THE LAST SCENTS
Last week I noticed a single honeysuckle blossom that still clung to the vine. David had noticed it earlier; it seems it had been hanging on a good long while. Most of the vine is brown and dead, ready to be cut back for the winter. Yet this one blossom struggles to remain atop its lonely bit of green sprig. And - yes, it had retained that lovely scent and reminded me of warm summer nights when the odor of honeysuckle wafted up and into the bedroom window.

MISS WILMONT STANDS ALONE
Miss Wilmont's Ghost was a pleasant surprise in our garden this year. (See - http://www.sunnygardens.com/garden_plants/eryngium/eryngium_1448.php - for more information on Miss Wilmont's Ghost. The blooms were a wonderful pale lavender color and lasted a very long time. As the blooms faded the plant took on a white-silvery (ghost-like) color and appeared to be a different plant. Then, when it finally died; this plant dried nicely as it remained in the ground. Small seeds can be seen falling from the thistles whenever it is jostled and we are hoping for a dense reseeding.
Apparently this plant obtained its name from Miss Wilmont who, after attending parties, would discretely toss a few seeds from her pocket into her host's garden. Viola - come Spring, the lovely blooms of Miss Wilmont's Ghost would grace the garden of some surprised past party-giver.
Now all the rest of the garden has been tilled over and the iris bulbs have been planted along with the allium bulbs leaving only the fresh nutrient-rich soil exposed along with the shades of - Miss Wilmont's Ghost.

THE MICRO-GARDENER
It's the end of the season and time to pull up the garden and prepare the soil for the coming Spring. We have had success with our min-farming attempts this year and are quite proud of ourselves since this was the first serious attempt by both David and myself. It was a joy to sit at the table and consume vegetables picked twenty minutes earlier from our backyard. To us, of course, the fresh, clean, organic taste towered above any store bought produce. We also were members of Tide Mill Farms CSA (community supported agriculture) this year. This enabled us to supplement our garden produce with other organic goodies from a local family owned organic farm and dairy. Eating green and local not only tasted great; it gave us a sense of pride that we were minimizing our carbon footprint on the planet.
As you can see by the photos, not all was perfect. These two cucumbers were the total result of six plants. The one bite each that they provided was delicious - they were so tiny. I understand my folly now - I cannot plant cucumbers in the middle of summer; I have to start in the Spring. Next season we will have a bit of experience under our belts and hopefully will do a much better job.