden critters? And what do you do with them after the flowers fade? Here are a few secrets for getting the most out of your tulips.

Guarding against rodents — Plant tulip bulbs in wire baskets to keep rodents from devouring them. Baskets are easy to make from ½-in.-mesh hardware cloth. This size mesh will let the tulip stems poke through and still keep critters out. Cut a 6-in.-wide strip of any length, and make a circle. Then cut a bottom piece to fit and wire it to the circle. Dig the hole at the proper depth, place the basket, set the bulbs and cover them with soil. Lay a piece of mesh directly onto the basket and cover everything with more soil.

Removing foliage — After the flowers fade, tulips need all of their foliage to manufacture food. It’s called “ripening” and can take a long time before the leaves wither and turn brown. But the bulb is finished feeding a short time before that. Several weeks after the flowers fade, gently pull on the stem. If it’s finished feeding, it’ll disconnect easily from the bulb underground. If it’s not ready, there will be resistance. Stop pulling and wait another week or two before you try again.

Dividing — After several years, a tulip bulb will multiply into smaller bulbs that aren’t strong enough to flower. You can dig them out and replace them or divide them. Save only the largest ones and replant them at three times their depth in well-prepared and fertilized soil. To conserve energy for the bulb, pinch off any flowers that form the first spring. The blooms won’t attain their full size for several years, so rather than plant them in ornamental beds, set them at the back of the garden to use as cut flowers.

- from "Garden Gate Magazine"

Election of officers voted me vice-president. I'm excited to serve the club and the community in this role. This meeting also noted my public speaking debut. I gave a power point presentation - 'The Shade Garden'.

I am not experienced at public speaking, nor had I ever setup a slideshow presentation. But I did it with help from experienced friends and Ron. Another garden club member arranged access to a power point projector and gave me a 'how-to' short-course on setting up and running the equipment. I suppose it's like anything else, not that hard, once you know how. But I tell you what! I had butterflies in my belly!

I used favorite pictures I took over the season for the slides and just, sort of 'winged' the narrative part. I didn't attempt to pronounce the tongue-twisting botanical names of plants. You know, it turns out, that talking about something you feel passionate about seems to come naturally. Not taking yourself or your subject too seriously helps too. But adding a little humor is always good. Girls just want to have Fun!

Slide Show: The Shade Garden by Marvelous Marlys

Robin & Marlys Run Away for the Day - Girls Day Out!

It's difficult to find time to just play. I work at my real job full-time. My garden is my other full-time job. This website is my part-time job. My garden clubs occupy a good percentage of my free-time. But family & friends are so important. It is imperative to take time out, get out of our rut, & do something just for fun. So my daughter & I both took a vacation day just to hang out together.

We drove to New Virginia, IA to explore Vintage Gardens gift shop & tea room.

Then followed the Madison County scenic route north to Winterset, IA stopping @ Groth's Greenhouse. Their specialty is mums and of course, this is their season.

www.grothsgardens.com

The same road led us to Howell's Tree Farm near Cummings, IA. Howell's were entertaining scads of children with their fall pumpkin patch festivities. The thing I like the most @ Howell's is the hayloft of the old barn. It's packed full of all different kinds of dried flowers. It is so cool just to see! Long ropes dangle from the rafters, adorned by hundreds of tied bundles of dried plant blossoms. And the gift shop is packed full of dried wreaths, arrangements, & lots of other gift items. It's fun!

www.howellfloral.com

I'm starting to get into drying flowers and grasses. It's so easy to do. It just takes time, patience, and space. Some day I want to learn to make dried wreaths. Right now I stick my favorite dried plumes and seedheads into fun containers and enjoy! It's one more fun fall activity.

Dried celosia flowerheads hold their color well, so it’s not surprising that they make a welcome addition to winter bouquets. To dry the flowerheads, cut the stems at the base when the plants reach mature size. Remove the foliage and tie three to five stems together with tape, wire or twist ties. Then hang the bunches upside down in a dry area with good airflow for about a month.

View this gardening tip online at:
www.gardengatetips.com/etips/060919.html

The fall meeting of the Russ O'Hara Hosta Society was held at the Iowa Arboretum. We had our usual pot luck lunch, our business meeting, & a lively presentation on dwarf conifers by expert, Rich Eyre of Foxwillow Pines Nursery.

Rich is entertaining all on his own. I'd call him "a good ole boy". He might be considered a humorist. He had us all laughing. It was funny & fun!

Seeing all our hosta friends is always a good time, too.

And of course, the Iowa Arboretum was having an ornamental grass sale. This is the 'show-off' time of year for many ornamental grasses.

Check out the following links pertaining to this entry.

www.richsfoxwillowpines.com
Marlys' Ornamental Grasses
www.iowaarboretum.org

Annual Pumpkin Party - Girls just want to have FUN!

See Autumn 2005 for more pumpkin party details

It was cold & wet this year so the location was moved to Ron's heated shop.

Check out Pumpkin Patches and More.org to find the pumpkin patch closest to you!

Knoxville Federated Garden Club sponsors the butterfly garden. All the plots are maintained by volunteers that have 'adopted-a-plot'. Each spring & fall & sometimes in-between we club members pitch-in for clean-up day. It was cold out there this morning but still a beautiful fall morning.

And, hey, I get volunteer / service credit hours that count for Master Gardener eligibility too.

I was so cold driving home I had the heater on full blast. I wanted to take a nap in the worst way. But the cannas were calling me to come dig 'em out. I got a good start on the job. Then had to stop to get ready for Beggars Night / Trick or Treat!