Maggie's right, our fall colors have begun this past week. Monday when I was in town, the bank thermometer read 92*. That night we had 42* here at our place, and woke to frost in the hollows. It didn't seem to hurt the few flowers in bloom though.


Ray was out with his newest toy early this morning. It really gets some sharp pictures.

Here's the rest of the bloom - I know Maggie is partial to cleome. I'm going to try and print out a copy to hang on my wall. I'll see if my printer is up to the task.

Now that is amazing - At first glance, I thought the top pic was a huge Colchicum bloom because the photo definition belies its size! Oh so pretty MK. Good job Ray - great camera work.

The spiders are trying to take over my house and now I can't even get a picture in the garden without them showing up.



We have discovered that the new camera won't focus as sharply in natural light on an overcast day. Maybe we'll get some much needed rain yet?

How's the water levels in TX this late summer?

Ooops, when you learn all the bells and whistles of the new camera you do get sharp pictures on a cloudy day.



Ray says I just need to smack him up side the head to jar his memory now and then.

Well, I thought the first one looked pretty darn good - until I saw the 2nd one! Don't go knocking Ray's head too hard - and hey, they say this memory thing only gets worse in years to come, eek!
I am insane over that flower MK - my 3 favorite flower colors all on one. I used to grow one sim to it but it didn't have the yellow ring around that heavenly blue center like yours. Mine was an African Daisy (Arctotis) with silvery leaves. Delicious.

Mamakane: Now that we see what the new camera will do, which camera is it?

And what is the name of that lovely flower, please Mamakane? Annual or perennial??

Yoo hoo MK, did you miss this thread? See James' ? up there too. oxxox

I was delaying until I find out the camera's model. It is a sony though.

The flower's name? Several years ago, a gardening friend found some of the blue eyed daisies on a trip to her daughters. She brought back some blooms for me to see and I fell in love with them, blue being my favorite color. Since then I have searched for them - resulting in many different names. These were grown from seeds from the seed exchange and I don't even remember if I was given more of a name than blue eyed daisy. I hope to save some seeds though and would be glad to share. Maggie mentioned it is an African Daisy variety.

I'll find that camera model at a more reasonalbe hour I'm not really an earlybird.

I'll leave you guessing on this flower's name

taken with the new Sony DSC-F707

Goldenrod is some of the first fall colors here at the farm. It was a real bumper crop year for the goldenrod.

taken with the Sony Mavica - now MY camera

The trees are beginning to turn, especially on the high mountain roads like this one.

This was taken the 1st week of September, but the colors sort of came to a standstill for awhile. We're getting cooler nights again, and I can see the colors changing here at the farm.

Sorry for the un-needed prompting I should have known you wouldn't have missed one.

Well, I am only guessing at the possibility of your blue-eyed daisy being an Arctotis, not having seen the leaves and plant form. Was hoping you could confirm or not.

Your fiery bloom ,,, Okay,,, I'll bite - it is a marigold?

The composition of the other two pics - you have an artist's eye MK - but more challenging than constructing an excellent design by hand, you find it happening and capture it in fleeting real-time. I think that is the best dear deer pic yet.

I thought that very RED marigold would fool you. It's a Disco Red.

I dug out the envelope for the Blue-eyed Daisy. My trader has it labeled as "Arctotis stoechadifolia (A.venusta) Blue Eyed Daisy"

Here's my favorite deer pic Maggie. (I have it in wallpaper size too )

I thought I was posting it above. So now you get 2 pics.

Hurray!! it is an Arctotis! Gonna beg some seeds from you again
as if the wallpaper offer wasn't enough - yes please oxxoxo

MK, I too would love some seed from the arctotis. Maybe I could get them through Maggie if you send her some. Thanks in advance. New subject, but don't know how to set up the appropriate topic title; I just bought a foxtail fern just because....Now I need to be sure I'm correct in my assumption that it will survive a freeze and that it needs to be in shade. Please share your experience... Anybody?

Yes I'll save enough seed for all of us They're still blooming despite several heavy frosts. Aren't most arctotis tender annuals?

Sorry Barbara I don't know much about ferns. We have lots growing wild in our woods here. They carpet the floor under the trees. I think all ferns like shade and humus soil. I bet Maggie knows the details.

Thanks, MK., for the reply and the forthcoming seeds. Maggie must be really busy, but I'll wait to hear from her.

Busy? Skipped town, is the truth. Might have some interesting pics up soon, from a little get-away trip.

Yes, the Actotis are tender in these parts, but are perennial in their native Africa. Mine would survive light frosts but croak with the first good freeze. I used to start them from seed indoors in late winter, to get them blooming earlier than if I sowed them outdoors in spring. I would love to have them again this year MK and will pass some on to Barbara. xoxox
Am hoping to visit B's garden soon to share some pics of her lovely garden with yous.

Congrates Barbara on opening a new thread for the foxtail. Pretty soon you'll be pasting in new url page links for us

I took the camera to town with us on Friday. There was not as much overall color as I had hoped for.


This colorful view is just a few miles from our house. There is definitely more color closer to our house - higher elevation.

To get to town, we follow the valley for about 40 miles, sometimes wide and sometimes close to the mountain.


I don't know where all the cars came from. We often travel this section of road and never see more than 1 car at a time.

I always enjoy the mountains - they're colorful all seasons. Here they show their wonderful blues, taken from the road.

Pic #1, those distant trees look like a flower border
Pic #2, must have been rush hour !
Pic #3, pretty as a picture, as always

Closer to home.


How much color change do you get in Texas Maggie? How about England? Since I don't travel I depend on you all to educate me

Some years we get some beautiful tree color, some years not - depending on the powers that be. In the last two years that we have been sharing autumn pics on the forum,,, NC Tex seems to have been on the same cycle as your part of W. Virginia... we had great color in 2000 as you did and hardly any last year, like you again. Since your hills are starting to color up, I'm hoping it might mean we will have some soon too.

But if we don't, I'm looking forward to you sharing some of yours with us again xoxoxo

I was so lucky to have caught our Japanese gardens in full fall bloom during that colorful 2000. The day after I shot THIS Virtual Stroll set, a huge storm came up and blew them all away.
Funny thing is, I found out later that Southern Living magazine had come to town to shoot it - the day of the storm - missed the pic op but had already allotted space in the mag for the article and didn't have any pics for it - darn - wish I'd known earlier - might could have flogged them mine

Maggie, you have such colorful blooms still in your gardens. I depend on the fall colors for a bit of cheer before the grey winter. Although we do have the blue and purple mountain landscape all winter.

The leaves are dropping fast here at the house.

I didn't cut out the ugly utility pole this time, so now you can see what it's really like here.


I'm thankful for all our fall rain, the grass has greened up nicely for the sheep. Less hay to feed!

Maggie, please tell me where I can purchase the hardy tulips you mentioned in Saturday's Star Telegram article. Thanks, susie

That was a great article Maggie! Carolyn sends them to me. I'm not sure if I have the good drainage for the species, but I have stopped throwing my money away on the hybrids since I like flowers that return and multiply.

Thanks MK, wonderful to hear that from you. oxoxo
Your deer and sheep make the best yard art I've ever seen

Hi Susie,
I have found most of the kinds mentioned in that article at various local nurseries over the years, but not consistently or frequently. I have also ordered them from mail order catalogs that have landed in my mailbox, but can’t say exactly who is carrying them this year for sure. Best thing to do would be to type the word ‘order’ before each bulb name on the major search engines (such as: order Tulipa clusiana) and select a supplier from the dozens or hundreds that might pop up. There will probably be a lot of prices to chose from.

MK, this looks like something you and I would really love having. Since you do so well at starting seedlings in winter, I thought might like to consider this one. I usually don't have enuff time or space to a good job of it my little grnhouse shed.
Click on the top item, of this page for Heteropappus meyendorfii 'Blue Knoll'

Yes Maggie, I've put the "Blue Knoll" on my list, along with "Coreopsis Limerick Ruby" and numerous others. Can't wait for the new seed catalogs!

It's time to start the WV Winter thread - we've had snow. Here's the last of our fall color.



And one of our rare colorful sunrises. Yes we did have rain that day ". . . red morning, sailor take warning"

beautiful red morning sky. I sure wish I'd got a picture of last night's full moon! Did you maggie??

Oh oh ,,, I put an autumn sunset on the homepage this morning with the same fiery red as yours MK. But man, that one is solid red! spooky :-) Our leaves started turning last week and I have been taking pics,,, in hopes of posting them soon. knock wood.
I don't see the sun rises because our house is about midway on a west facing hill and is fenced on the eastern side with a 9 ft height But it is a great angle for the sunsets and autumn is the best time for them around here. I so look forward to them every year.

Yes I did see the big face last night Gail. Woke up in the wee hours when it looked like there was a street light on in the garden ! and was thinking between that bright lunar glow and the city lights, I would have not been able to see the asteroid shower the night/morning before, even if I had of gotten up before the roosters. A few years ago we drove out the country to watch a falling star show - took the girls, laid on hood of car with blankets. Twas wonderful.

I really wanted to see the meteor shower but had been up the night before til 12:30 extracting water from the downstairs (water heater busted) so setting the alarm for 4 a.m. didn't sound sooooo good. I love that kind of stuff too, maggie!

Oh well, maybe we'll catch it next time that comet comes by planet earth - in about 80 years. Let's make a pact to watch it together next time

Messing with an extractor at midnight doesn't sound like half as much fun as watching out of worldly wonders Hope all is under control today and damage minimal xoxo

damage minimal. they made a bigger mess with the putting it all back in place. lovely.

and in 80 years, maggie, it's a date.

your beautiful picturs made me glad.

thank you