Lately I’ve been sowing more cover crops, collecting and cleaning seeds and updating the garden’s plant inventory and the index for our international seed exchange program, spreading compost and wood chips, and reflecting on the changing seasons. It’s impossible to miss the circular nature of life and the seasons and the moon and stars above when you work in a garden and pay attention. I try to pay more attention every year, but there is so much to see and so much I’m blind to. I’m suddenly noticing the wide variety of spiders in the garden. I keep walking through their webs which seem to be everywhere at the moment. I will do a blog post on garden spiders but not right now. Instead, here are some pictures of fall colors, before the winds blow them all away.
Acer saccharum (sugar maple) north of section B. It’s too big for its location and it shades my olive trees, but it is a spectacular tree when its leaves turn color. And without sugar maples, we wouldn’t have maple syrup for our pancakes and waffles. Think about that…
Lindera benzoin (spicebush) north of Cascara Circle. Make a refreshing tea from the leaves and twigs. The bright red fruit can be dried and then, as needed, ground up for spice. It is often described as a substitute for allspice but it has a distinctive taste that will likely stump your dinner guests. The fruit also make a great autumn trail nibble, used as you would wintergreen berries (Gaultheria procumbens), something to chew on while you stroll.
Ginkgo biloba (bai guo ye) section C border. It looks like the Chemistry Building is falling over in this shot but I just checked and, never fear, it still stands.
Mespilus germanica (medlar) woods north of Cascara Circle. An underappreciated relative of apples and pears, much more popular in Europe, the medlar is eaten when soft. You squeeze the pulp, which looks and tastes like spiced applesauce, into your mouth. The trees stay fairly small. Maybe you should plant one in your yard.
Zanthoxyllum simulans (hua jiao, Sichuan pepper) This one, covered with fruit right now, is at the Edible Bus Stop, adjacent to section B of the garden. The shrubs are spiny members of the citrus family, the Rutaceae, and the fruit husk, one of the ingredients in 5 spice powder, make your mouth tingle.
Bletilla striata (bai ji) border areas and section F. It’s been called the easiest orchid to grow. And the autumn foliage and seed pods hold their own in the borders.
Aronia melanocarpa (black chokeberry) in border areas all around the garden. The berries are alleged to be a ‘super food’ and
the leaves offer brilliant autumn foliage. I’ve planted a lot of them in the borders.
Lycium chinense (gou qi zi, goji berry)
section C. Good for what ails you, the fresh goji berries taste like a cross between a sweet pepper and a tomato.
Aconitum carmichaelii (monk’s hood, fu zi) section F.
Yes, it’s flowering in November. The days have been warm enough for some pollinators to keep making their rounds, but not for long.
Smilax rotundifolia (common greenbrier) section B. I picked the seeds to grow these plants on Cape Cod,in a marsh, on one of the last walks I took with my dear old dad.
Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud) woods north of Cascara Circle. It’s a bit ghostly at this time of year.
Opuntia humifusa (eastern prickly pear) xeriscape bed.
Yes, that is a small prickly pear fruit sticking out of the cactus pad.
When the nearby Opuntia engelmannii get a bit bigger, they should produce significantly larger fruit.
Vaccinium spp. (blueberries) border west of Cascara Circle. No garden should be without blueberries. Mmmm…..blueberries!
Tricholoma magnivelare (Americn matsutake) This is the taste of autumn in the Pacific Northwest. It is also medicinal and this is the largest matsutake button I’ve ever collected.
pale matsutake
spicy whiff of autumn woods
pine mushroom fragrance
See you in the garden.
hmmmmm We’ve got a grill just waiting for that matsutake!!!!!!
Keith, thank you for a wonderful blog post, the photos are amazing and I love your commentary. That matsutake, whowza!!!!