Holiday open house

We are holding our Christmas Open House on Nov.28, 29, and 30 from 9:00 to 4:00.
Back again this year we will have our fresh holly and boxwood wreaths and also holly berries by the stem for your decorating needs.
Of course, artisan Kathy Bobst will have her painted Father Christmas decorations, Sue Belli will be here with her very popular knitted hats, scarves, dishcloths, towels and ornaments. Peg Burk is bringing her soft sculpture snowmen and ornaments--all very reasonably priced!
Also available will be a large asst. of dried flowers, wreaths, candles, statuary(which make great gifts for the gardener), ornaments, and more----
Going on at the same time, you will be able to visit numerous other shops by following the map available on santassleighride.com.
Be sure to mention you read about this on my blog when you stop by.

Frost

We finally got our first frost on Oct. 18. Interestingly enough we actually got several inches of snow before we got our first freeze! I have been putting away the perennials for the winter--we trim them back and let them freeze. They need at least 6 weeks of dormancy to perform well next season. Now the begonias and canna lilies have been frosted, I can start taking up my bulbs and drying them for another year. Next up--get ready for the holiday season!!

Bats

It's the time of year when we start to see bats used for Holloween decorations. These misunderstood mammals are very beneficial . In the U.S., most bats are insect eaters. The little brown bat consumes an average of 600 insects an hour. They feed several times a night. That's a lot of bugs that won't be bugging you!!!

Craft shows

If you live near Remsen, N.Y., the barn fest is this weekend-Sept 26 and 27. It's a good show with juried artisans. The Canton Apple n Cheese festival is the following weekend, also a good show with juried artisans. Stop by and introduce your self! Susan will be tending shop for me.

It's that time of year when we think about cleaning up our gardens. Remember--do not cut back the lavender. It will surely winter kill, wait until spring and trim it back to where the green is coming back.

Fall blossoms

Are you looking for something that blossoms in September-October other than rudbeckia?
Try some of these: Aconitum, anemone, asters, chelone, Sweet Autumn clematis, eupatorium, helianthus, hibiscus, and trycirtus. All are hardy and easy to grow!

Moonlight garden

Here are some ideas for a moonlight herb garden. Artemesia, shasta daisy, baby's breath, russian sage, white rose, cerastium tomentosa, lavender cotton, lamb's ear, horehound, white phlox, boltonia, lychnis coronaria, white columbine, and wormwood.

More on natural repellents

Lavender and mints are ready now for harvesting. Lavender makes a great sachet for your drawers and linens. Just dry your lavender(you can even dry some mint and rosemary to go with it) and make little sachets for you drawers. It makes things smell good and even repels moths.

Did you know mice hate the smell of peppermint? Dry peppermint and lay the stems on your attic floor to repel these creatures or use peppermint oil on cotton balls to keep mice out of you camper or attic or anywhere you see mice travel. They are like ants and like to use the same trail.