The most widely consumed fruit in the world, most people have no idea that the ‘apple’ in the Garden of Eden was most likely a banana. And that the ubiquitous bananas seen in every grocery store are threatened with extinction from several pathogens due to the fact that they all are clones and share the exact same DNA. Dan Koeppel tells all in this excellent book the peels back the past and predicts the future in

“Banana, the Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World.”

 Brussels sprouts, kale, carrots, parsley, leeks and salad greens are still waiting patiently in the soil for their time at the dinner table. Many of these veggies were planted back in the spring and have been slowly growing while the tropical veggies of summer did their annual thing of flowering and fruiting during the long hot days of July and August.

Now is the time to plan your vegetable garden for next year. Now is the time to decide on where to locate the garden. Full sun is best, but often hard to find. Six hours of direct sun is the minimum for optimum production. Remember that the sun is very low in the sky now, but will be rising and setting further north and arching much higher during the growing season.

 Now is the time to mow the grass as short as possible and cover it over with newspaper or cardboard. Now is the time to find that source of manure or compost to collect and spread over the area. Do it now so that you will have a head start on spring and can spend the winter months day dreaming of the ideal vegetable garden.

 After months of waiting, trycyrtis, the toad lily, presents her petite purple splashed posies for approval.

In the south, Autumn's garden superstars are the many Camellias that grace the shady woodlands.

Old fashion mums never fail to delight with their delightful daisy shapes.

Trees contribute their fiery finery to fall's festivities. But perhaps one of the most unique phenomenon one will find this time of year is contributed by the Katsura tree. The leaves turn yellow, then brown when they fall, but the browned leaves emite the fragrance of burnt sugar or caramel. It is a unique aspect of this tree and when I was at the Arboretum this past week, that sugary smell stopped me in my tracks. If you know of any Katsuras near you, do take the time and pay them a visit, the smell is tantalizing.

In the midst of the summertime heat, we often overlook the fact that now is the best time to plant seeds for fall harvests. Some easy veggies to start now include beets, bush beans, kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, broccoli and carrots. Veggie seeds started now typically need an extra 2 weeks to mature, due to fall’s shortening days.

Standard advice is to plant any summer sown seed slightly deeper than spring sown counterparts to counteract the excessive heat and quick drying soils.  Some gardeners provide a bit of shade to moderate these issues. Because of soil warmth, seeds will germinate more quickly that those put out in the cool of the spring time.

Now is also a good time to sow seeds of biennials such as Foxgloves, Sweet William, Forget Me Nots, and some campanulas. This summer I am trying to germinate two different white and one apricot Foxgloves and some blue peach leaved bellflowers. All have very very small seeds and one typically sows a lot of them to get any to geminate. I found a company on line, Swallowtail Garden Seeds, that sells pelleted Foxgloves seeds. So, I have purchased 1,000 seeds of the apricot for $2.49,  and I bought a total of 50 pelleted seeds of the two white shades for $5.50. Pelleted seeds are easier to handle but makes the investment that much more dear, still, much cheaper than buying plants. The big question is how many will germinate?

Occurring only once every three years, the World Association of Flower Arrangers (WAFA) held their Olympic event this year in June in Boston.

Ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the miniature to larger than life, designers from 33 countries gathering to dazzle visitors with their outrageous creations.

Some were classical,

others,abstract,

Many used flowers and materials that their country is known for.

And then there were designs that just made you wonder.

Saw this beauty of a tree overshadowing a parking lot in Saratoga Springs in January. Many existing city elms sprouted up in odd spots that have isolated them from insects and diseases.