Late Fall Flowers

My favorite thing in the garden today wasn’t a flower or a fruit, but a stem.  Papaya stems.  Back in April, I bought a papaya at the store, ate it, sowed all the seeds together in a 3 gallon pot outside, and waited for heat.  (And yep, since papaya are genetically modified, I was breaking the law and Syngeta or someone could sue me and make me pull up my 7 trees.)

In July, a few seedlings got planted out in the crinum field.  I made them a little shade teepee from sticks, and they are taller than me today!   If I’d taken better care of them, I’d be eating green papaya today too!

But the stems, the trunks, rock!  Limey green, with burgundy marks and reptile like texture.  Too bad I’m not going trick or treating; they’d be great in a costume.

Other things I picked today: Crinum ‘Marisco’, all colors of mums, salvia red and blue, Mexican sunflower, black eyed Susan, ‘Cecile Brunner’ rose and purple, squishy Basella fruits that would also be great for a costume!

I spent the day digging and dividing crinum bulbs, seeding in oats, Chinese toadflax, crimson clover and turnips.   People ask all the time if we have to stop planting crinum when we start doing fall stuff.  Absolutely not.   In most of SC and anywhere in zone 8 or warmer, you can dig and divide and plant crinum all winter.   (For more specific gardening tips, join our newsletter to the right, a new one come out this weekend)

Crinum ‘Marisco’ and other flowers picked on Oct. 30