Oh Deer!

Well, my weekend adventure to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania was a success! The 6.5 hour drive there was through some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen. There was still plenty of autumn foliage covering the rolling hillsides. Rural scenes filled with wonderful barns, cattle, pastures and wheat colored corn fields.

The members of the garden clubs there have to be the most generous, wonderful people anywhere. It's a good thing I drove or I wouldn't have been able to get all my goodies back home. Of all the gifts I was showered with, I had to show you the most adorable trough ever, given to me by Len Lehman. It's made from a 3 gallon soda bottle!

Bonnie posted a great question this weekend. You asked what to do with your succulents in your troughs. Leave them! Over the past years I have always left my troughs planted up and have had no problems at all with them. If you are really worried, you can put them against your house foundation, in a sheltered spot (watch the overhang though so they aren't directly under the drip line).

A great cheap insulation is to fill a few leaf bags and just pack those around your containers.

This morning I went out to photograph my troughs. They look wonderful which is more than I can say for all the plants that were taken out by the frost that must have come down on Friday night. Guess I deserved that since I was bragging so much to the PA folks about not having gotten a frost yet :D

The Salvia lyrata 'Purple Knockout' is still going strong in this trough. It's a bit more aggressive than it's neighbors so I ran inside to grab a pair of scissors.

Here it is all nice and cleaned up. My photos all came out a bit blurry this morning. I think the camera kept fogging up because of the temperature change from the inside to the chilly outside. This afternoon when I get home from work I'll try to remember to take a few photos when it's warmer. Depends on how much light is left that late in the day.

Oh, I almost forgot, the title "Oh Deer"... my biggest worry was about driving home from Pittsburgh in the dark and hitting a deer. Well, I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore.

First I hit a skunk...PHEW the stink lasted for an hour. I didn't hit the deer until I was only 20 miles from New York City. Don't know who hit it first but it bounced out from right under the car in front of me and before I could react...BABUMPbumpbump. Luckily most of it went under the car, can't say that though for the antlers and head which came right up my hood and slid right up my windshield EWWWWWWW. Needless to say I spent $$ yesterday at the auto parts store and bought the industrial car wash and window cleaner and spent a good hour yesterday cleaning yuck off my car. Since I can't find any damage I consider myself a very lucky lady (at least I'm luckier than that deer).

I took a few more images, I'll post those on Melanie's Perennials. Maybe I'll see you there!

Melanie