Water, Water Everywhere in Serendipity Gardens

Jo Ellen Roe November 26, 2013 0 Comments

Water

Water plays an important role in Serendipity Gardens, as it does in any landscape that offers habitat to animals. One of the four requirements of being a certified natural habitat is the presence of water.

Ponds and Pots

We have several ponds and two pots of water.

The ponds consist of a ground-level pond about seven feet in diameter, with a smaller pond about three feet in diameter  above it. Water from the small pond flows over rocks into the larger pond, and creates the water noise that adds so much to the ambiance of the garden. From the large pond, the water then flows through a little stream down and across the yard to another small pond. From there, a pump helps the water make the journey through hidden pipes back up to the top pond, where it feeds into the upper pond and creates the waterfall. ... Read More

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Fall Color Memories at Serendipity Gardens

Jo Ellen Roe November 20, 2013 0 Comments

While winter is not officially here in Serendipity Gardens, fall has pretty much ended — the beautiful colors of fall, that is.

That’s what photos are for. Here are three from the garden, taken just before that November rain gave all the leaves permission to fall.

From top to bottom are a faded but still lovely Endless Summer hydrangea blossom; texture on the ground, a mixture of dead nettle, Brunnera Jack Frost, and fallen yellow leaves; and a dwarf fothergilla shrub, one of the prettiest shrubs for fall color that I know. ... Read More

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Get Cannas for Free! Serendipity Gardens Recipe!

Jo Ellen Roe November 11, 2013 0 Comments

A Shocking Change

We began having cannas in Serendipity Gardens three years ago, when we bought two sweet-potato sized tubers at the Farmer’s Market for $1 each. They looked all brown and wrinkled.

“How can something this dried up and dead looking ever bloom?” I wondered. Nevertheless, following the directions I had been given, I planted the tubers about three inches deep, in good rich soil, in a sunny location.

They took their time. More than once, I decided they were dead, and that this was a lost cause (a habit of mine). Eventually, however, green leaves emerged, and more quickly than you would imagine, they grew into eight-foot tall plants sporting bright red blooms. They looked fabulous and provided a lovely contrast to plants with smaller leaves growing nearby! ... Read More

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The Other Mascot at Serendipity Gardens: Buster, the Cat

Jo Ellen Roe November 5, 2013 0 Comments

Buster

Not long ago, I introduced readers to Nestle, our chocolate Labrador Retriever. Nestle is one of the mascots of Serendipity Gardens. She is the sweet one.

The other mascot is Buster the cat. Buster came to us in 2002, a gift from a grandson who had rescued him from life on the street. When he was a kitten, we marveled at the size of his paws and ears.

“He’s going to be a big cat,” we said, over and over. That prophecy has come true. Buster weighs just over 20 pounds, and he is not really fat — just big. Unlike Nestle, who is unfailingly sweet, Buster has a mean streak. He is my “sweet, mean kittycat.” ... Read More

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Fall Paints the Trees at Serendipity Gardens

Jo Ellen Roe October 31, 2013 2 Comments

Gorgeous fall color2

Fall is without doubt one of the prettiest times of the year in Serendipity Gardens. I took this photo in my front yard, from an angle that allows several layers of color to stack up against each other.

I think it’s gorgeous! How about you?

What you see here, from front to back, are:

  • Fronds of annual red ornamental grass  (in a pot)
  • Yellow chrysanthemums
  • Autumn brilliance serviceberry tree
  • Burning bush
  • Yellow maple
  • Green trees and shrubs that, on October 29, had not begun to turn color or drop leaves

Why Does It Happen?

Because I am always curious about why the leaves change color and never seem to remember the story from one year to the next, I looked it up.

The shortening days and cooler temperatures of fall give the tree the message: it’s time to get ready for winter. In simple terms, the trees “know” that the leaves are their weakest link when it comes to surviving winter’s cold. Thus, they have to discard them. So they develop a layer of cells at the base of each leaf that seal if off. The orange and yellow colors are there all along, masked by the green chlorophyll of summer. As the leaf, separated from its energy source, begins to die, the chlorophyll stops its production of food and breaks down, leaving the fall colors to shine. Additional chemical changes create autumn’s red, purple and more vivid orange. ... Read More

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