"I realized that If I had to choose, I would rather have birds than airplanes." --Charles Lindbergh

Welcome Autumn- Nature's Respite Between the Heat of Summer & The Chill of Winter...

If you live in Southern California and pine longingly for the beautiful autumnal displays of color you see back East in gardening magazines, visit the museums for all the materials you'll need to produce your own fall festival of color! First you'll need Southern California's best imitation of the Canadian maple, the Liquidambar. These trees, planted in the ground can reach heights of 40+ feet, but do very well in large containers & pots (18"-24") which can be brought to the front yard, porch or back patio as the foundation of fall decorating. The large maple shaped leaves begin their color change to beautiful hues of yellow, red, and orange in late September and continue right through Thanksgiving. Add red, yellow & purple mums in the potted trees or plant a bed around the trees in the ground. Next look for 2-3 grasses such as Miscanthus, which you'll see drying and flowering all throughout East Coast landscapes. Arrange them around the trunks of the Liquidambar either in pots or planted in the ground. Other grasses such as Mexican Feathergrass, Red Fountain Grass & Carex Comens "Frosty Curls" all work just as well. Pyracantha with their beautiful red berries look great in pots espaliered or staked for even more long lasting fall color, Nandina Domestica has bright red foliage & berries and also works well. Add other items such as dried cornstalks staked to porch columns & fences, straw bales, and of course pumpkins! We've got everything you need to create your Harvest Garden.

History of the Chrysanthemum
	"If you would be happy for a lifetime, grow Chrysanthemums." (a Chinese philosopher)
The chrysanthemum was first cultivated in China as a flowering herb and is described in writings as early as the 15th Century B.C. In fact, their pottery depicted the chrysanthemum much as we know it today. As an herb, it was believed to have the power of life. Legend has it that the boiled roots were used as a headache remedy; young sprouts and petals were eaten in salads; and leaves were brewed for a festive drink. The ancient Chinese name for chrysanthemum is "Chu." The Chinese city of Chu-Hsien (which means Chrysanthemum City) was so named to honor the flower.
Around the 8th century A.D., the chrysanthemum appeared in Japan. So taken were the Japanese with this flower that they adopted a single flowered chrysanthemum as the crest and official seal of the Emperor. The chrysanthemum in the crest is a 16-floret variety called "Ichimonjiginu." Family seals for prominent Japanese families also contain some type of chrysanthemum called a Kikumon – "Kiku" means chrysanthemum and "Mon" means crest. In Japan, the Imperial Order of the Chrysanthemum is the highest Order of Chivalry. Japan also has a National Chrysanthemum Day, which is called the Festival of Happiness. The chrysanthemum was first introduced into the Western world during the 17th Century. In 1753 Karl Linnaeus, reknowned Swedish botanist, combined the Greek words chrysos, meaning gold with anthemon, meaning flower. Linnaeus was the founder of that branch of taxonomy dealing with plants and including the science of classification and identification. Experts say this is probably an accurate description of the ancient species, as it also points out the mum's need for sunlight. The earliest illustrations of mums show them as small, yellow daisy-like flowers.
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Recipe of the Week: Pumpkin Muffins

What You'll Need:

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup canned pumpkin 3/4 cup fat-free sour cream 1/3 cup fat-free milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 1 large egg white Cooking spray 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1-1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

Step by Step:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine pumpkin, sour cream, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla, egg and egg white; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon the batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Combine 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and brown sugar; sprinkle over muffins. Bake at 375ºF for 25 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pans immediately, cool on a wire rack. Yield: 18 Servings