Fall 2011 update

It's a beautiful fall day in Sacramento!  We've been lucky enough to have little rain and winds so far so a lot of the leaves are still on the tree's.  The result: one of the best displays of fall color that I've seen in our neighborhood since we moved here!

The dried artichokes have become a soggy mess after a slight drizzle this afternoon.

The artichoke plants that I cut to the ground just a month ago? Yep, they are already huge again.  This is partially because I was supposed to split them up and haven't gotten around to it.  The other reason?  Well, this is just what they do.  They are thistles, after all.

Tis' the season for 'shrooms. We've removed about 30-something trees since we moved in to this house, and the roots are slowly deteriorating.  That deterioration causes mushrooms, which are a sign of the pre-existing tree decomposing. 



Fall can be MESSY.  If not for leaves, then for cones. Just ask my front walkway.

And some plants keep blooming, despite the cold weather, like the hollyhock pictured above.

And the straw flowers are still going too, yet the blooms are much smaller than they were in the beginning of summer.  Keep them in mind as a long blooming plant for your garden.  You can dry the blooms and bring them indoors in flower arrangements if you want to extend their fun even further.

Enjoy the many colors that nature has to offer.