The weather was again quite nice today with a mix of sun and clouds.  Considering how bad the weather can be in October in terms of temperatures and precipitation, we’ve been lucky to have such a nice sequence of mild days in which to take advantage of out in the gardens.  Our staff and volunteers certainly did just that.  It was nice to see visitors continuing to enjoy the gardens as they head in to some significant fall color.

Big John had some watering and hauling duties today but spent the bulk of his time on HLS work in front of the Parker Education Center.  Cindy also watered and continues with her purge in the Hummingbird Haven theme in the Nancy Yahr Memorial Children’s Garden.  Janice continued with her decorating efforts for the HLS, worked with the Chestnut House volunteers and had myriad other tasks.  Larry O. had various duties which included a strong focus on starting the set-up for our HLS arches throughout the gardens.  Larry H. continued putting lights on trees throughout the shade garden.  I was able to run more cords and bounce between a couple of other projects.

‘Royal Flush’ monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii) – perennial

‘Blazin’ Rose’ bloodleaf (Iresine hybrida) will look nice until frost – annual

fall color on ‘Popcorn’ doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum f. plicatum) – woody shrub

fall color on Shantung maple (Acer truncatum) – woody tree

ornamental bark of the ‘Hallelujah’ lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia) – woody tree

Our talented and dedicated volunteers did an excellent job today.  The convoy above includes Myrt (front left) and Gena in the first cart and Dr. McCoy (back left) and Mary in the second cart.  Patti was off camera doing most of the work as this foursome hauled back more debris from the entrance garden.  Kathy and Eva processed some new LED lights this morning for the Holiday Light Show (HLS) and moved on to clearing plants in the woodland walk garden.  Marv B. tidied up both of his moss areas and Peg was in to work on labels and plant records.  The Chestnut House volunteers did an excellent job of “purging” plants today and their activities can be seen below.

the Chestnut House volunteers (above and below) did a great job removing annuals and tidying up today!

Victoria (above)

our Chestnut House volunteers above

‘Single Apricot’ perennial mum (Chrysanthemum x rubellum) with a buddy – perennial

‘Honorine Jobert’ Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrida) – perennial

‘Moonshine’ lungwort (Pulmonaria sp.) – perennial

interesting fall color on ‘Golden Gift’ magnolia (Magnolia hybrida) – woody tree

fall color on striped maple (Acer pensylvanicum) – woody tree

dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) doesn’t mind the cold  – annual

Mystic Dreamer dahlia (Dahlia hybrida ‘Zone 10’) – annual

‘Circus’ coral bells (Heuchera) – perennial

Today was another gift of warm weather and sunshine.  Nice shot above featuring the fall color of a Himalayan birch (Betula utilis) in the shade garden this morning.  The temperature was close to 80 degrees F today which might make this the hottest day left in 2016!  All of our grounds staff and volunteers took advantage of nice weather to head out in the gardens for continued plant removals, tidying and preparations for the Holiday Light Show (HLS).  We saw a lot of kids out in the gardens today for the youth education program which is facilitated by our excellent volunteers.  We did also see some visitors today enjoying the mild weather and intense fall coloration out in the gardens.

Big John and Bobby K. continued their tandem progress on the HLS set-up.  The guys put up lights in many locations including the arched bridge, reception garden, etc.  Larry H. watered containers then spent the day putting up more lights near the gazebo.  Cindy helped removed plant material in multiple locations and had some watering duties as well.  I got out in the gardens for a good half day of running extension cords for the HLS.  Colder weather and more fall clean-up will continue to open up more garden areas for decoration.

many of our mums are at peak – here in the sunken garden

the holiday season has truly arrived when our Santa’s village houses are ready for placement

fall color on shagbark hickory (Carya ovata) – woody tree

I love this classic view through the gazebo to the arched bridge!

‘Blazin’ Rose’ bloodleaf (Iresine hybrida) with ‘Golden Dreams’ coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) – annuals

‘Aureola’ Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra) – perennial

Above is Bobby K. on the U.S.S Ginger.  Bob is making his way past the Russo Family Fountain to the arched bridge to help John with some lights set-up.  Our staff was very productive today as were our volunteers.  Kathy and Eva did a great job picking up a huge pile of debris from yesterday and then moved on to clearing plants from two different areas.  Vicki and Steve also did quite a bit of clearing as did Mary and Roy (see below).  Bill O. did his mowing rounds while Dr. Gredler collected leaves and aerated at the same time.  Alan was in this afternoon for removals and our top notch education volunteers did an excellent job as usual.  I saw Barb, Laura and Renee but am sure there were others too!  Nancy continued with a big painting project and Julie G. and her son Jacob helped count and sort bulbs for our Volunteer Work Day this Saturday, October 22nd (8 am until 12 noon, bulb planting!).  We also Mary Kay and many others as well!

Dr. Gredler

Roy and Mary (above)

our education programs today (above and below)

Kathy (left) and Eva

fall color on ‘Autumn Purple’ white ash (Fraxinus americana) – woody tree – this one is treated against Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)

the mums are at peak out in the gardens

‘Thunderbolt’ plantain lily (Hosta) – perennial

fall color on bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) – perennial

fruits of American cranberrybush viburnum (Viburnum trilobum) – woody shrub

fall color on bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) – woody shrub

the kale (Brassica oleracea) is getting some nice coloration – annual

fall color on ‘Whitespire Senior’ grey birch (Betula populifolia) – woody tree

yellow fumitory (Corydalis lutea) going on seven months of bloom (since April!) – perennial

fall color on ‘Mr. Sun’ fullmoon maple (Acer shirasawanum) – woody tree

October has decided to provide another warm spell this week and we all enjoyed the mild 77 degrees F it was today!  The week will turn colder as it progresses but we have another couple of nice days on the way.  Our efforts out in the gardens today, by both staff and volunteers, were significant as we’ll certainly take advantage of this weather while it lasts.  I was distracted (no surprise) by some nice fall color throughout the gardens.  Above is the black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica) heading in to some great coloration which will include some very deep reds shortly.  The rain we had Saturday night was most welcome and should keep the gardens damp this week.  We still are maintaining some annual beds and our containers although it’s only a waiting game now until hard frost plunges us closer to winter weather and more garden “purging.”

Larry O. worked on some Holiday Light Show (HLS) related tasks as well as plenty of watering and other duties.  Big John and Bobby K. spent the day putting up lights in a wide range of locations for the HLS.  Larry H. (seen below) also was very involved with HLS work, particularly placing lights in trees.  Cindy started putting out our half gallon milk jug luminaries for the HLS and had a wide range of gardening tasks as well.  I ran a couple thousand feet of cords and have to really sink my teeth in to this task so I’m not the “weak link” in all of this HLS set-up!

interesting fall color on this sumac (Rhus sp.) – woody shrub

nice vignette across the pond to the Russo Family Fountain and observation pier

swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor) with some Autumn color – woody tree

the Japanese garden (above and below) looked spectacular today!

Larry H. (above) getting some lights on a tricolor European beech (Fagus sylvatica ‘Roseo-Marginata’)

Our volunteers worked on a wide range of projects today.  Above are Jim (left) and Dave disassembling some of the gazebo railings for repairs this winter.  The guys worked on a wide range of carpentry projects.  Alan, Shirley H., Kathy and Eva all worked on plant removals while Ron R. and Bob K. did some serious leaf collection.  Marcia and Mirjam (seen directly below) did a nice job tidying up the English cottage garden.  Dr. Gredler and Rollie did their mowing rounds and Bill O. was in for some projects. Dave E. started removing elements of the Giant Aquarium for storage until their use next year.   Maury ran errands while Dick H. made multiple trips to the dump.  Mary Kay was in to organize some new donations for the reference library and we also saw Gary S., Steve J. and many others today.  Dick P. made a road trip to pick up some memorial bricks as well.

Marcia (left) and Mirjam (above) taking care of business in the English cottage garden today

Shirley H. amongst the Mexican sunflowers (Tithonia rotundifolia ‘Torch’)

Alan M. (above)

‘Tidal Wave’ weeping Katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) – woody small tree

vivid October blooms on ‘Golden Delicious’ pineapple sage (Salvia elegans) – annual

fall color on golden larch (Pseudolarix amabilis) – deciduous conifer

vivid fall color of the Bowman’s root (Porteranthus trifoliatus) – perennial with ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) – woody shrub

fall color tinting on the variegated ‘Mariesii’ hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) – woody shrub

fall color continuing on Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) – woody vine

even without railings, the gazebo and surrounding garden still look great!

Most of the turf around the gardens looked like what you see above this morning.  A very light frost touched the gardens and affected some of our more tender tropicals.  It looks like we’ll have warmer temperatures next week and frost will be more likely towards the end of the month.  We continued to remove some annuals here and there, again with the focus of accommodating our Holiday Light Show (HLS) set-up needs.  We still have quite a few visitors and the color out in the gardens is exceptional with many woody plants heading in to peak fall color and the perennial grasses looking quite nice as well.  This morning was quite chilly but it ended up being sunny, breezy and the temperatures hit the lower 50 degrees F.  Our volunteer turnout was excellent and we all enjoyed this Autumn day.

Cindy and Larry H. took care of our container watering needs as well as some spot watering here and there.  We haven’t had a good soaking rain in a couple weeks and could sure use one soon.  While the gardens aren’t totally drying out, additional moisture this time of year will sure help heading in to winter.  Cindy organized our newly arrived bulbs which we’ll be planting next Saturday, October 22nd at our Volunteer Planting Work Day (8 am – 12 noon, meet at the Parker Education Center, bring gloves!).  See further below for a photo of what we’ll be planting!  Cindy went on to a lot of tidying while Larry H. focused on HLS set-up.  I had some meetings and am “clearing my desk” so I can be “cord boy” for the next five weeks!

‘Emperor I’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) becoming extra vivid this time of year – woody tree

fall color on Amur maple (Acer ginnala) – woody tree

the Japanese garden in fall (above and below)

the new samaras (seeds) of this ‘Bloodgood’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) are quite showy – woody tree

cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) amongst coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) is still hanging in there – annuals

fall color of Eye Stopper™ cork tree (Phellodendron lavallei ‘Longenecker’) – woody tree

Our volunteers continue with a wide range of tasks including continual clean-up and removals around the gardens. Cheryl D. (above) focused her tidying skills in the Japanese garden today.  Note the lights already in place for the HLS in that shot.  I’ll be running cords through there next week, hence the need for some timely clean-up!  Kathy (below) and Eva tidied up the gazebo garden and removed some annuals from the Heirloom Garden.  Kay worked her tidying kung fu in her section of the shade garden and moved on to some annual removals near the arboretum.  Vicki and Steve finished clearing a huge portion of the tropical garden and moved on to some other areas as well.  Bill O. did his mowing rounds while Dr. Gredler over-seeded some turf areas.  Maury went on a fuel run for us and Mary Kay continued updating our reference library records.  We also saw Mary Beth, Dave K. and many others today.

Kathy P. (above, using the same broom she flew in on this morning)

our 2016 bulb order is ready to go in the ground!

flame grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Purpurascens’) – perennial

‘Cheyenne Sky’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) – perennial

Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is turning a nice red right now – woody vine

variegated fiveleaf aralia (Eleutherococcus sieboldianus ‘Variegatus’) – woody shrub

seedheads of Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) – perennial

‘Forever Purple’ coral bells (Heuchera) – perennial

this white foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) didn’t seem to mind the frost this morning – biennial

While the morning was quite chilly, we think we missed having a frost by just a couple degrees F.  Some folks that came in today mentioned some light frost in the grass or on their vehicles this morning.  Perhaps we’ll get a nip of frost tonight but if not, next week might do it despite some warmer days.  We had a VERY productive day and as is typical with most Thursdays, we had a strong volunteer turnout.  We’ve removed about 40% of our annuals in advance of the frost and will continue with removals and more fall clean-up in earnest in the coming weeks to make way for our fast-paced Holiday Light Show (HLS) set-up.  Note how bulky and colorful our compost pile has become as seen above!  It’s always a juggling act out there but we’re pretty good at it and volunteers continue to be heavily involved with all of our activities.

Cindy worked on tidying efforts in multiple locations while Larry O. push mowed, tidied and had many other odds and ends. Big John also push mowed, dug up some woody weeds and had made a lot of progress with HLS preparations and set-up with Bobby K.  Larry H. also push mowed then put up a whole lot of lights in many locations.  Terry popped in to say hello.  I was able to run cords for a couple of hours but had other tasks to attend to as well.  It was a super day and so nice to see our children’s education program in full swing with lots of young visitors out in the gardens today.  Our education volunteers also do an exceptional job!

our flamingos came back after clearing our pink-themed wall – a group of flamingos is called a “flamboyance” by the way…

rich Autumn colors abound throughout the gardens (Magda’s area above…)

‘Royal Flush’ monkshood (Aconitum carmichaelii) just starting to bloom! – perennial

‘Fenway Gold’ Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) at 30′ above ground level – woody vine

the redbud (Cercis canadensis) in the left-center has some great fall color – woody tree

fall color beginning on ‘Autumn Moon’ fullmoon maple (Acer shirasawanum) – woody tree

Our volunteers worked on myriad projects today.  Dave E. (above), for example, emptied, cleaned and organized our tool shed.  He did a excellent job.  Volunteers today included Kathy, Eva, Brian, Bob K., Liz (new volunteer from Ireland), Marilyn, Dick H., Ron P., Dave, Jim, Vern, Alan, Dave E., Ron R., Gene, Maury, Dr. Gredler, Rollie, Nancy N., Becky, Steve J., Gary, Benjamin and many others.  Activities included carpentry projects (see below), organizing, raking, sweeping, mowing, removing annuals and general tidying.  We had a great group!

Dave, Vern and Jim (left to right) assembling a custom made bench

Nancy (above)

Ben from Boerner Botanical Gardens (Hales Corners, WI) came today to take some treasures home to use in their garden next year.  They have the greenhouse space to save some of these shared tropicals.

Kathy, Brian, Bob K., Marilyn and Alan (left to right) with Liz off camera right

Janice with favorite grandson Fergus

I was on the roof of the visitor’s center today running cords and had a nice view of the formal gardens (note Dr. Gredler mowing in the rose circle)

fall color on a heavily “sculpted” and pruned Amur maple (Acer ginnala) – woody tree

Korean feather reed grass (Calamagrostis brachytricha) – perennial