Ornament of the Week...Russia

Matroyshkas, or nesting dolls, first appeared in Russia in 1890. Often referred to as babushka dolls, they have come to symbolize family. Matroyshkas are figures of decreasing sizes nested one inside of the other. Traditionally, the baby is the first piece created in a new set, carved from a single piece of birch wood. The figures are painted in folk garb. The largest doll in the set often holds a basket, birds, or flowers.
Our International Christmas Shop features an astounding selection of both traditional folk art and holiday matroyshkas.

This year, we also have a selection of delightful small ornaments painted in folk art fashion, ready to hang from the Christmas tree.

Ornament of the Week...Italy

The beloved character, Bambi, comes to life in stunning detail on this laser-cut wood ornament from Italy. Surrounded by Edelweiss as a butterfly lands on his tail, Bambi brings back childhood memories. The master artists have created a beautiful ornament that will be beloved for generations.
Bambi and other wood ornaments are available in our International Christmas Shop from a family-owned company in Pema, Italy.

Ornament of the Week---Baa Baa Black Sheep

Diminutive ornaments are made of wood and wool

Caused by a recessive gene, black-woolen sheep are rarities of the flock. They are considered less valuable by breeders because their wool cannot be dyed and they stand out from the rest of the herd.

Historically, the term 'black sheep' was synonymous  with outcasts, or those different from the norm. Nowadays, the term has evolved into a symbol of pride, recognizing a person who stands out from the crowd; unique and nonconforming.
Visit our International Christmas Shop and pick up this sweet, tiny ornament for the black sheep in your life.
Available in limited quantities.

International Ornament of the Week---Estonia

Christmas witches are familiar to European children. Consider the friendly Befana of Italy, who delivers presents on the Epiphany,

or Berchta, from North Germany, the witch who bestows her favors upon the good.

Or perhaps you are celebrating the American holiday of Halloween. In any case, these delightful witches made in Estonia would be a charming addition to your home.

Please visit our International Christmas Shop to see our full selection of Estonian witches and other handcrafted ornaments from the region.

Pumpkin Power

Another beautiful fall day

I have had the opportunity to be up close and personal with pumpkins since I started working at Valley View Farms way back in 1972.  There must have been a bumper crop of them soon after that because we started selling all-the-pumpkins-you-could-carry- in-your-two-arms for $1.00. Yes, we had to be that specific to keep folks from wearing over sized shirts and jackets to get a big base for the large orange orbs. It was entertaining to watch the kids place piles of pumpkins in dad’s arms and then watch him walk to the cash registers alone and unaided by other family members. Those things were HEAVY!

The search for the perfect pumpkin

Nowadays, pumpkins are a little more expensive and families pick them out with the utmost care and attention to detail. Looking at folks choose their perfect pumpkin is fun. One person will look for a perfectly round fruit; someone else wants the pumpkin to be tall and skinny. A deep orange color is of paramount importance to one person, yet another must have the perfect green “curly-q” stem. Once home, the pumpkin may be painted or carved. Pumpkin Masters has created a huge following for their detailed carving stencils and some really fun, cool tools.

Pumpkin carving parties are being held all over the place, and, not so surprisingly, for adults. A get together at my home last year produced some really creative carvings using hole saws, drills, super pumpkin guts scoopers and the tools from Pumpkin Masters. Participants used regular orange Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins, white skinned pumpkins, various shapes and sizes of gourds and even some of the mini Jack Be Little types.

We repeated the event with the kids a couple of days later, sans saw and drill. They had a blast too.

Tyler and the Webelos

After putting so much work and creativity into carving, it was sad to see one of the pumpkins dry up two weeks before Halloween. The search was on to find a technique to keep the pumpkins nice through trick-or treating.

Here are some hints for pumpkin preservation from Pumpkin Masters.

1. Spread petroleum jelly on the cut edges of the pumpkin.
2. Spray the pumpkin with water, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate when the pumpkin is not on display.
3. Soak or spray the pumpkin with water and a touch of bleach to ward off molding.
4. Should your pumpkin shrivel, soak it in water for several hours, allowing it to re-hydrate; the more shriveled the pumpkin, the longer it should soak. Dry out the inside thoroughly. It is surprising how pumpkins can be revived using this method.

Autumn’s cooler weather is perfect for outdoor entertaining. Oktoberfests, Halloween parties and family and friend get-togethers abound. Using pumpkins, gourds, Indian corn, mums and corn fodder as decorations create a fall festival feel.

 Easy projects include hollowing out cool pumpkins and large cushaw melons or squashes and placing mums inside; cooks might place a bowl with stew or soup into a pumpkin too. Small votive candles can be placed in the Jack Be Little gourds to be used as place cards and table accessories. Safe, battery-powered votives are available now as are old-fashioned wax candles.
Enjoy the fall weather and a little pumpkin fun this Halloween season.

William C Goard

The Great Pumpkin arrived at Valley View Farms and will remain on display from Wednesday, September 27 until Saturday, October 28. This year, Valley View Farm's owner Andy named the gargantuan pumpkin after his father and Valley View Farm's co founder, William C Foard, (known as Goard during this pumpkin season.)

Wild Bill from Cockeysville, October 2016

I can still hear Billy say over the phone, "that's Foard; F-o-A-r-d." Billy was also called Wild Bill from Cockeysville; both names will be on the pumpkin's display stage.
I don't know how long Billy and Andy have made their mission to get a giant pumpkin to celebrate fall and to bring some publicity to the garden center in Cockeysville. Back in 1989 , Billy had managed to get the World Record Pumpkin that year grown by Gordon Thompson and weighing in at 755 pounds. It was huge! We saw reports on the pumpkin all over the local news. My cousins on the west coast watched a report in their home state of California. We were even on TV as far away as Japan. The goal to garner publicity for the garden center was a success. People came from all over to see the pumpkin, picked out smaller versions from our displays, sipped on apple cider and gathered mums and other fall decorations for their homes.
Since then, we have hosted larger pumpkins, including one weighing in at over 1700 pounds. Andy began naming the pumpkins several years ago.

Cool Tim with Cool Moose

Goard brothers with Cool Moose 2016

Copius Gus, Gourdzilla, Rolling Thunder (the sound of the pumpkin in the back of one of our large trucks), Sasquash, Big Earl, and Cool Moose have all taken center stage.  This year's orange orb weighs in at 1536 pounds. Several others will join William C. Goard on display for the next month.
We get a kick out of people entering the contest to guess the number of seeds in the pumpkin. Tom Tasslemyer, WBAL's Chief meteorologist, counts the seeds on October 28th.

Tom and Billy a few years ago

Once the seeds are counted, we will look through the book for entries to see who's guess will win the $300 gift card for 1st prize and the subsequent guesses that will win $200 and $100 gift cards. Guesses range from 10 to millions of seeds.

The farmers and growers of the big pumpkins will get their seeds back to help them grow an award winner again next year. Bill always painstakingly cleaned all the seeds, spaced them out on a large cookie sheet or screen to air dry, and then carefully packed the seeds to return to the growers.
 Billy left quite a legacy at Valley View Farms. Andy's naming of the Great Pumpkin after his dad and business partner is a fitting tribute to the man.

Top Ten Fall Gardening Projects

Fall tasks in my garden look a little different this year. Take a look at the last blog post to see some of the ways I've had to change directions to allow my own garden to thrive after numerous summer storms.

Working with nature is a statement that gardeners take to heart. We want beautiful gardens that the deer won't eat, but that will attract butterflies and hummingbirds. We embrace native plants, but also enjoy the colors and forms of some 'foreign' trees and shrubs. We will tolerate some insects, but hate the invasive ones like stink bugs and Japanese beetles. We're outdoor people who love summer storms until hurricanes and hail effect our flowers and vegetable harvests. Nature is showing us who's boss in a big way lately. I, for one, am looking forward to a calm, cool fall devoid of too many weather events.

Here are the top 10 things that gardeners in our area will be working on in the landscape.

1.  Add fall colors. Mums, pansies and other autumn annuals do the job well; mix it up to add calibrachoa, celosia, petunias and other annuals that will continue to thrive well into October and November.

   

   Verbena, calibrachoa, petunias, euphorbia and other annuals thrive in cool autumn temperatures

2. Add perennials to extend the season for wildlife. As an added bonus, perennials planted in the fall will be well-rooted by spring.

   

   Goldenrod is an excellent choice for fall perennial beds

   
   
   
   

   

   Allium ' Millennium' is the Perennial Plant Association's choice for 2018 Perennial of the year!

3. Plant spring flowering bulbs. Ideally, wait for a frost or two before planting tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and many of the special bulbs. Most only need 12 weeks of dormancy and will do much better planted later. That being said, get the bulbs now to get the best selection, and keep them in a cool spot until November 1 or so and plant them then.

   

   Camassia, wild hyacinth, can be planted in the fall and will bloom beautifully in spring

4. Continue to harvest late-season vegetables like lettuce, broccoli, and other cole crops. These plants are tolerant of frosts.

   

   Fall vegetables

5. Prune dead branches from trees and shrubs anytime. Wait until mid-December to prune back roses and other late-bloomers. Do not prune azaleas, rhododendrons or other early to mid-season flowering shrubs as you will be removing spring's buds.

   

   Pruning out dead hemlock branches

6. Fall is the single best time to feed and seed the lawn. Bring in a soil sample for our staff to check for pH to see if lime should be added to the soil. Grass seed is available for lawns in full sun, shade, those with heavy traffic and all sorts of other situations.
7. Look for shrubs and trees for fall color.

   

   Clethra has nice fall color and is a wonderful butterfly plant

   Also, consider evergreens. They will be great to have during the winter holidays to decorate. Or, prune greenery to make into wreaths, winter arrangements or live garlands.
8. Consider growing a plant for holiday gift giving. Make a terrarium or fairy garden. Start some beautiful amaryllis. Design and plant a succulent wreath. By starting these projects in the fall, plants will have plenty of time to grow into unique gifts.

   

   Start a succulent wreath now for holiday decor and gift giving

9. Mulch...but wait until the garden's soil has cooled to avoid having plants break dormancy. Be careful not to put mulch too close or too deep around plants as it could contribute to rot.
10. Make notes, and  take pictures to identify successes and challenges, and to prioritize tasks for early spring.

Enjoy the cooler weather and quiet times in the garden this fall and winter. Do take some precautions to help the garden survive and thrive this fall season and get it ready for 2018!