A Slice of Italy at the Botanical Center

There's a transformation taking place. The Des Moines Botanical Center is about to become the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden.

Another transformation has also taken place, as it does several times each year...the Polk County Master Gardeners have transformed the Gardeners' Showhouse once again, and this time, it's a slice of Italy.

 "Welcome to our Italy."

 

 

 Few words today, mainly just pictures. Hope you enjoy this little slice of Italy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information about the Botanical Center, click here.

Linking to Home and Garden Thursday, Fertilizer Friday, and Open House

Tea with Apple Bread

Welcome to Beyond The Garden Gate, where it's time for tea.

Come on in; I've been baking.

 Apples are great this time of year. These are called "Missouri apples," and I found them good for  both baking and eating.

 This is 'Old Britain Castles' by Johnson Brothers.

 An apple plate (Dollar General) holds a warm slice of apple bread with butter.

Thanks for sharing tea with me today. I have a recipe for the apple bread below.


Apple Bread - from Hometown Press cooking column, submitted by Margaret Vander Weerdt (used with permission)

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp soda
2 Tbsp sour milk
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 cups chopped apples

Mix margarine and sugar well. Add eggs, soda, milk, salt, flour, and apples. Pour into loaf pan. Sprinkle topping over loaf. Bake 15" at 325; turn oven down to 300 and bake one hour more.

Topping:
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp margarine
1 Tbsp cinnamon


Today I am linking to Friends Sharing Tea, A Return to Loveliness, Tuesday Cuppa Tea, and Tea Time Tuesday.

2 Little Surprises in the Garden

 In my garden, I came upon a larkspur blooming on 10/24/2012. What a surprise! Most of the larkspur are long gone - and gone to seed. Isn't it pretty?

 The other surprise is this Missouri evening primrose (sundrops). This plant is one of two I purchased late in the season and planted in one of the border beds. I was pleasantly surprised to see it bloom, and also surprised at the size of this bloom.

 The rudbeckia continue to produce a few blooms here and there.

 Still-life:  Crimson leaves

 

 

 The leaves belong to this burning bush in my neighbor's yard.

 The glory of mums. This, too, is at the neighor's house.

 Scarlet crabapples, bounty for birds, deer, and squirrels

 I still have a few pansies in the garden. However, colder temperatures are forecast so this may be their last hurrah.

 I can't get enough of this view of the various colors of mums and a boulder. My neighbor made a pretty bed, didn't she?

 Have you noticed that redbud leaves are heart-shaped? So are violet leaves...

A heart necklace, perhaps?

Or just plain old "garden art"  lol

 

By the way, today is "Make a difference day."  What will you do to make a difference? In a future post, I'll share my "day before Make a difference day," as well as what I did on October 27 and 28.

 

Be happy, and give back/pay it forward/mentor/love/share Jesus - what can you do to change a life? More importantly, what WILL you do?

 

Late Bloomers

Welcome to Beyond The Garden Gate! I'm Beth, and I blog about my garden, my table (especially tea), and life in general.

Today I want to show you the gardens. I still have things blooming; I call them late bloomers. (smile)

Clematis 'Josephine' 

Clematis 'Nelly Moser' 

 Beautiful leaves in my garden

 Ornamental cabbage, after the rain

 Lobularia 'Snow Princess'

 The grasses are showing color - this is 'Little Bluestem.'

 Foliage of the kaspia plant is showing lovely color.

 Achillea 'Paprika'

 

 

 A few of the Camelot series foxglove continue to bloom.

 I love the brilliant color of this mum.

Looks like someone needs to rake! And, oh, yeah, while you're at it, why is there a horse standing on top of the garden shed?  lol

Linking to Open House, Fertilizer Friday, and Home and Garden Thursday