October stuff

I end up doing the same thing in the fall as I do in the spring, which is purge and clean.  I purged my closets a bit and put a bag of clothes out for donation pickup this morning.  The gym at work is doing a shoe drive, so I'm working on also culling any shoes that don't fit well anymore. After helping out getting a friend set up for his yard sale on Saturday (it's looking like the weather MIGHT cooperate), I've got to get into the garden. 

I've got 3 hellebore bare roots, 4 coreopsis, and a MYSTERY Priority Mail box which I think might be some of my bulbs from John Scheepers.  I say might because UPS isn't registering the tracking numbers that Scheepers is giving me for my 2 orders.  They start with an S so I think that's Smartpost which is basically a drop-ship to the USPS for delivery to my home. 

I'm supposed to be getting a milkweed Asclepias tuberosa (aka Butterfly plant) in a shipment today.  My effort to help the Monarch butterfly population.  Purple blazing star is estimated to come between 10/22/13 and 11/12/13.  English primrose and astilbe grab bag delivery estimate is 11/07/13-11/28/13.  Yeah, way to go Michigan Bulb - I'll be freezing my ass off putting those in if they come near the end of that estimate.

Ornamental grasses need to be cut down, they're looking quite scraggly after the rainy summer and early fall.  Dying foliage on the hostas and other perennials needs to be cleaned up as well.  I think I can still move some irises around.  The columbine I tried moving seems to not have liked the rough treatment I gave it - ah well, they multiply pretty readily anyway.  I'll be digging up the calla lilies too.