Scenic Overlook

Out and About……. taking a little drive today. Very beautiful day. 57 degrees right now. Fresh air feels so good

Scenic Overlook on the George Washington Parkway is a good spot to stop and see just where we are in terms of the leaves falling.

Trust you are enjoying such a pleasantly mild day. Enjoy!

 

 

 

A New Novel – Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good.

We are starting another Jan Karon novel tonight. Father Tim and Cynthia have been pleasure traveling and enjoying retirement. Five years has passed, and upon returning from time in Ireland, he has decided it’s time to engage once again in a personal ministry.

So much looking forward to starting to read this book tonight, back home in the town of Mitford.

Faith is………

Gardening Today/Lyons Lane

Our homeowners arrive home on Dec 2 so today we will be doing a final cleanup before they arrive. We were in touch yesterday. They have a friendly “Moose” who has been entertaining them outside their living area window on top of a mountain. Lots of snow, as you can see in Montana.

We look forward to hearing stories and seeing pictures of their property there. They live and both work in Montana from March through and including Thanksgiving.

They have been one of our ongoing “gardening maintenance” clients. We have enjoyed working for them under contract. Weekly we sent them photos and a report and pictures of what we do for them. It worked out very well for them and for us.

If you happen to be in that neighborhood today, stop and see their yard. It’s quite nice. A perfect example of low maintenance plantings, all perennials. Something in various categories bloomed all summer. Well done! It’s a pretty spot……..

Warm Weather Brings Budding/Forsythia

Be on the alert……today we spotted Forsythia budding on a bush. …..these warmer temps will do this. Try to water if you can. During this next week we will have early mornings down in the 30’s, so if your bushes are watered, it can protect them from being bitten by the cold. We even saw Daffodils up about three inches today; same scenario.

Go figure, this is Virginia after all. We always have unusual weather patterns and blooming phases. Amazingly, nature is so resilient everything usually survives and thrives. But do water if you are able.

Rufous Hummingbird Nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving…..

This little guy, the  rufous hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) is a small hummingbird, about 8 cm (3.1 in) long with a long, straight and slender bill. These birds are known for their extraordinary flight skills, flying 2,000 mi (3,200 km) during their migratory transits to California or Central America.  It is one of seven species in the genusSelasphorus.

He reminds us that this year’s safety is our nest. If you are home in your nest for Thanksgiving, and you are warm, fed and comfortable, feel grateful just as this little fellow feels in his nest. We are the lucky ones; he had to fly a long distance (2,000 miles) to find his comfort.

Cherish this year’s Thanksgiving.  Reflect on your safety and your comfort, and your many blessings.

Amen!!

 

Working Today – Making The Rounds

xr“Catch it while you can” is our motto for today. Today we are going to drop by every location we have served since May. Our clients mean a lot to us. Each one has different needs. We will do whatever we can to make sure their gardens are ready for winter. We do think that December is going to be mild enough that we will still be working. But today is going to be a nice day, so it will feel good to be out and about, and if we run into you – wonderful.

if you are just catching this post today,  it’s ok to still call us for service. We will work around cold and damp mornings,  but generally 11:30 to 3:30 pm still works for gardening and our average job is usually about three to four hours. Give us a call. Happy to help you. Our Gardening Ad will appear in the December PFF Forum Newsletter so know that we can still help. 

Note:  If you might like to have a “live evergreen wreath” for your door,  to include pine cones and a festive ribbon let us know. We will prepare them “custom.”  $55. Let us know, and we will deliver to your door.

Thinking of all of you today……

”Contessa”

Orchids – 101

As we are almost to indoor gardening time, and because our orchid is blooming so wonderfully we decided to pass along our “Contessa” tips for the growing and care of orchids. This pictured specimen is one year old. She is in full bloom after a 12 week dormancy. She is producing six beautiful blossoms. One more bud is forming very slowly on her stem. Given our years of growing orchids, we expect that for the next six to eight weeks she will be in her blooming stage. It has totally been worth the wait. Often we can count on a two month blooming phase so we will see….

So what have we been doing with this “lovely” over the last eight weeks? First off, she sits about one yard away from a window that produces full sun/light daily. We replenish the top of her surface with fresh orchid bark about four times in the year. Very important. Over time and with watering, the bark level recedes. Give your orchid fresh bark medium regularly. After all, this is her home. Bags of bark are available at your local nursery. They are usually rather large. Not expensive, but you can share with a friend, so pick a friend who also has an orchid and it won’t feel like you are wasting anything.

Water your orchid with tepid, not cold water, once ever seven days. Personally an ice cube or two is just not enough moisture. (you heard us right, and we will stick to this advice). Remove your plastic pot from your cachepot and carry it to the kitchen sink. (Purchase Miracle Grow Orchid Food – it’s a turquoise powder inside a box and a small spoon is provided for measuring) very inexpensive, but necessary if you want continued blooms. Fertilizer is a must twice a month if you want repeat blossoms. Mix one-quarter teaspoon to a gallon of water, stir well and pour the entire mixture over and through your orchid. Pour gently and slowly. Let the water bathe your plant. Drain all the way through. The last thing you want is a soggy wet bottom that your orchid is sitting in.
Too much residual moisture can cause disease. In between, water your orchid with tepid tap water once every seven days. Do not allow fertilizer water to touch your green leaves. Always wipe the top and under side of leaves off with a paper towel so that no moisture remains on them. This helps to avoid any possibility of pests or disease. Do Not-be afraid to water your orchid throughly. The key is to allow the water to pass through completely. Allow the plant to sit on a folded paper towel for about fifteen minutes so that any excess water can drain off. Now move your orchid back to its cachepot/container. And now you are good to go for another week.

We hope this info was useful! Tell us about your successes via email

at:  ContessasHome@gmail.com

Enjoy!

 

 

Houseplants – 101

Today we will begin a series of Houseplants 101 instruction, because over the next 4 months we will all be gardening more indoors. There are so many houseplants that thrive indoors and we would love to share successful planting, transplanting from outdoors and tips about caring for your favorite houseplants.

Almost four years ago we made a post on Orchids 101. This post had more “hits” on our blog than any other post we have made on our ContessasHome blog since 2008. We had over 800 hits the first day after posting. And several emails. We will revamp it a bit and post it in about an hour. It’s worth the wait – because we think we have perfected Orchid growth and care.

Orchids are a wonderful indoor bloom. They can be expensive. But… the blossoms last anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks and if you care for them and feed them, they will bloom once again within 6 weeks. The key is to purchase reputable. Find out the cycle of delivery at your favorite greenhouse/garden center. They can provide you with delivery dates. This way you can purchase a most recent blooming specimen.

Check back in later this morning for our first teaching lesson – which will be our new Monday morning tradition. Looking forward to sharing.

“Contessa”

 

 

 

 

Gardening Today – Beverley Drive

Its been a three year summer project. Homeowners have lived here 30 years. Never touched their yard. We have done a lot. But it is still a work in progress. We are grateful to have trusting clients who care enough to fix up their property.

We will be here most of the day, while our weather is still great for winter gardening preparation.

Believe it or not, one of their Forsythia bushes is sprouting yellow blooming buds. And their Iris , that we just planted a month ago, are sprouting up also. Our mild November temps may last through the end of the month. It’s all good. Enjoy the opportunity!

“Contessa”