One of our favorite fall activities here at my Bedford, New York farm is picking the season's pumpkins.
Pumpkins grow on vines, which means they take up a lot of space. I always plant my pumpkin patch in a roomy area that can accommodate a large crop of big, colorful specimens. This year, I decided to grow my pumpkins and winter squash along the perimeter of my vegetable garden. My gardeners and I plant lots and lots of pumpkin seeds - many from our favorite seed companies, and some from interesting and tasty fruits I’ve enjoyed in years past. I've been checking the crop every week to see what's growing under the giant leaves. And yesterday, they were ready to harvest.
Enjoy these photos.
Most pumpkin varieties take between 90 and 120 days to grow. It’s always exciting to see how many colorful pumpkins we’ll get each year.
In front of my hornbeam hedge along one side of my vegetable garden I planted all pumpkins. Along the east side of the garden, I planted squash and gourds. Pumpkins and winter squash are both edible fruits from the Cucurbita species. Pumpkins are a type of winter squash that are generally round with thick skin and sweet meat.
Pumpkin plants grow on long vines, which can easily reach 20 to 30 feet long in the course of a growing season. The pumpkins are ready to harvest when the foliage on the vines begins to wither and turn brown. Pumpkin and winter squash leaves can look very similar – large, lobed leaves that grow on hollow stems. They are roundish in shape, and often have serrated edges.
Some of the pumpkins are covered with leaves until the moment they’re picked. It’s a surprise to see what they look like – the wartier the better. This type of pumpkin is called a knucklehead, and as the name suggests, is reminiscent of the knuckles on one’s hand.
These pumpkins are about eight to 10 pounds each. The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’ which means large melon. The pumpkin is a cucurbit, a member of the Curcurbitaceae family, which also includes squash, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupes.
When picking, it is important not to injure the rind as decay and fungi will attack through the wounds.
This is one of two very large deep orange pumpkins. Sadly, the other was already enjoyed by a visiting critter.
I always advise my crew to keep as much of the stem intact as possible. Leaving at least a couple of inches of stem will increase its keeping time.
Here’s the first of several loads. Elvira and Enma are so pleased with how many pumpkins we have this year. Before displaying, Enma rinses the pumpkins clean of any dirt.
Elvira places the pumpkins on the wall outside my home.
And then it’s back down to the garden to get more.
This load includes my squash. Always choose winter squash that is heavy for its size, rich and deep in color, when the skin is hard and difficult to puncture.
Red kuri squash is a thin skinned orange colored winter squash. Inside the hard outer skin there is a firm flesh with a very delicate and mellow chestnut-like flavor.
This long, cylindrical green squash goes by opo squash, calabash, Chinese long squash, lauki, and bottle gourd. Inside the white flesh is very similar to a summer squash but a little meatier. The seeds are edible when immature, but grow larger and harder as the squash matures.
This is a variegated dinosaur gourd with its lustrous dark green skin, markings, and distinct ridges that look almost reptilian.
And look at all the acorn squash. Acorn squash, also called pepper squash or Des Moines squash, is a winter squash with distinctive longitudinal ridges on its exterior and sweet, yellow-orange flesh inside. Although considered a winter squash, acorn squash belongs to the same species as all summer squashes.
Enma is holding a giant pink banana squash – it’s about two feet long!
I am always trying to grow different and unusual specimens along with the more traditional varieties. We grow some pumpkins and squash from heirloom seeds. Heirlooms are old-time varieties, open-pollinated instead of hybrid, and saved and handed down through multiple generations of families.
Here are pumpkins along the wall in front of my mature weeping katsura trees – I like to place them here every year.
On this wall, are the orange, pink and cream colored varieties.
And on the wall in front of my Winter House terrace are all green pumpkins – many of which would have turned orange if they were left on the vines. Pumpkins start out green because they contain chlorophyll, a green pigment needed for photosynthesis. As the nights get longer in fall, pumpkins stop producing chlorophyll and start to produce carotenoids, which cause the pumpkin to turn orange, red, or yellow.
I also placed some gourds and squash on the terrace tables.
And on the steps to my home. No other ‘decorating’ is required. Just lining them up makes a wonderful fall display.
Wherever you live, I hope you’re able to enjoy the beautiful blooms of those fall perennials called Colchicum.
Colchicum produces such cheerful colors when most other plants have faded. Over the seasons, I've planted a number of colchicum corms around my farm - near my front gate, along the edge of my Stewartia garden, under my tall, handsome bald cypress trees, and outside my Winter House. The blossoms are gorgeous with large, elongated petals of fuchsia and soft lilac, some even a crisp white. I am so happy these plants are flourishing.
Enjoy these photos.
Guests that come around this time of year often ask, “what are those flowers that look like crocus?” The common name for Colchicum is autumn crocus, but they are not true autumn crocus because there are many species of true crocus which are autumn blooming. Also, Colchicum flowers have six stamens while crocuses have only three.
Colchicum is a member of the botanical family Colchicaceae and is native to West Asia, Europe, parts of the Mediterranean coast, down the East African coast to South Africa and the Western Cape.
Most Colchicum plants produce their flowers without any foliage – this is why these flowers also go by the common name “naked ladies” or “naked boys”.
Colchicums require little effort to grow. And when the weather is mild, colchicum’s flowers begin to unfurl.
The scientific name comes from Colchis, a region on the coast of the Black Sea. The name Colchicum alludes to the poisonous qualities of the species. The plant contains an alkaloid known as colchicine, which is found in all parts, but mostly in the seeds.
Because Colchicums are toxic, they provide a natural way to repel animals such as deer, mice, squirrels, and moles.
Once open, Colchicums produce goblet-like blooms in shades of pink, violet, or white. They are large striking flower heads, with white at the base leading to pale pink at the apex.
Some of the varieties we’ve planted at the farm include ‘Lilac Wonder’, ‘Waterlily’, ‘Dick Trotter’, Colchicum byzantinum, and Colchicum bornmuelleri. This one is “Waterlily” – a double petaled cultivar in soft pink.
‘Waterlily’ is a hybrid resulting from a cross of Colchicum autumnale ‘Alboplenum’ and Colchicum speciosum ‘Album’. Each flower resembles the form of a water lily, hence the cultivar name.
Colchicums are quite delicate but spread nicely in the autumn garden. Colchicum is a good pollen source for bees in fall when little else is available for them.
This variety is called Colchicum ‘Byzantinum.’ It is an early fall-blooming Colchicum which bears up to 20 small, funnel-shaped, soft lilac flowers that are four to six inches long.
Recently, I was gifted some colchicum plants from my friend and plantsman, Dan Hinkley.
Colchicum should be planted about six to 10 inches apart. They will look plentiful once established.
Colchicum is best grown in a sheltered spot that enjoys afternoon sun because this encourages a good succession of wide-open flowers.
These colchicums will be nice additions to the garden. By next season, they should also multiply.
Here is an interesting variety called Colchicum ‘Harlekijn’ and shows amethyst violet with ivory white tops and an ivory white base, and green center.
This white variety is growing outside my Basket House.
Colchicum typically blooms from September to November. Here are some just beginning to open.
Avoid windy sites, as these plants tend to get floppy.
But like other bulbs, when they are done blooming, they need to be left until they dry out in order to supply nutrients to the bulb. And then come next fall, they will bloom beautifully once again.
For anyone passionate about gardening, it's always so rewarding to plant new specimens and watch them flourish.
Recently, I received a large delivery from First Editions Shrubs and Trees, a brand of premium evergreens and perennials from the fifth-generation, family and brand owner Bailey Nurseries in St. Paul, Minnesota. These plants will be added to existing gardens and borders around my farm - hydrangeas, phlox, Physocarpus, cotoneaster, arborvitae, and azaleas.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
As a serious and curious gardener, I am always looking for ways to add more beauty and texture to all my garden beds.
I was so excited when this delivery of plants arrived at my farm. Right away, the plants are placed in organized rows according to type so they are easy to see, count, water, feed, and access when it is time to plant.
Many in this collection are hydrangeas. Hydrangea, commonly named the hortensia, is a genus of more than 70 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. Hydrangea flowers bloom from early spring to late autumn.
This is a Berry White Panicle Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Renba.’ It has strong, upright stems and large cone-shaped flower panicles. The flower color starts white in July then progresses to dark pink, beginning at the bottom and developing up to the top of the panicle.
Strawberry Sundae is also a panicle hydrangea. This one is perfect in small hedges or as part of mass plantings. The flowers emerge creamy white in midsummer and change to pink as night temperatures cool down.
The Vanilla Strawberry™ Panicle Hydrangea features enormous flower heads that are held upright – first white, then pink, then red in later fall.
And new from First Editions is the FlowerFull Smooth Hydrangea. It was nice to see them all in bloom when they arrived at the farm.
Born in a tight cluster, the blossoms of FlowerFull are initially green and open to a creamy white.
Its leaves are more rounded, slightly heart shaped with a matte surface.
Phlox is a hardy, long-lived perennial that blooms from mid-summer to early fall. I grow a lot of phlox in my flower garden. This Bubblegum Pink Phlox is fragrant with bright blossoms accentuated with dark pink eyes.
Cotton Candy Phlox, Phlox paniculata ‘Ditomfav,’ is also bright pink.
This variety has soft lavender-pink flowers with cotton candy centers that bloom in the summer. Phlox is mildew resistant, compact, and wildly floriferous.
Physocarpus, commonly called ninebark, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Rosaceae, native to North America and northeastern Asia. Ninebarks are large shrubs that grow to about 10′ tall and wide. They get their common name from the bark, which sheds in reddish-brown strips. This one is Little Devil Ninebark.
Little Devil Ninebark has an upright spreading habit and fine-textured, dark foliage.
In comparison, the Spicy Devil Ninebark, Physocarpus opulifolius ‘ZLENatalie,’ has a fiery combination of orange and yellow leaves that mature to a vibrant reddish-purple and then shows off white-pink flowers in spring.
Honeycomb Ninebark has large, vibrant, chartreuse leaves that hold their color all season long, even in full sun. In the spring, white flowers provide contrast to the leaves, and in the fall, gold leaves stand out in the garden.
I grow many berries here at the farm – blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, and currants. This addition will ensure even bigger, more interesting harvests. This is Standing Ovation serviceberry, Amelanchier alnifolia ‘Obelisk’. Serviceberries taste like a blend of strawberry and blueberry with a touch of almond and are rich in fiber, antioxidants, and protein.
Autumn Inferno™ Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster ‘Bronfire,’ shows clean foliage all season long, and vibrant fall color. It forms small red berries in fall that stay on the branches until birds take them away.
Many may recognize the foliage of arborvitae. This is Technito arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis ‘BailJohn.’ This plant has attractive dark green color that stays through winter. It grows up to 10 feet tall and five feet wide.
Lemon Burst® Arborvitae is moderately sized with broadly conical form and tight habit. Yellow new growth keeps its color even in full sun. In cooler temperatures, the foliage takes on interesting orange tones.
Electric Lights™ Double Pink is a double-flowered form azalea. Pink, fragrant blooms cover the plant in spring and does best in full sun to part shade.
Planting season hasn’t ended just yet – hope you get in some gardening this weekend. Happy planting!
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