Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Nov. 8

Happy Fall! From The Famous Pat*:

Our 'Autumn Blaze' maple, "Eric the Red", in all his fall glory. Our northside neighbor's house is in the background.

I love the tree and its name!

Happy Fall! There was some discussion on one of the ONTs about the Ginkgo tree. I'm not sure how the thread meandered onto the topic but there was some good information about how they are an ancient tree (from when the dinosaurs lived!) and have unusual fan-shaped leaves that all fall on one day. The ginkgo tree in my neighborhood is still holding on to its leaves!
Cheers,
The Pilot

What color!

I was just reading about a stinky, fruiting female ginko tree causing a commotion. Can't remember where. But people were being prohibited from gathering the fruits. Most ginko trees planted for landscaping are male trees.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

I bought a few dozen saffron crocuses and my brother planted them a few weeks ago. They weren't supposed to flower the first year, or so I thought. Got a few saffron threads!
Miley

So wonderful!

Seasonal notes: There are notable differences between Asian persimmons like the "Fuyu" and American persimmons. There are generally also important differences between cooking pumpkins and decorative pumpkins. Though some cooking pumpkins are also decorative. Just be aware.

Special Offer

If a member of The Horde, especially in or near Texas, would be interested in a start of the lovely daylily below, with Horde Heritage, drop me a line at the address at the bottom of this post.

Big as my hand

Sorry about the short post. Computer screen froze and I had to unplug the computer. Lost content. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? November 1 Gardening, Home and Nature Thread

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:44 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1
ESPONJA!!1!1!11!!

Posted by: AltonJackson at November 08, 2025 01:48 PM (tljrc)

2 I finally got straw in all the beds. Will cover my fig trees and rose because we should have a killing frost Sunday night. And my tomato plant was definitely Cherokee Purple! I have some starting to change color. (They are all in the house.).

I found out about micro tomato plants. These can be grown in pots inside. I have seeds ordered and will start a few when they get here.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at November 08, 2025 01:51 PM (znHU2)

3 I'm in Canada, it's in the 40's or so and I'm mowing the lawn and leaves to mulch them. There was one really wet year where the town didn't gather leaves until after winter. It was a mess. Now I always mulch. It's just easier.

There's a yellow lotus tree in the front yard. On the plus side, most of the leaves are off. It's a bugger to clean up those leaves though.

Many of the trees still have a ton of leaves. The latest I mowed and mulched was early December..... in Canada.

Outside Christmas decorations are next.

Posted by: Posted by: Stateless - VERY GRATEFUL, BLESSED, LOVED AND HAPPY! -- - New Life Creation - 18.1% at November 08, 2025 01:58 PM (Sco7b)

4 Ginko seeds are used to make a sort of flour or something, I talked to m older asian woman who would pick up the fruits on the Capitol Mall in Salem. I asked what they were used for, but unfortunately all I could get was they cooked with them. She had limited English and I didn't understand the explanation and she was a bit frustrated trying to say what it was about.

The fruits do smell like spoiled butter when they go rotten

Posted by: Kindltot at November 08, 2025 02:02 PM (rbvCR)

5 Love the trees and the saffron crocus. The daylily starts are a good thing!

Posted by: KT at November 08, 2025 02:06 PM (7vIsy)

6 Just came inside from raking leaves. We had gorgeous fall foliage here but it never lasts long enough. It seemed like we were in Peak Autumn Glory and then the leaves all fell at once.

We're due for some snow tomorrow and the next day.

Posted by: All Hail Eris,, coming to you live from the Roller Disco of Discord! at November 08, 2025 02:08 PM (kpS4V)

7 My wife has two Fuyu persimmons, and they are not doing well. She has only three fruits this year.
Fuyu are the pumpkin shaped ones and they are crisp and sweet. The others are the acorn shaped ones and they have to be nearly liquid inside before they are sweet to eat, they are very tannin flavored before then. I think the American persimmons are the same way, but they don't grow here so I don't know.

The other name for Persimmon is "Kaki" and the green fruits are crushed and fermented to make a permanent cloth dye "kakibushi". It can be from a orangy pink to a dark rusty black, depending on the mordant treatment used

Posted by: Kindltot at November 08, 2025 02:09 PM (rbvCR)

8 I hope there is an energetic neighbor kid with a rake and desire for $20 for when that red plumage starts to fall.

Posted by: tankdemon at November 08, 2025 02:15 PM (1dKwP)

9 As Daffy once said: Thanks for the sour persimmons.

Posted by: CaptainNed at November 08, 2025 02:16 PM (nADdg)

10 What a grand maple tree that is!

Posted by: Paco at November 08, 2025 02:17 PM (mADJX)

11 Afternoon all.
Saw that giant tree and all I could think of was what a huge job to pick up the leaves.🍁
The landscape people who take care of the planters on the terrace showed up this week and pulled out all the summer p,ants and put in the ubiquitous pansies. Climate is just mild enough that they stay all winter.
Me, I swept up the debris on my little terrace. Encore azalea almost ready for a picture.🌸

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at November 08, 2025 02:23 PM (t/2Uw)

12 There are 2 red maples along the property line out back-- on the neighbor's side of fence, but I get most of the leaves due to prevailing wind pattern.

There seems to be no such thing as an "energetic kid with a rake" anymore.

Posted by: JQ at November 08, 2025 02:28 PM (rdVOm)

13 6 Just came inside from raking leaves. We had gorgeous fall foliage here but it never lasts long enough. It seemed like we were in Peak Autumn Glory and then the leaves all fell at once.

Posted by: All Hail Eris,, coming to you live from the Roller Disco of Discord! at November 08, 2025 02:08 PM (kpS4V)

That's interesting. I have a lot of leafy trees, some Maples, and the leaves stay on forever. Which is annoying when you just want to be done with yardwork for awhile.

Posted by: Posted by: Stateless - VERY GRATEFUL, BLESSED, LOVED AND HAPPY! -- - New Life Creation - 18.1% at November 08, 2025 02:28 PM (Sco7b)

14 I have a medium sized Burr Oak in my front yard and my neighbors hate me. I can't help that the wind always blows the leaves into every other yard.

Posted by: lin-duh at November 08, 2025 02:30 PM (VCgbV)

15 There were persimmon trees in the San Jouquin Valley in CA. I can remember one that must have been 30' tall. It had lost all its leaves and just had persimmons on it, like Christmas ornaments. Beautiful tree. I ordered some dried persimmons. I think they may be the pumpkin type.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at November 08, 2025 02:30 PM (znHU2)

16 Wow- what a spectacular maple

Posted by: Huck Follywood at November 08, 2025 02:31 PM (jqPhM)

17 I immediately coveted the Elspeth daylily featured in June! KT, is it your email we should contact for a start? I'd be happy to pay up to $25, if that would cover shipping. Schreiner's Gardens has extracted a tidy sum from me!

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at November 08, 2025 02:34 PM (w6EFb)

18 Got screwed this year on the foliage display. Leaves started changing about a week and a half ago, and it was, unfortunately, accompanied by lots of wind, rain, and frost.

So, you had about fifteen minutes to view the wonderful colors last Thursday.

Posted by: Orson at November 08, 2025 02:35 PM (dIske)

19 Tow-behind yard sweeper, FTW!

There's no way I could rake this whole plot 'by hand' in one day.

Posted by: JQ at November 08, 2025 02:35 PM (rdVOm)

20 That's a great tree pic up top. Thanks for the thread, KT.

Posted by: scampydog at November 08, 2025 02:35 PM (GPaCv)

21 Persimmon - tasty or not?
Should I try it?

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 08, 2025 02:36 PM (OTdqV)

22 We had several ginkgo trees on campus and the buildings for humanities courses were old enough that the windows actually opened. (Gasp!) Some of the trees must have been female as the smell in springtime was pretty stiff. But they looked nice along the walkways.

Posted by: JTB at November 08, 2025 02:36 PM (yTvNw)

23
Just got back home from a nice motorcycle ride with Smash. The Fall colors in North Alabama are peaking the weekend and the mountains and rolling hills are beautiful.

We went to a covered bridge down in Blount county. Swan bridge.
https://is.gd/kz6ReM
Link goes to Tennessee River Valley GEO Tourism

Posted by: BifBewalski - at November 08, 2025 02:39 PM (QVmho)

24 21 Persimmon - tasty or not?
Should I try it?
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 08, 2025 02:36 PM (OTdqV)
________________________

There is no try. There is do. Depending on the the type of persimmon, they make a really nice accompaniment to various cheeses. The sweeter the better.

Posted by: Yoda at November 08, 2025 02:40 PM (dIske)

25 24 21 Persimmon - tasty or not?
Should I try it?
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 08, 2025 02:36 PM (OTdqV)

Persimmons are great.

I should have had more when I was in South Korea.

Posted by: Posted by: Stateless - VERY GRATEFUL, BLESSED, LOVED AND HAPPY! -- - New Life Creation - 18.1% at November 08, 2025 02:43 PM (Sco7b)

26 The last few winters in our area have been relatively mild: brief periods of serious cold temps and little snow or ice. This year all the predictions are for nastier than usual so I'm planning to garden indoors. I'm assembling the plants and materials for small terrariums and for succulent displays. I like the idea of growing plants in the house while outdoors is like a frozen hell. And it can be done on a table, no bending over.

Posted by: JTB at November 08, 2025 02:43 PM (yTvNw)

27 There hasn't been female Ginko tree intentionally planted in a hundred years (probably).
What happens, is that, in any given population, a percentage will become female. If frogs can change sexes, why not an ancient tree?
EVERY ginko sold by reputable nurseries are male clones.
At the Nelson Gallery in KCMo, they planted a hundred.
12 or 13 are now females.
The fruit is edible. Once you get it past your nose, it's...interesting. Like stinky French cheese interesting.
The seeds are ground and sold as Ginko biloba (the latin name), supposedly a memory aid.
One other tidbit, most trees will drop every leaf in a day or two, so they're thrifty.

Posted by: MkY at November 08, 2025 02:43 PM (q6tQZ)

28 OOps, forgot. Ginkos can live a thousand years in China. First ones planted here are still going after 140 some odd years.

Posted by: MkY at November 08, 2025 02:45 PM (q6tQZ)

29 Hello, Horde! 😊💕

Temperatures are supposed to fall a lot this evening, but daytime temperatures will pick up again after a couple of days. Typical for around these parts - we get months of blazing heat, followed by days of pleasant weather, then 1or 2 months of biting coolness.

It's why we finally just hired a lawn service - they do the work and we get to enjoy the results without much physical discomfort.

I used to enjoy gardening, but my body was starting to say, "Nah". We live close to downtown and don't have much of a yard to begin with. It seemed like every time I would finally get a patch of garden going, something on the house would need to be fixed, which meant all of my work would have to get ripped up.

We are going to have to get our fence relocated, but the upside of that is that I will finally get to replant the Duchesse de Brabant rose bushes that used to be there - yay! They were really pretty, and kept a lot of dust from getting into the house.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at November 08, 2025 02:47 PM (SRRAx)

30 Our neighbors (now long passed away, sadly) were from southern Indiana and still had family there. They came back from visits with bags of persimmons. The Mrs. made a pudding from them that was straight from heaven. She knew when they were right at the peak for use. My attempts to hit that sweet spot have been, at best, sporadic. Bummer, as when they are properly ripe, they are a real treat.

Posted by: JTB at November 08, 2025 02:50 PM (yTvNw)

31 Persimmons need a freeze to sweeten. They are really tasty, when they do.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at November 08, 2025 02:51 PM (znHU2)

32 Computer screen froze. Probably another win11 update coming in. To say they are working on the screen freezing issue.

Posted by: From about That Time at November 08, 2025 02:53 PM (RE0lB)

33 27 ... "The fruit is edible. Once you get it past your nose, it's...interesting. Like stinky French cheese interesting.
The seeds are ground and sold as Ginko biloba (the latin name), supposedly a memory aid."

I wonder if the memory part is that the smell makes you remember not to eat the stuff.

Posted by: JTB at November 08, 2025 02:54 PM (yTvNw)

34 Persimmons...
As kids, if we could get a newbie to try green ones, it was a special treat! Like alum. Mouth puckering doesn't come close.
I have 3 or 4 groves of persimmon, and evidently not a female in the bunch. I need to order some known females.
Persimmons will sucker from the roots, and make a grove.

Posted by: MkY at November 08, 2025 02:54 PM (q6tQZ)

35 I wonder if the memory part is that the smell makes you remember not to eat the stuff.
Posted by: JTB

Ha! I think the smell is that of a kennel, but I've gotten more than a few owners to try them by eating one in front of them.
My advice? Find a far eastern friend... they'll pick up all you got.

Posted by: MkY at November 08, 2025 02:57 PM (q6tQZ)

36 I have two Fuya persimmons , non-astringent variety. It's been too dry the last 2-3 years to have a good crop. The fruit that did make it are tiny and don't taste very good.

Posted by: lin-duh at November 08, 2025 02:58 PM (VCgbV)

37 From Boise area: lows 35-48F, highs 55-72. Some drizzle this week.

We don't use kids with rakes, since Husband and I are retired, and could use the exercise. For the compostable leaves, I rake them into rows, and Husband uses a sweeper-cart to pick them up and take them to the leaf cages, where they stay until I mix them with grass for compost. For the 4 large sycamores out front, whose leaves don't compost well, it's hand-raking, and stuffing them into leaf bags (got the first 10 bags done this week). Oak leaves get hand-raked, and burned on the corm patch.

We decided to try covering the asparagus bed with straw, to see if it will give us a better crop next year. We got the pea/bean fences taken down and put away. We took down the birdseed-sunflowers and put those in the spring burn pile. We put away the corn patch irrigation tubing. We've trapped 2 mice in the garage. We're still pressing apples for cider, and making hard cider.

Compostable leaves? 4 sweet gum, 1 crabapple, 1 linden, 3 Tatarian maples, "Eric" maple, southside maple, "Jupiter" the huge silver maple, and 2 new small maples we planted. The yard keeps us busy!

Posted by: Pat* at November 08, 2025 03:06 PM (1DrSh)

38 Pat* sounds like a lot of work but fulfilling.

Posted by: lin-duh at November 08, 2025 03:13 PM (VCgbV)

39 We've trapped 2 mice in the garage. We're still pressing apples for cider, and making hard cider.

Mice pressed into cider? Yuck.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at November 08, 2025 03:14 PM (WE5Gl)

40 Persimmons can be used in muffins and are quite tasty! The fruit needs to be very soft or it will be bitter. I've made orange/persimmon muffins by adding some orange zest and a bit of orange juice to the batter.

Posted by: The Pilot at November 08, 2025 03:18 PM (M+4Y9)

41 Miley - You are lucky to get the saffron threads. I've read that it's the most expensive of all spices. The flower is pretty too.

Posted by: The Pilot at November 08, 2025 03:20 PM (M+4Y9)

42 I have a table in front of the window in my dining room filled with house plants. My dog caught a lizard last week and now it is living somewhere in the plants.

Posted by: lin-duh at November 08, 2025 03:20 PM (VCgbV)

43 It's a shame, there's a black walnut tree upwind of all the others, so leaves are tainted with juglone. Cannot compost them at home.

Posted by: JQ at November 08, 2025 03:24 PM (rdVOm)

44 My neighbor planted a tree I was previously unfamiliar with. Acre rubrum 'October Glory'.

It rivals autumn blaze in fall color, but significantly, its color is a brilliant vermillion orange as opposed to the intense crimson of autumn blaze. It's also is more of a trilobed shape leaf, while autumn glory is a deeply cut five lobe.

It's just spectacular. I want one! 50' high at maturity and is suitable as a street tree.

Posted by: Derak at November 08, 2025 03:25 PM (Rj9Ws)

45 I need to downsize. There's no way I can continue to keep up this place on my own...

Posted by: JQ at November 08, 2025 03:25 PM (rdVOm)

46 Why is blonde weather girl on KTLA like late October?
Still hot!!

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at November 08, 2025 03:27 PM (WE5Gl)

47 Acer not acre. Autocucumber ftw.

Posted by: Derak at November 08, 2025 03:29 PM (Rj9Ws)

48 So I guess this won't be the garden gait thread...

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 08, 2025 03:29 PM (XQo4F)

49 45 I need to downsize. There's no way I can continue to keep up this place on my own...
Posted by: JQ

The junk hauling guys are here right this moment. It feels glorious.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 08, 2025 03:31 PM (XQo4F)

50 The junk hauling guys are here right this moment. It feels glorious.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty
------

Happy for you!

Posted by: JQ at November 08, 2025 03:32 PM (rdVOm)

51 I too have an Autumn Blaze out front.
Just starting to turn. I have four maples that turn and drop at different times. A Sunset, a Glory and a sumptin or another. The Blaze out does them all.

Posted by: kactus at November 08, 2025 03:32 PM (twS2i)

52 Spouse bought a handy gadget for our garden...
It's basically a weed whacker in a large hopper that you put fallen leaves in and it mulches them into a 55 gallon barrel shaped sack with a harness.

You can tote the lightweight sack around to all the garden beds to distribute the mulch. It's just dandy.

Posted by: Derak at November 08, 2025 03:32 PM (Rj9Ws)

53 41 Miley - You are lucky to get the saffron threads. I've read that it's the most expensive of all spices. The flower is pretty too.

Posted by: The Pilot at November 08, 2025 03:20 PM (M+4Y9)

Yes, I recall they would make saffron buns in Sweden at Christmas. Lussekatter "Lucy cats" because they look like curled cat tails. Served from St Lucia through Christmas. Most of the time people use turmeric because saffron is so expensive.

Takes a tablespoon of saffron threads, which need to be ground up with sugar and dissolved in alcohol. A real pain.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at November 08, 2025 03:40 PM (w6EFb)

54 Mice pressed into cider? Yuck.
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at November 08, 2025 03:14 PM (WE5Gl)

you are doing it wrong. Cider is cruel to the worms, but at least it is quick.

What is your equipment for grinding pressing? And what are you using to ferment the juice?

This is a Spanish cider pressing group that was started by locals watching shepherds throwing the apples into the river because the sheep would get into them and the cows would choke on them.

youtu.be/ncMwYxR5tII

Posted by: Kindltot at November 08, 2025 03:49 PM (rbvCR)

55 @Miley - 53: Now I'm going to have to look up Saffron Bun recipes!

Posted by: The Pilot at November 08, 2025 03:53 PM (M+4Y9)

56 According to Grok, I need 300-500 saffron threads to make lussekatter. 3 threads per flower.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at November 08, 2025 03:57 PM (w6EFb)

57 55 Here's a good recipe https://alwaysusebutter.com/

lussekatter-traditional-swedish-saffron-buns/

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at November 08, 2025 03:59 PM (w6EFb)

58 Husband and I first cut the apples into halves and remove any bug damage. We have a commercial "scratter" which shreds up the apples. We have a homemade press which presses out the cider. We usually store it in half-gallon jugs in the chest freezer until we want to make a batch of hard cider. Our usual cider mix is 2 parts Golden Delicious to 1 part probably-Jonathan/Jonagold (we don't know what tree #2 really is).

As far as the ferment, we have various sized carboys. If you want to know about the yeast and the adjuncts, I'd have to get Husband to add to the thread. Or, if KT thinks it'd be cool, we'll get photos of the setup and post next week.

Posted by: Pat* at November 08, 2025 04:12 PM (1DrSh)

59 High elevation in NE AZ. No Reds. Aspens and oaks, so we have shades from bright yellow to tan yellow, but nothing red. Maples can take the cold - single digit Fahrenheit is normal in winter - but can't take the aridness; months with zero rain and RH in the teens. Gums can withstand drought, but the cold gets them. Occasionally, I'll see some little ornamental in a yard that has some color, but rarely.
Don't rake leaves, everything around me is a evergreen, so cleaning needles is a spring/early summer task.
Mild weather so far, low 70s to mid 40's at night.
Done with vegetables, on to hunting.

Posted by: buddhaha at November 08, 2025 04:14 PM (C+UIq)

60 I have trees with red leaves in my yard. I think they are Mountain Ash. Most of what we have here are cottonwoods, mulberry and juniper.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at November 08, 2025 04:28 PM (znHU2)

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