The Natives are Restless

 Not all our trees are native to the SE USA but most are. These three deciduous ones show off their fall color before providing free mulch

Mockernut Hickory  Carya tomentosa  Squirrels love this tree and so do we. The fall yellow is spectacular. One of our dear departed dogs used to crunch open the nuts which have the tiniest kernel of food inside hence the common name.

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=22

Bald Cypress Taxodium disticum has some kind of borer but seems to be fighting it off. I will be devastated if it succumbs. We will have to increase it's bed as my husband cannot duck low enough to mow around it anymore.

 Fringe Tree Chionanthus virginicus this turns out to be the female, it is said the male tree has showier flowers in spring but this is lovely just the same, forms a pleasing shape and turns this nice yellow before it drops it's leaves.

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/trees/hgic1027.html

Carolina Aster

A native plant of the south-east USA this lovely climber is a treat for us and the many pollinators that populate it before winter sets in. Faintly fragrant it winds it's way through whatever you provide. No stickers or tendrils to help it just a will to wind.

Mine is at the front of the rain garden covering a pole & a dead curly willow. (A weeping willow & a tri-coloured willow also died in the rain garden so I think I've got the message now!)

Aster carolinianus or Ameplaster carolinianus as it maybe now known can be cut back in the spring to curb it's enthusiasm if you must. A few seedlings but even in the rain garden not much to worry about. I'd love to see this take over from Japanese Honeysuckle in the surrounding woods but it is not nearly as vigorous.

Sassafras & Sasanqua

A Sassafras tree has popped up in the little wood. The deer have browsed it a bit but I have been able to start a couple of root suckers as insurance. I have seen photos of magnificent fall color when planted in more sun so am trying a rooted piece out in the front lot where the persimmon died.

Here Camellia sasanqua 'Apple Blossom' can be seen through the leaves of Sassafras albidum http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SAAL5

Camellia sasanqua

Once I lived at an old homesite in Bladen County NC. It had been professionally landscaped at least 40 years before with lots of lovely Camellias. I was fortunate to be able to propagate some of them & bring them with me.  Now large shrubs, these old varieties are a lovely reminder of that country place & a glorious addition to our current garden.

'Cleopatra' brought to Alabama from Japan about  1929 this semi double is tough as nails. Can be used as a hedge you often see it clipped into balls or squares (unfortunately).
It is one of the first "sasanquas" to bloom.

Mine-no-yuki (snow on the ridge)
brought to the USA in the 1890's seems to have a more open habit & loads of blooms. At the old garden I called it The Thanksgiving Camellia as it always seemed to be in bloom at that time. Try this with the foliage of Artemisia 'Powis Castle' for a magnificent monochromatic arrangement. Semi-double to Peony form it is slightly ragged looking which I prefer to the formal blooms.

Frost

A pretty good frost a few nights ago melted the tender members of the garden.

I am disappointed that I did not harvest more of the runner beans for dinner.
They were late to produce and thinking that they would succumb long before they did I left them to dry for next years seed but they kept on making more. As usual I vowed to do better next year.
The seeds are a striking black with purple blotches. See below

Scarlet Runners take at least 100 days to produce edible beans. More work to prep than snap beans as they must have the strings removed, some grow them just for the flowers.