One of the Most Striking Trees in the Fall Landscape

Sorbus Altinifolia

I have the pleasure of frequently passing this Korean mountain ash in the parkway in our neighborhood and am always impressed by it's four seasons of interest. While it's foliage is beautiful all year , Fall brings out the best in it. The leaves haven't yet turned to yellow-orange because it hasn't been chilly enough yet but the beautiful cherry-red berries are striking.

In late Spring flat clusters of delicate white flowers appear and gradually turn into the beautiful berries. This is a medium to large tree, reaching 40 feet and has a 20 foot spread. While many Sorbus varieties are prone to root rot , pests and disease, the Korean mountain ash is very hardy and disease resistant.

The winter interest is its smooth gray elegant bark. The Moutain Ash provides food for our feathered friends and while the berries are edible, they are much to acidic to be eaten raw.

Green Tomato Time

This is what was left of the tomatoes

Good thing I made a photo because these are long gone.

Goodness gracious I never expected to see grits or fried green tomatoes go gourmet but they have. They've made the fried green tomatoes healthier by using olive or vegetable oil , That's where I draw the line. Gotta have that taste of bacon fat. Yum. And I add a little drop or two of tobasco sauce to pep up the flavor. I don't eat a lot of junk food so I guess this is one time of the year that I can indulge my quaint taste.

I didn't grow the regular or large tomatoes this year so I'm making little bite size tomato sliders. They look like something out of Martha Stewart's appetizer cookbook.

I miss the thick large slices of green tomatoes so I am already formulating my plans for a little veggie plot for next year.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY -NOV. 1

Forty six years ago - A young gal from rural Alabama and a foreign student from South Korea tied the knot. Guess I was a rebel way back then even because marriage to someone from a different race wasn't widely accepted, South or North.

But here we are today, 46 years later , 3 wonderful children and a first grandchild. We are truly blessed to have surmounted all the trials and tribulations that life has given us. Coming from totally different backgrounds and circumstances I would dare say that it was at least 2 or 3 times harder to overcome the obstacles of marriage that people from similar backgrounds encounter.

I think the thing that helped me the most was becoming acquainted with the Korean culture whereby I gained an appreciation and understanding of my husband. I became a rather well-known figure in the Korean community in Chicago because my husband brought his mother from Korea and she lived in our home for 10 years. Even modern day Korean daughters-in-law could not have endured living with their Mothers-in-law. So I became a sort of legend in the community. My children and I were the beneficiaries, however, because our " halmoni ", grandmother in Korean, was a wonderful, loving person that taught us a lot. I'm so glad that my children had beautiful memories of her since my own mother passed when I was four.

Forty six years and I still feel as if it were yesterday. The years have flown by so quickly and are so full of wonderful memories. We live each day as if it could be our last because we've seen many friends and acquaintances leave unexpectedly.

In this here today gone tomorrow world we look back and see the two young people we were taking a chance on life and we've never regretted it.

AN EVERGREEN SOURCE OF DELIGHT FOR GARDENERS

When National Geographic and The University of Missouri Botanical Garden get together on a book you just know that its gotta be good. More than 200 beautiful illustrations are reason enough to enjoy Flora Mirabilis, an exquisite book, but the interesting stories about how plants have had such a profound affect on our daily life adds another dimension.

I was contacted by National Geographic and offered a free copy of the book but I found it reasonably priced at Amazon.com for $23. When I'm not able to get outside to garden the next best thing is reading a good book on plant life.

A TREE FOR SPRING AND FALL BEAUTY

Cornus Florida 'cherokee princess '

This beautiful American dogwood is in my neighborhood and I enjoy its beauty both in the Spring when it's covered with large pink blossoms and in its October red dress pictured above.

If memory serves I believe that Tennessee has been dubbed the Dogwood State . Actually the dogwood grows in abundance throughout the South and is a favorite tree for many.

When I first planted my garden in Chicago I chose two trees - the dogwood and a regular magnolia. The magnolia didn't survive the first winter but the dogwood did. Every Spring when it was time for it to bloom a hard freeze nipped it in the bud. It finally succumbed to disease.

Working in the tree department at our local garden center I learned that the American dogwood, had been improved to be more disease resistant and hardier for the Chicago winters.

The Asian dogwood varieties bloom later than our American ones and while not as showy, this can be a big plus for the late freezes that tend to affect the Spring blooming trees.

I HAVE A BEEF WITH QUIZNOS

500 POSTS, YALL !

Jason,my son, the Webmaster

A few years ago my son Jason suggested that I start a blog. A what ? says I . The word blog sounded repugnant, like something out of a horror movie. " Oh, Mom all you ever do is live and breathe gardening so you might as well write about it.

I'll try just about anything once so I jumped in head first as Jason patiently tutored me on the how to's of a blog. Just how did it come to this, I wondered, when the child becomes the teacher?

Anyhoo, 500 posts later I look back and appreciate my son's confidence in me. I've made many friends with similar interests and I've enjoyed blogging about my garden and gardening experience.

So thanks, Jason. I hope your momma has made you proud.

AUTUMN COLORS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

These are the autumn colors in my small city garden :

An annual mum made a surprise appearace

The tiniest of hydrangeas at 2 feet : ' Spreading Beauty '

The most amazing hydrangea : ' Limelight '

Boston Ivy

Bergenia Cordifolia

Azalea

Autumn Moon Maple

And these are colors I captured while strolling around my neighborhood :

(Click to Enlarge )

Above are : Sugar maples, serviceberry, mountain ash , burning bush, sumac, boston ivy, Japanese maple, and daylily.