"Echoes of Eden" Dayle King Searle

     I know it's too late to grow pumpkins for Halloween this year, but now is the time of year we think about them, so here are a few tips on growing good pumpkins for Jack-o-lanterns. Keep them in mind for your garden next year. 1.  Pick the right seed      Some varieties of pumpkins are better for cooking. They tend to be smaller with thicker flesh. Other varieties are better for carving. They tend to be larger with thinner flesh. Not that you can't cook a carving pumpkin or carve a cooking pumpkin, it's just that choosing the right variety makes what you intend to do with the pumpkin easier. Read the seed packages to determine what kind of pumpkin it is. 2.  Plant in the right spot      Pumpkins like a lot of sun and plenty of room. I plant mine next to the corn. The pumpkin vines are able to spread through the corn. An added benefit is that critters like raccoons and skunks don't like walking on the prickly stems of pumpkins, so they stay out of my corn.

       If a poll of "favorite autumn plants" was taken in southeast Idaho, I have no doubt dwarf burning bush ( Euonymus alatus 'Compactus') would win hands down. It doesn't just get red in the fall, it gets fire engine red. That is, it gets fire engine red MOST of the time. But what about when it doesn't? Who wants a burning bush that doesn't burn?                 Look on line, and most sites will tell you that if a burning bush doesn't get red it probably isn't getting enough sunlight. In most places this might be true. But here in southeast Idaho we are at a high altitude with a thin atmosphere and very intense sunlight. I have seen burning bushes growing on the north side of buildings in about as shady of circumstances you can find, and they are still bright red in the fall. So what else could be the problem?      As I was driving around the other day I noticed a row of burning bushes that seemed to be struggling to turn

Amur maples ( Acer ginnala ) produce a vibrant autumnal display with orange, yellow, and red leaves all on the same tree.   These trees are small, only reaching 15 to 20 feet in height. They are often grown as multi-stemmed trees and can become shrubby if not pruned regularly to maintain their tree form. But it is well worth the effort, because doing so shows off the twisting branches which give the tree a picturesque form.

               Plants are my favorite part of a garden, but coming in a close second is garden art. A bird bath nestled in a shrub bed or a figurine peeking above perennial flowers can act as a focal point or accent that makes the composition feel more complete.         Good quality garden art--pieces made from materials that will weather well--can be pricey, but in autumn stores are looking to clear out seasonal merchandise, so garden art can be purchased at a considerable discount this time of year. On the downside, the selection will be limited. Still it's worth looking. You never know when you'll come across a piece that will speak to your heart and make you smile every time you see it in your own flower bed. 

           We don't usually think of grass as "blooming", but the heads on grass are their flowers. Ornamental grasses are at their peak in late summer and early autumn. And if not cut back, they can continue on adding interest to the landscape into winter.          Feather Reed Grass ( Calamagrostis  x acutiflora) comes in multiple varieties. Some have variegated foliage and some reach 5 feet in height. What they all have in common is that they bloom early. This makes them ideal for areas like southeast Idaho that have a short growing season. The flowers are what give most grasses their ornamental interest, and having an early bloom time ensures that these grasses will bloom in a short growing season.