Bright Fall Color

Who says we don't have great fall color here in the South? Even after the horrible summer, we have some brilliant foliage here at the nursery.

Ornamental pear

The bald cypress tree is turning red before going brown. It gets really messy this time of year; not a good choice for next to a patio.

The shantung maple in front is gorgeous right now. I love this golden color, it just glows in the sunlight.

is loOur Waterfall Japanese maple is lovely all year long. In the spring its new leaves look like tiny flowers. Summer foliage is delicate and green. This fall color is specatular, but fleeting. The bare weeping branches are gracefully elegant in the winter.  

This is yet another maple - Improved Red Maple.



pizza party

Last week we hosted Sharon's rug hooking/knitting group. It is actually Laura Shulze's class (see her fabulous blog at www.beehiverugs.blogspot.com).

Laura is the one in glasses and black collar. They were a really fun group, trading tips on knitting and enjoying each other's company.

We made pizzas for them for lunch. We are perfecting our dough, dough pulling, pizza oven cooking and favorite ingredients. We made about 12 different pizzas and they all turned out really well.

Kendel was our baker for the day. He has figured out the best gas/air mix in the pizza oven. We are waiting for cooler weather and more rain to fire it with wood. 

Sharon made the pizza dough using the traditional recipe we got somewhere on the internet and tweeked. It is at the end of this post. Sharon is great at pulling the dough. First she oils her hands lightly, the starts pressing from the center of the dough, twirling the dough on the parchment paper. Her pizzas were perfectly shaped.

Here is a few of our finished pizzas. The most popular combination was white sauce covered with carmelized onions, pears, sausage and fontina cheese.

Traditional Pizza Dough

1 tsp rapid rise yeast

2 Tbs sugar or 1 1/2 Tbs honey

2 cups plus 2 Tbs lukewarm water (100 to 108 degrees)

5 1/3 cups unbleached flour

2 tsp salt or 1 Tbs kosher salt

2 Tbs olive oil

 In a large measuring cup or small bowl, mix yeast with water and honey. Set aside and allow to proof for 10 minutes.

 In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, proofed yeast and oil. Mix on low speed using a dough hook attachment until a ball forms.

 Remove from hook and transfer to a floured board. Punch down dough and knead briefly. Divide dough into 5 equal portions and roll each piece into a ball (each ball makes a 12" pizza, for individual size divide dough into 10 equal portions.) Place the balls of dough, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.  Bring the dough to room temperature before proceeding.

 On a floured piece of parchment paper roll and stretch each piece of dough into a 12 inch circle.  Place each circle on a pizza peel or pizza pan and top as desired.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until crust is golden.

.

Our lovely old camellia

Our camellia started blooming this week and it is gorgeous.

This Camellia sasanqua was growing next to our old farmhouse when we bought it in 1992. The house, already 70 years old at the time, needed a lot of work. When we hired painters, they cut it down to a stump. Now, almost 20 years later, it has grown back to its original size.

We haven't been able to ascertain it's correct name. It has small glossy green leaves and semi-double rosy-pink flowers kissed with white.

Because it blooms so early in the season it is seldom affected by freezes. Blooms of the mid and late season Camellias often get burned by a freeze and turn to ugly brown mush. A common sight in the south during winter is sheets and quilts thrown over camellia bushes to protect the buds and blooms.

I love this old beauty. It grows on the east side of the farmhouse that is now our gift shop, under 2 big pecan trees. It gets very little sun and is crowded against the house, but it blooms beautifully every year for several weeks. I even appreciate the look of the fallen petals on the ground.

Trip to Natchitoches

We went to Natchitoches, Louisiana last weekend with our garden club. The weather was perfect - cool in the mornings, sunny and warm in the afternoons. We had a great time talking, shopping and eating.

The city did these wonderful fall decorations with mums and pumpkins. There were many of them around the downtown/river area. We wondered if they had trouble with theft, but the displays were nice and full.

We were particularly taken with the Southern slant on the traditional corn stalk bundle. They included stems of cotton with the open cotton bolls still attached.

Several of the larger displays included old wagons or carriages. It was really lovely and welcoming.


It wasn't only the city putting on a seasonal show.
Several houses caught our interest as well.

I appreciated this porch display. It doesn't look too complicated: a swag and wreath made from that net-like material which I obviously don't know the name of. Orange lights, a couple of gourds, and you're done!

We took this photo to show Connie. She is crazy for Halloween decorations so we knew she would appreciate all the ghoulish elements of this house. I liked all the spiders, but the ghost flying over the door is a really good touch.