Gordon's Garden Diary

18 Sep '08 6:10 pm

Just so cute! I'll bet something so dainty would get be demolished in seconds by the neanderthal slugs in my garden Sad

27 Oct '08 6:45 pm

Hi, everyone!

It was a lovely, fall day here today, so I was outside taking some garden pictures for you. We have had a couple of frosty nights, so many of the tender annuals have died, but the perennials are still holding their own, and here are some of their pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

Cheers,
gordonf

28 Oct '08 1:33 am

Wonderful photos. I love the maple, of course! The Berberis is so pretty, lovely colour. The Himalayan Honeysuckle is gorgeous. What an unusual Dogwood. I've never heard of anyone transplanting funguses, oops fungi! It's beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing.

28 Oct '08 4:28 pm

Hi, MacFlax;

Around here, you can buy mushroom (e.g., fungus) spawn to grow several kinds of edible mushrooms at home; as for transplanting the plants from the wild, you're right - it seldom seems to be tried.

The fungus that I transplanted is, of course, only the "flower" of the plant. Goodness knows how far into the ground the mycelium (plant) goes. I'm just hoping that this "flower" will drop spores to begin new plants in my garden. However it doesn't have gills or spongelike holes from which to drop spores, and, since I've packed my mushroom guidebooks away, I have no idea how this species propogates.

So it's just an attempt. I'd sure like to get a colony of these lovely plants growing for fall colour!

As for the maple, it has been an exceptional year for leaf colour in this part of the country. Everyone has been remarking on how bright the colours are this year. I wonder if that means we're in for a cold winter??

Anyway, enjoy your spring!

Cheers,

gordonf

29 Oct '08 12:24 am

Oh yes, that's right, we can get mushroom kits here too. Just a box to be put in a dark place, for food not for appearance. People who know what they are doing pick wild mushrooms but it is somewhat discouraged as there are dangerous varieties around. The local government even puts up warning signs in areas where they know deathcaps have sprouted. For a while we had a problem in our garden with some kind of puffball (I think that's what they are called). What a surprise when the spray from the hose I was holding hit what I thought was a small rock and it exploded into a cloud of brown dust. We have a lot of small rocks in our soil and after that I approached any I came across with great caution.
Fungi aren't usually what I'd call nice looking, though some are interesting, but yours really is very pretty.

29 Oct '08 1:26 am

So much still going on in your garden, cold nights or not. The rose hips on R. gluaca are a revelation. Very distinctive they almost look like cherries hanging together the way they do - obviously a cluster bloomer. Now I know two reasons for planting this rose: in addition to the rosehips there is the wonderful folliage.

I'm also growing the Himilayan fuchsia. They told me at the nursery that birds would be attracted to eat the berries but I haven't caught any at it. It seems like the berries hang around a long time after they look ripe. Then again I can recall any messy spots where they landed on the ground either. Have you seen any birds attracted by the fruit?

The maple is of course spectacular but I'm intrigued by the berries (?) on the plant growing next to it. They look great too. Was this the Meadow Rue you photographed a while back?

Your front garden would make you fit right into Berkeley neighborhoods. There are still some bits of mown lawn around but more and more we have interesting front gardens to look at around here like yours. Hope you enjoy some more fine fall days like this that tempt you to keep that camera ready.

29 Oct '08 7:31 am

I have heard that the Northern areas of the US are having fab autumn colours too. Love the fungus. Love the maple. Love the dogwood - is that a white and green variegated one when it's not all autumny?
Mark - I think the berries belong to a Nandina. Is that right Gordon?

29 Oct '08 1:06 pm

Hi Gordan,

I like a deck with character and yours looks much loved and full of treasures.

I hadn't paid much attention to fungi until some years ago when I found myself sitting next to someone who had written a field guide to Australian fungi. He opened my eyes to them, so to speak, and since then I often look for fungi when I'm out bush walking.

Thank you for showing us pictures of your Autumn garden. I especially love the rose hips.

29 Oct '08 2:12 pm

What a response!! You folks are just too wonderful!!

Yes, the bush with the berries is a Nandina - I would have said so with the picture but I was having an "elder moment", i.e., forgot, and was too lazy to look it up! Rolling Eyes

The maple, in summer, has red/orange/green leaves - here's a picture of it that was taken earlier in the year.

I've been picking wild mushrooms since I was 7 or 8 years old. On the farm, my Dad showed me the good ones (like the ones you buy in the store) which grew wild back East, and in the autumn mornings when I was bringing the cows in for milking, I'd pick mushrooms along the way and my Mom would cook them up with bacon and eggs for breakfast before I went off to school. Yum!!

It's only recently, however, that I've been looking at them as ornamentals. The trick is to get the little rascals to grow where you want them to! Also, the most colorful and ornamental ones are nearly all poisonous - not good to have where there are little children. That's why I planted mine on the roof garden where little kids can't get at it.

You know, Mark, I never thought of the Rosa glauca hips as looking like cherries, but you're right - they do! Later, they'll turn completely black to provide interest all winter! Especially nice against the snow.

All the best everyone!

Cheers!
-gordonf

Oh, Mark - this is the first year that my Himalayan Honeysuckle (as it's called here) has bloomed, but so far I haven't seen any birds around it, and there are lots of birds here.

30 Oct '08 7:20 pm

It is good to catch up with all the news.The phone line down our country road was somehow damaged during the long weekend,and the nice little men from Telecon didden arrive till yesterdsay afternoon,then it was too late to do much,so the phone/internet wasn't fixed till today..
I am intrigued with the fungus,Gordon,and the Maple is outstanding.Your place looks very nice.

Gordon's Garden Diary

Oct 26 Garden Pics.

Transplanting Fungi

Wow!

catchup