The oak leaves and pine straw have covered the lawn so I thought today would be a good day for a first rake.
Gus enjoyed running through the piles and finding limbs to chew.
The beds look so neat and proper with a fresh layer of oak leaves and pine straw. I think it’s funny how all my neighbors rake them to the curb for collection by the city. They then go to the garden centers and pay for compost and mulch in the spring! Crazy!!
Luckily Raleigh has a yard waste center were they compost all the yard waste from the city. On cold days the huge piles of compost look like volcanos with all the heat and steam they produce! All you need is a truck to go out there and get all you want!
One unusual Fall bloomer is Salvia puberula ‘El Butano”. It grows about six feet tall and as much wide. In October it produces bright pink flowers. The foliage has a pungent fragrance when you brush up against it. It is not what I call a good smell and it lingers with you for quite a while.
This plant doesn’t really have any desirable characteristics and I don’t really know why I keep it around? I probably will remove it in the next few season to make room for something else?
As I was removing overgrown perennials I noticed a saffron crocus blooming!
I often forget about their locations around the yard and over plant them with annuals in the Spring. They are a nice Fall surprise.
The Burning Bushes are beginning their Fall show with leaves in nice shades of burgundy and red! The birds are enjoying the berries, too!
I think my favorite chrysanthemum is what I call Korean Daisy. (Chrysanthemum koreanum “Sheffield”)
They are so easy to grow they are almost weedy! They form a mound about 18″ to two feet tall and about three feet wide with no special care! They are amazing when they burst into bloom in October!
Arthur in the Garden! 
It has finally cooled down here and I have been trimming. I agree with you on the leaves. A man just stopped by and offered to clean up my beds and mulch. It was hard to tell him I like it that way!
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Yes. I agree! Its nice to look at the beds in the winter and see the skeletons of sedums and other plants. Not as boring empty bed.
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A lot of people think leaves on beds look “messy.” I used to cart them away by the dump truck load. Then in the spring I’d bring in mulch by the dump truck load. Great job security! Here at home I use the leaves.
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Not to mention when you bring much and soil in from outside your area it is a big risk for pest! We have clay soil here but mine are loamy with lots of organic material. Helps it drain and also provide nutrients.
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Your yard’s looking good!
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This time of the season it is a jungle! We have had a very wet summer!
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Your garden is looking good! I already have pruned a lot of my bushes & trees! I love working in my garden too, it is kind of therapeutic for me just like cooking. 😉
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Yes, garden work is much cheaper than a therapist! 🙂
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Hahaha! 😊
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beautiful crocus! I watch all my neighbors bag them up and just like you said, purchase mulch the next year—silly:-)
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