fall weather

Nights have started to get cooler. I've started mulching the garden with leaf compost, and clearing out the weeds. They're numerous but small, didn't crop up until end of the season- that's how long the bamboo leaf mulch kept them down.

Pulled the rest of my carrots, there's a few beets left. Cut down most of the cosmos- two are still flowering a little.

I need to eat- or cut and store in the fridge- my green onions, they made a nice thick stand in the middle of my herb bed and I hate to waste all that goodness but don't cook recipes with them that often.

I've cut back some of the sage. Rue is doing fantastic- need to learn how to propagate that plant. Especially if its the one keeping rabbits away- I see them in the back yard near the fence but never so far up as the garden- either it's my cat's presence, or the rue, marigolds and 'scat plant' in my garden...

The chill last night withered some of my coleus. The pink 'watermelon' one in a pot was just done for, I composted it, glad I've already got cuttings established in the house. 'Gay delight' its tops withered but not badly, I cut it back and brought inside in case I can keep it going as a 'stump'. The 'kiwi fern' coleus under the deck is still fine (must be more protected there) and the ones in front of the house are just starting to look poorly but not hard hit yet.

Those in the back perennial bed their tops withered and I cut off the tops of stems with blackened leaf edges.

'Scat plant' cutting I added to the rear side of this back bed are doing pretty well. I'm gong to heap them high with mulch and see if they make it through winter. Can't stand the smell of the plant in the house, I've already learned!

Indoors, my scented geranium has died. It was looking bad with yellowing, dropping foliage and I thought I was overwatering it. So I held back for a while but now it dried up too much and looks done for. Disappointed- I did like that plant but it never did well since I brought it indoors. Must look for another specimen in spring.