Fresh Cut Flowers |

I spent last night with a 43 year old friend that just survived a massive heart attack! Things like this kind of stop me in my tracks and make me re-evaluate the important things in life. While I am definitely going to do some gardening this weekend, I think I will spend a lot more time than usual smelling the flowers! Our weather woman told me that this is going to be a great weekend to be outside. With highs in the low 80s it will be a great time to do some of the more labor intensive tasks that you have been putting off. Below are some of the things you can do in your garden this weekend.

Fava beans are a cool season crop that can be planted from now until around Thanksgiving.

VEGETABLES

Start preparing for spring – Traditional gardeners can plant all year round with little preparation. By applying commercial fertilizers they can give their plants whatever food they need whenever they need it. Organic gardeners don’t have it so easy. Rich organic soil takes time to build. I generally leave a few rows unplanted in the fall garden. I add compost and till it in just like usual, but I do not plant in it. Instead I cover with leaves and a heavy layer of mulch. The leaves attract the earth worms which will begin to turn the compost into a nutrient dense soil that will feed my spring garden.
Plant fava beans from seed –. One of my four son-in-laws is an Egyptian (and a very good gardener). A big part of his food culture includes fava beans. I had never eaten or grown a fava bean before he joined our family. Now they are one of my favorite things to grow. This is a good weekend to plant them. You can plant them now until about Thanksgiving to ensure a long harvest. Click here to read an article I did on them a few years ago: Succession Planting of Fava (Broad Beans) in the Potager.

Last week, Sally and I made this arrangement for her mother.

ORNAMENTALS

Enjoy those flowers – One of my favorite things about gardening is making cut flower arrangements. Sally and I grow lots of flowers and herbs that we use in arrangements for our house, our guest house and for friends. Cut flowers early in the morning and drop them immediately into cool water. To extend the time you get to enjoy your arrangements keep them away from windows and gas stoves
Mulch – While tough summer weeds like Bermuda, spurge and purslane are slowing down, fall broadleaves like pigweed are coming on. Give your beds a good weeding and then mulch, mulch, mulch! Mulch will suppress weed germination. Plus, a good thick layer of mulch will insulate the roots of your perennials and ensure they come back for you in the spring .

Right now my lycoris are stunninging. This lovely shot is of L. radiate and L. aurea.

Lawns

Plant rye grass now – September 15 used to be the date that landscapers put out rye grass. Thanks to climate change that date is no longer accurate. Plant rye grass when day time temperatures are in the 70s to low 80s and night time temperatures are 20 degrees cooler. For very detailed instructions on how to properly over seed with rye, check out my article entitled “Doing Rye Grass Right”.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

This past Friday, two very pleasant things occurred at the Yupneck’s house; an unexpected visit from my youngest daughter and the first formal dinner party hosted in our newly remodeled farmhouse (celebrating the “almost end” of a five year remodeling project). While visits from the kids are always welcomed, it is those rare, unexpected drop ins that I love the most. Whitney is a senior at North Texas University. She is also a very talented floral designer. While there, she found out that we were hosting the renowned Master of Horticulture, Dr. William C. Welch (Bill) and his lovely wife Lucille. She asked if she could make us some arrangements from the garden for the dinner. Of course I said a most enthusiastic YES!!!!!

Whitney grabbed some shears and left the house for about 20 minutes. When she returned, she had a large bundle of flowers and foliage from just about every plant on my property. It was a joy to watch her sort, strip and prepare these cuttings for arrangement. What happened over the next fifteen minutes was truly amazing. In less time than it takes me to brush my teeth, she created three incredibly lovely arrangements that I felt I had to share.

Arrangement for the yupneck's table. Made with things from my gardens by my lovely and talented daughter.

The first was a large arrangement that she made for the center of the table. If you look closely, you will see hollyhocks, love-lies-bleeding, salvia, dried yarrow, coral honeysuckle and PURPLE HULL PEAS! Who puts peas in a floral arrangement? A young Master of Horticulture, that’s who. This arrangement was stunning! I wish my camera skills did it justice.

Close up of the table arrangement. Notice the use of purple hull peas and coral honeysuckle.

Next, she made a small arrangement for the bath. This arrangement was built in a small water pitcher. She incorporated tatume’ squash, zinnias, love-lies-bleeding and southern wax myrtle foliage.

Lovely arrangement using zinnias, amaranth and a tatume' squash.

Finally, she turned a vintage Mary planter into another stunning arrangement. Here she used zinnias, salvia, wax myrtle foliage and iris leaves for effect. Beautiful!

A vintage Mary planter featuring zinnias and salvia.

Whitney’s arrangements were the cherry on the top of the truly fabulous meal that my lovely wife prepared for the Welch’s. Mrs. Yupneck created a carmalized onion and goat cheese appetizer, steak with bearnaise suace, stuffed summer squash and a tomato and balsalmic salad. This was washed down with a lovely red brought by the guests and finished with a decadant “mudslide” dessert. The evening was perfect. My wife and daughter’s combined skills came together to create a dinner that was memorable for all.

The yupneck with his very talented floral designer daughter and his equally lovely and talented culinary wife.

P.S. My daughter is a very talented floral designer. She has started her own business in the DFW/Denton area. She will be more than happy to give you a bid on events of any size. To see more of her work you can check her out at Arbor Floral.

P.S.S. Since the dinner was to celebrate the almost completion of our FIVE YEAR LONG remodeling project here is a picture of the entryway.