10/03/2022 – Around Colehaus

Welcome October, the first full month of autumn and home of the seemingly never-ending question of “Why is it still hot outside?” Inside, we tend to make it seem cool outside and cozy inside by filling the air with the scents of nutmeg, cardamom, and pumpkin spice. In the fall, we add all kinds of extra ingredients to our plain, basic pumpkin loaf recipe – Walnuts, molasses, golden raisins or chopped dates, slow-cook oatmeal, ground cloves, and extra vanilla flavoring. This is fall weather food!

Outside, one of our last flowering plants are the “dwarf” crepe myrtles. We put “dwarf” in quotes because they are much bigger than was promised. Good thing all turned out well, space-wise. Even so, we do cut them back a few feet every winter and working alongside the nearby hollies, they all create a good hedge. We love these and so do winter nesting birds.

The summer daisy patch is almost done for the year. We had good success using a round trellis this year, instead of letting them flop over and lay on the ground. Luckily, Mom found a sturdy black plastic trellis online that worked beautifully. Who knew wood trellis’ were so expensive?

Son of Joe the frog probably knew. But if he did, he kept that information to himself.

It’s a bee party on the autumn sedum! They love this plant!

Oddly enough, the bees don’t seem to care a whit about the Liriope grass blooms. The Echinacea flower was heavily visited all summer long and this fall, our goldfinches, Junco, and pine siskins will feast on the seeds. Someday, we and undoubtedly the birds, will hope we get more than just one or two flowers in a season.

Our annual Star Jasmine that’s been growing for the past four years (Doesn’t know it’s an annual in our area. Hello micro-climate!) almost took over our old spring-flowering, orange Exbury Azalea bush, making them both look very messy all summer. We love both plants and can’t bear to take one or the other out. We know the jasmine has a shorter lifespan, though, so we’re okay with the two getting along for now.

The flame-red crocosmia flowers are done for the year, leaving seed/bulb-lets swaying in the autumn breeze. The hummingbirds are unhappy about this.

But not too unhappy to visit a nearby pot of red salvia! These blooms are perfectly sized for hummingbird beaks!

I know something else perfectly sized for hummingbird beaks. And the whole hummingbird, too. ME!

Nope. That is reason number 912 why you are an indoor-only cat, Quint.

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A Colehaus Cats flashback:

2021 – No post
2020 – No post
2019 – No post
2018 – ManCat Monday. Sort of.
2017 – No post
2016 – No post
2015 – No post
2014 – (Almost) Wordless Wednesday
2013 – Ruby Tuesday
2012 – ManCat Monday – Maxx in Autumn