Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Aug. 30

Hi Katy -
Hot weather; hot flowers! I took a walk around my neighborhood and was really struck by these torch lilies a/k/a "red hot pokers". They almost glow at dusk.
Cheers,
The Pilot

They look like they're ready to take off to somewhere!

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Congratulations to The Famous Pat* on winning so many ribbons at the fair!

To get that last 3rd place Floral Dept. ribbon into this photo, I had to put it sideways at the bottom. If I win more ribbons next year, I’ll have to send in 2 photos! (No, I don’t know why Floral Dept. ribbons are smaller than Agriculture Dept. ribbons.)

Next year, maybe you could make a fair ribbon blouse or something and enter it!

From May, update soon:

So, a few years ago, we had some very large mulberry trees cut down to about 6 feet tall. We use some of the wood to border raised garden beds, some we burned, and some we just left as habitat (and it quickly became overgrown with raspberries).
About a week ago, while getting the garden beds ready for planting, i saw a little face peering at me from the densest part of the thicket.
Over the next few days, we'd see two little pups come out and play in the garden around sunset, and various dead animals (including a female mallard and one of the neighbors' chickens) appear near the brush.
Last night, we saw at least 5 pups out and playing, and later follow the mom off to the neighbors' large acreage...no photos of it, sadly.
A few little flowers are starting on our pawpaw trees, so hopefully we'll get some fruit this year.
And, of course, more sneks on the walking trail (which had a recent controlled burn).
Also, some little parasitic eggs on a black cherry tree, and some weird fungus on some saplings in our woods.
Grimmy

Everything is not all sunshine and roses when you pioneer a new garden area. Interesting photos! Insect eggs are not always innocuous. The fox pups through the window are cute. Some wildlife is fun, if not always adding to productivity.

Sunflowers

Hi Katy -
I enjoy "all you can cut" sunflower gardens during the dog days of summer. One farm near me grows so many varieties of sunflowers, I'm not sure of all the names, but I think I cut "Mammoth", "Ring of Fire", and "Chianti". My arrangement was inspired by Van Gogh (of course!)
Cheers,
The Pilot

How glorious!

Reminder: This is a simple method to try to get paper wasps to leave your eaves. May take about 2 weeks.

Had a new wasp nest forming on the side of my house. Wife hung up a couple paper lunch bags. No more wasps. The best is still dead, a year later. It works.
— Sean Rowland (@rowlands_laws) August 25, 2025

Some people crochet elegant fake wasp's nests and hang them up instead.

Gardens of The Horde

Hi KT,
Thanks for all your weekend contributions to the blog.
Been a rainy year here and the crops are as good as I have ever seen. The corn in the background of the raised planter pic is about 8' tall. On July first it was less than 3'.
Beans and lettuce in scampywife's raised garden really went crazy last week. Also, some of her front yard flowers.
Have a great weekend,
scampydog

Great front porch and edible reports! The front yard flowers are spectacular! Thanks to you and scampywife!

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? Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Aug. 23

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this 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 01:24 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Good afternoon Greenthumbs and Putters

Posted by: Skip at August 30, 2025 01:33 PM (+qU29)

2 I am puttering, replacing the bathroom fan/ light, new is fastened, hook up duct and wires next, drywall patch then

Posted by: Skip at August 30, 2025 01:34 PM (+qU29)

3 Hola! Fellow garden geeks…. I’m insanely jealous of those poker planst and the hanging baskets. Kinda rainy and cool here today so I threw fertilizer on the lawn this morning and gotta get in the pond later to cut back the lilies and the water canna.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at August 30, 2025 01:38 PM (3Ope8)

4 I could be working, but a cigar and a coffee just arrived.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at August 30, 2025 01:52 PM (3Ope8)

5 I like the paper bag vs. wasp trick. Also read a story about an ant colony attack on a wasp nest where the writer played soviet martial music and saluted a pile of dead ants when it was over.

Posted by: KT at August 30, 2025 02:03 PM (7vIsy)

6 We planted several sunflowers this year, similar to the reddish ones shown here. They grew quickly and looked great, but quickly fell over. Not sure if it was the families of raccoons, the large groundhog, or the occasional powerful storms we've had, but one by one, they're mostly down.

The two that survived grew next to our swingset, and kind of braced against it, so I'm guessing wind?

Posted by: Moron Analyst at August 30, 2025 02:03 PM (ycI94)

7 Beautiful pictures!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at August 30, 2025 02:05 PM (omzh6)

8 SNEK!!!!!

Reeeeee!!!

*grabs shotgun*

Posted by: Diogenes at August 30, 2025 02:07 PM (2WIwB)

9 Driving to an errand yesterday morning in our residential street and all of a sudden a full grown doe walked out between two houses and across a lawn. I don't know where it came from but there it was, calm and not bothered as the car went by. Looking in the mirror after we passed I noticed it looked both ways before crossing the street. That makes it smarter than most pedestrians I see these days.

Posted by: JTB at August 30, 2025 02:08 PM (yTvNw)

10 Seems like sunflowers have stalks that are hollow and not particularly robust. I’ve never seen any sunflowers that aren’t yellow either. They are nice!

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at August 30, 2025 02:08 PM (3Ope8)

11 My Calle Lily has become a beautiful lush plant...but no blossoms this year.
Hmmm???

Posted by: Diogenes at August 30, 2025 02:09 PM (2WIwB)

12 My local hummingbirds are fueling up for the trip south. They'll drink non-stop from the feeder for like 2 minutes straight- that's pretty long in hummingbird time...

Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at August 30, 2025 02:15 PM (i49OE)

13 I like the torch lilies.

Posted by: tankdemon at August 30, 2025 02:16 PM (LQkZn)

14 Mowed the lawn.

Bourbon/Beer time.

Posted by: jsg at August 30, 2025 02:19 PM (7Kd+r)

15 12 My local hummingbirds are fueling up for the trip south. They'll drink non-stop from the feeder for like 2 minutes straight- that's pretty long in hummingbird time...
Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at August 30, 2025 02:15 PM (i49OE)

Yeah, they're swarming around here. It's like a fistfight but with wings.

Posted by: jsg at August 30, 2025 02:20 PM (7Kd+r)

16 Hola, greenies.

I'm about to head out to my community garden plot to pull out spent tomato plants. Our nights are getting cold.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 30, 2025 02:21 PM (kpS4V)

17 14 Mowed the lawn.

Bourbon/Beer time.
Posted by: jsg at August 30, 2025 02:19 PM (7Kd+r)

Also need Scotch.

Posted by: George Thorogood at August 30, 2025 02:26 PM (PiwSw)

18 Electrical wiring is not my Forte, actually I am bad at it. Took two attempts but didn't have the White wires tight enough. So tape everything and drywall patch, and that's the easy part

Posted by: Skip at August 30, 2025 02:28 PM (+qU29)

19 Electrical work isn't my thing either... but I've managed to replace a broken outlet and a bathroom light fixture.

Bonus: the house hasn't burned down! (yet?)

Posted by: JQ at August 30, 2025 02:40 PM (rdVOm)

20 Danger noodle!

Posted by: nurse ratched at August 30, 2025 02:41 PM (mT+6a)

21 Mowed the lawn.

Bourbon/Beer time.
Posted by: jsg at August 30, 2025 02:19 PM (7Kd+r)

Also need Scotch.
Posted by: George Thorogood at August 30, 2025 02:26 PM (PiwSw)

Add a cigar to be sure.

Posted by: Diogenes at August 30, 2025 02:42 PM (2WIwB)

22 Oh, and the breaker box is completely labelled-- you'd think that's a plus, right? LOL!

Nope. I think previous owner(s) either guessed, or changed a bunch of stuff and never updated the labels.

Posted by: JQ at August 30, 2025 02:45 PM (rdVOm)

23 Annas hummingbirds stay year round here on the beach. They are territorial little bastards and will defend “their” feeder like no one’s business. Lucy the Fink loves watching them. The hummers know she’s there, too. They fly right up to the window and taunt her.

Posted by: nurse ratched at August 30, 2025 02:48 PM (mT+6a)

24 Great photos this week!

We have a few of those redhot pokers in the garden bed between the back porch and the woods. At dusk, they positively glow. Gone now, of course.

Our corn was pathetic this year. Normally Publius lays rows with the tractor and then plants several hundred row feet. This year, his RA was pretty bad, so we tried an abbreviated patch in an area we hadn't planted before. It did not go well. Too late, too hot, too dry.

The garden in general suffered a lot this year. I've still got some okra.

The flowers were the big heroes of the summer. Last year we planted two potted impatiens in the (northern) shade of the porch, between the hostas. They clearly spit seeds all over the place, including the pebble border, because they've bloomed riotously all summer long in this shade. They've flopped over the edge of the concrete, and filled every available space for 30 ft. It's one of those things that if I'd planned it, I would have had limited success.

Volunteers FTW!

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at August 30, 2025 02:49 PM (w6EFb)

25 5 I like the paper bag vs. wasp trick. Also read a story about an ant colony attack on a wasp nest where the writer played soviet martial music and saluted a pile of dead ants when it was over.
Posted by: KT at August 30, 2025 02:03 PM (7vIsy)

And ice cream!

https://tinyurl.com/43zfmzsc

Posted by: m at August 30, 2025 02:57 PM (aURVT)

26 Looking in the mirror after we passed I noticed [the deer] looked both ways before crossing the street. That makes it smarter than most pedestrians I see these days.

Posted by: JTB at August 30, 2025 02:08 PM (yTvNw)

Try giving them smart phones. They'd kill us all.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at August 30, 2025 02:58 PM (w6EFb)

27 My local hummingbirds are fueling up for the trip south. They'll drink non-stop from the feeder for like 2 minutes straight- that's pretty long in hummingbird time...

Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at August 30, 2025 02:15 PM (i49OE)

Our have been very active and loud this year. I've never seen more than four at a time but it feels like more. We've got a small feeder on the front and back porch, and they really appreciate it.

I expect them to be around for at least another month. They were here until October 9 last year.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at August 30, 2025 03:03 PM (w6EFb)

28 Leaves are starting to fall, and it is now dark by 10:00 pm. Fall is in the air. I need to close out the greenhouse for the year, clean out the pots and sweep up the rest of the mess. Also, I am going to pull the rest of the carrots and pick the last beans, pull the dill heads and dry those, and harvest all the parsley and get that frozen. I would like to cut back the hascap bushes too, but that may wait until spring.

The outdoor lavender experiment failed. The plants did okay, but no blooms. Looks like I will be growing lavender in the greenhouse next year. Probably do a lot of herbs in the greenhouse. The sage does fine outside.

The potatoes can wait until frost. I bought a french fry cutter and will can french fries, which I can then do up in the air fryer. Last year we did hash browns in the freezer, but how many hash browns can you eat? Guess I need to put in a root cellar.

Posted by: tcn, Pickle Queen of Alaska at August 30, 2025 03:08 PM (1Gsou)

29 That photo of the three varieties of sunflowers is wonderful. I like sunflowers anyway with the contrast between the seed heads and leaves.

Posted by: JTB at August 30, 2025 03:15 PM (yTvNw)

30 Congratulations to The Famous Pat for all those ribbons. And I like the idea of a ribbon blouse.

Posted by: JTB at August 30, 2025 03:17 PM (yTvNw)

31 Most of the longer term forecasts for our area, including the OFA, are saying it will be an early and cooler autumn than usual. After the surface of the sun temps so much of this summer, that would be a nice relief.

Posted by: JTB at August 30, 2025 03:19 PM (yTvNw)

32 Those hanging flower pots are spectacular.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at August 30, 2025 03:26 PM (RIvkX)

33 I expect them to be around for at least another month. They were here until October 9 last year.
Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at August 30, 2025 03:03 PM (w6EFb)

I'm in Western NY, what region are you in?

Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at August 30, 2025 03:27 PM (i49OE)

34 Summer must have arrived because this is the second sunny day in a row. The hummingbirds have been enjoying our myrtle blossoms and the jencos arguing over the birdbath.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at August 30, 2025 03:29 PM (RIvkX)

35 Gotta dead bed the cannas next. Mushroom/cowpoo compost as a midsummer top dress seems to have worked well

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at August 30, 2025 03:29 PM (3Ope8)

36 I'm in Western NY, what region are you in?

Posted by: SSBN 656 (G) at August 30, 2025 03:27 PM (i49OE)

Upstate SC, but not in the mountains. We're in the heel of the boot-shaped Greenville County.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at August 30, 2025 03:31 PM (w6EFb)

37 1 coat of spackle on, guess go see the Pet thread

Posted by: Skip at August 30, 2025 03:34 PM (+qU29)

38 What are all the ribbons for famous Pat. Inquiring minds want to know... I tried to blow up the picture but I still couldn't tell.

Posted by: Weekreekfarmgirl at August 30, 2025 03:39 PM (4N+lN)

39 CrotchetyOldJarhead at August 30, 2025 02:08 PM

The species of sunflowers with hollow stems are susceptible to certain caterpillars, which can take down some of the plants.

Posted by: KT at August 30, 2025 03:42 PM (7vIsy)

40 I was talking to a girl at the farmers market this morning. She said everybody remarked about this year's growing season being "off".

Well, nothing in the plot but some flowers and hot peppers. Already planning next year's garden!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 30, 2025 04:00 PM (jk25b)

41 I took a walk around my neighborhood and was really struck by these torch lilies a/k/a "red hot pokers". They almost glow at dusk.

Triggering!!!

Posted by: Zombie King Edward II at August 30, 2025 04:01 PM (ycI94)

42 I love the photo of the little garter snake. I'm learning to like that species of "nope rope" as they control little garden pests, slugs, etc.

Posted by: The Pilot at August 30, 2025 04:13 PM (M+4Y9)

43 38 Weekreekfarmgirl, here's what all those ribbons were for (including the ones that didn't get anything). The info is on the white tags behind each one, not on the ribbons.

Agriculture Dept.: 1st for fingerling potatoes ‘La Ratte’ (plus a Reggie’s Veggies “Best Potato” award!), Carrots/other color (‘Yellowstone’

, rosemary, English thyme, Other herb displayable in water (catnip!), Largest Carrot (‘Yellowstone’ 1.16# - had an extra “Largest” ribbon on it, as the best Largest Whatever item of the year)
2nd for gold cherry tomatoes, basil, spearmint, curled parsley, oregano
3rd for Other berry (chokecherry)
4th for Novelty vegetable naturally grown (orange 7-tailed carrot)
zero for gold cherry tomato cluster, lavender, common sage, Collection of 5 herbs, Orange carrots under 6 inches

Flowers Dept.: 1st for nasturtium, lavender, catnip, thyme, dwarf bicolor marigold
2nd for rosemary
3rd for Collection of 5 herbs
zero for Other annual flower (borage), basil, oregano, Other herb (non-variegated common sage)

Notice that catnip, which grows wild in my yard, got "double gold"!
(post 1)

Posted by: Pat* at August 30, 2025 09:39 PM (uZijM)

44 From Boise area: Lows 61-72 F, highs 75-93. First serious band of fall rain, Tues. night/Wed. morning.

Other than picking up Fair ribbons and gloating, we're harvesting a few strawberries and red raspberries, occasional lavender buds, tons of green beans (having an issue with bean rust that may kill 1/3 the plants), and 3 types of tomatoes. Cantaloupes this year are a complete bust - 'Sugar Rush F1' rotted before ripening - we'll pull the plants this week. We'll probably go back to 'Hale's Best Jumbo' which has done all right for us previously.

I went through my onion crop, put the best ones in a single layer in boxes in the garage, and am keeping the questionable ones indoors to watch for issues. I trimmed back my sage and spearmint - the latter still needs more trimming, but we hope to make mint syrup sometime soon, so I saved some for that.

Next week is a Project Appleseed event so I may be posting late Sat., or not at all...
(post 2/end)

Posted by: Pat* at August 30, 2025 09:59 PM (uZijM)

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