I didn't realize that "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" would come to life in our woodland garden when our well house caught on fire!  Two of our wonderful neighbors called us when they saw the fire as we are unable to see the well from our home.  The well companies are slammed right now as they have many customers with no water.  Thankfully was don't have that issue, so we can certainly wait our turn which they tell us will probably be a month.  Happy to report that MapleWalk and all the animals are safe and sound.  

With temperatures in the mid teens over the past week, we brought the outdoor bunnies inside for several days. 

Butter and Peppercorn are true snuggle bunnies!

This Acer palmatum 'Oregon Sunset' is a small tree and a good choice  for limited space.  The fall color is a vivid sunset-red color.  Wow!

Acer palmatum 'Oregon Sunset'

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I find the fall color of Acer palmatum 'Kagiri nishiki' a favorite.  The basic leaf color is a deep green with a bluish cast with cream margins.  Blended with, or suffused over, are markings of pink or rose colors.  In spring, these rose markings are quite distinct.  The rose and cream areas change into a vivid rose-crimson.  Stunning!

Acer palmatum 'Kagiri nishiki'

What a special treat we enjoyed today! Matt Nichols, Brian Rule, along with their videographer, visited us at MapleWalk.  We hope this will be the first of many visits!  They interviewed Tom for content about their visit for their YouTube channel.  Stay tuned ...

Our Mahonia japonica 'Winter Sun' is stunning this fall and loaded with blooms.  Soon I can look forward to the dark purple berry clusters, hence the name "Oregon Grape Holly."  The birds love the berries, and when they are perfectly ripe, they can strip the plant at one sitting. 

The finishing touch to the new bunny enclosure ...

 

Well, sometimes there are unexpected surprises in the garden that you don't appreciate ... like this!!!

Sunday afternoon I went out to the rabbit hutch to check on the bunnies, and this is what I found ... a big tree limb had crashed through the roof of the hutch!!  Thankfully, Butter and Peppercorn were fine.

The bunnies got a sun roof that they didn't ask for!

As we all know, duct tape has many uses!  Tom and I were able to remove the tree limb from inside the hutch and off the roof, and I got out the duct tape to repair the hole until Jake could get out the next day to make the roofing repair.  

Our Japanese maples seem to be slow in turning this fall, but Tom reminded me that last year it was November 20th when our maples were full of color in the garden, so while I wait, our Camellia sasanquas have plenty of color.

Camellia sasanqua 'Old Glory'
Hard to beat this combination of color ... white, pink and yellow!

 Papaver somniferum 'Lauren's Grape' is a favorite poppy.  I save the seed pods every year and distribute the seeds ideally at Halloween, but I'm a bit late this year and just sprinkled the seeds yesterday.  

Last year I just had a few of the dark purple color as most had reverted to a salmon pink color which was OK with me as I liked them ALMOST as much as the purple.  

I couldn't resist putting a dish of the poppy seed pods in a dish to display in the house.  

The new "Taj MaHutch!"

 

Our outdoor bunnies, "Butter" and "Peppercorn" have a new hutch!  The old one was beginning to break down with rotting wood, so it was time to start over.  Jake agreed to tear down the old structure and begin again.  He said he had never built a rabbit hutch, but had built a chicken coop, and was willing to give the rabbit hutch a try.  

This is Jake.  He was great to work with and did an outstanding job of the rabbit hutch!

"Goodbye" old hutch and "Welcome" new hutch!

 

Fall is a good time for change.  We had Loropetalum 'Ruby' providing a partial border around an Acer rubrum in our front yard.  We had one of the shrubs die this year and decided that this may be a good time for a change, so Tom had the difficult job of digging out all of the Loropetalum.  In their place, we decided to continue with the sweep of  Dryopteris erythrosora (Autumn Fern) we had started.  

Watering in the new Autumn Ferns

I look forward to late summer and early fall when my Toad Lilies are blooming.  I have to keep them caged because bunnies like them, too!

Tricyrtis hirta 'Miyazaki'
This is my favorite toad lily.

Tricyrtis formosana 'Gilt Edge'

  

"Mums the Word!"  Fall means the mums are showing off in their glory!

 

Ajania pacifica (Gold and Silver Chrysanthemum)

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium "Fanny'

                         

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Hillside Sheffield Pink'

                                        

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Cathy's Rust'

               

                                                             

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Gethsemane Moonlight'
(This was a new addition this summer and I am delighted to get a couple of blooms).

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium 'Raydon's Favorite'


   
      

 Oh boy, oh boy!  Tom and I found a new nursery!  It's Cline's nursery in Shelby, NC.  We visited there a couple of weeks ago, and we were out of control ... purchased 6 more Japanese maples PLUS some other plants we "needed."  Cline's delivered yesterday.  Our plan is to plant three of these new maples in 3 blue pots in the moss garden in our front yard.  We love the contrast of the bright blue pots and the light green moss.  

 

This unusual tropical, Mussaenda 'Queen Sirkit,' is blooming late this year, and I don't know why ... at least she bloomed!  She lives on our sun porch during the winter, but is much happier when she is outside.  

                                                                            

 

Our camellia sasanquas are just beginning to bloom ... 

Camellia sasanqua 'Setsugekka'

Camellia sasanqua 'Show-a-no-sake'

Camellia sasanqua 'Delilah'

 

Hedera helix (Hardy Bush Ivy) is a fall favorite.  The bees love the unique flower clusters ... and I do, too!

 

 

                                

WELCOME FALL!!  We've had a good rain, temperatures are much more pleasant, and the mosquitos are on the way to their winter home.

Chelone lyonii 'Hot Lips' continues to bloom into the fall.

Ilex verticillata 'Winter Gold'

 

Eupatorium rugosum 'Chocolate'

     

   Tom and I have been playing the children's game of "Pick Up Sticks" since Hurricane's Ian's visit.  

                                                      

                            

This is my efforts from ONLY the front yard!!  

Tom has this much or more from the upper garden!!  Still more to go!

Things could have been much worse, so we are very thankful.

                               

 Hurricane Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it came through Charlotte.  Visions of Hurricane Hugo were still in our memories, so we were nervous about what was headed our way.  Having the downstairs tavern and office flooded twice, Tom made sandbags to go at the door to stop any rising water.  Whenever we have storms, I am most concerned about the wind and the possibility of downed trees.  

Concerned about our outside bunnies, we brought Butter and Peppercorn inside for the night.  We put them in a dog crate in the office, but also let them run around the tavern for a bit of exercise.  Maple and Kiwi were royally entertained!