Maple-Leaf Roses

I like walking on the Internet, I learned there useful things, such as: how to grow vegetables, how to knit a hat, how to make compost, which fertilizers are useful, how to make fast the dough and so on. Once I learned how to make flowers using dry maple leaves and I especially loved the maple leaf roses for an autumn wreath.
Last weeks colored maple leaves were falling down the ground, all the paths in my garden are covered with them. I picked the most beautiful red green yellow leaves, and began to make a rose.

I want to tell you how I did it. I folded in half and tightly rolled first maple leaf. The second leaf also has to be folded in half and rolled around the first leaf. So I continued to fold and roll more leaves.

I did 10 maple leaves to have a big enough rose. I forgot to say that each rolled leaf should be secured with a thread and then you need to cut shorter the leaf stems.

I've put the first rose in a cup and started to make the second one because it was a lot of maple leaves on the table. The second rose got a bit redder than the first one. I decided that I would have a big autumn wreath and I needed more roses therefore I've made the third rose.

Then I took a brush and a bit of vegetable oil and painted my maple leaf roses to longer store them. I think to use some dry leaves, dried rowan berries, sedum and my roses making a wreath.

Have you ever made autumn wreath with dry leaves, berries and maple leaf roses? What more could be added to a wreath? 
I'm sure one can try similar leaves if there are no maple leaves.

GBBD Mid-October

The weather indulges us in October, no snow and much rains, and hardy garden plants continue growing and blossoming.
Amazing Tagetes are about 60-70 cm high and branchy like bushes. Their inflorescence are large and bright.
Another amazing plant of this season is Impatiens 'Camellia Flovered'. I had sown it very late, in June, but Impatiens had grown rapidly and bloomed at the end of September. Now in the middle of October 'Camellia Flovered' blooms pretty red flowers.

Not only annual dahlias are in full flower the New England asters please me near the garden gates. I forget them all the seasons till October when asters are in bloom.

Annuals dahlias continue blooming for second month, there are a lot of buds and flowers on them. I gather faded buds so I'd had seeds for the next year. And I also want to try to keep the annual dahlia tubers for overwinter. Do you have any experience with annual dahlia tubers?

Only 2 roses are in flower in spite of cool nights of + 5 C. The rose 'Red carpet' bred in Finland, is very unpretentious and hardy. Another rose 'Golden showers' blooms like mad, nonstop, new buds replace faded ones. Perhaps I should cut its flowers and put in a vase in the city.

As always Parthenocissus quinquefolia or Virginia creeper reddens in the beginning of October, as if saying: 'Autumn has come, it is time to prepare for winter'. Dark smaller berries hang from the pergola and remind me warm days in Italy and grapes hanging over my head.

Although the grass is still green and it should be mowed at least one time per week but the nature changes: thick, dark and heavy clouds often appear. Perhaps the light white clouds flew away to the south, with flocks of geese, swans and ducks :).
The other day I was sitting on the porch with a camera in my hand to take photos of flocks fly away and drew attention to the shape of the dark cloud. The cloud settled low and the sun was already low. The sun's rays passing along the bright edge illuminated the cloud and went skyward.

Pond was quiet, water lilies already faded and only their leaves are still floating. Blue sky and white clouds reflected in the pond water.

Happy Garden Blog Bloom Day, fellows gardeners! 

Wordless Wednesday: Purchasing Bulbs

Have you bought new bulbs for the next spring? I have, but now the problem is to find spots to plant them :-)