The falling leaves, cold temperatures, and dormant plants that mark autumn invoke a degree of sadness in gardeners, hard-core and casual alike. What to do as the days grow short and the flower beds grow tired? How about getting some pointers to apply once next year's season begins anew?

On Saturday, Dec. 6, Sarah Price, landscape director at Montgomery Place, will be teaching a continuing education class at Bard College, right next door to MP, called "Getting Started with Perennials." Part of a series hosted by the New York Botanical Garden, the class is $42 for their members and $47 for the general public.

Here's Sarah's course description:

"Perennials return year after year to provide color and texture in our gardens. Be inspired by beautiful plant combinations and discover the most dependable perennials for lower maintenance and long-term beauty. Learn the basics of perennial gardens, including soil preparation and planting techniques, plant selection, design, and maintenance."

Sarah definitely knows what she's talking about and loves to share her knowledge. Her Montgomery Place peonies are shown here.

Check out this link for more info and to sign up for the class.

It definitely took a bit longer for the judges to pick the winner in the final week of the Blaze YouTube Video Contest. Not only were there a large number of entries, there were a large number of outstanding entries, making it very hard to pick the topmost auteur during the final weekend of Blaze.

Those honors, however, go to Christopher Davis, who took a very cool approach to the contest, turning in a mock movie trailer for the Blaze. He takes home an iPod touch, courtesy of WHUD.

The judges also asked me to post the link to a great entry from Luis Martinez, who came in a real close second.

The first link is to Christopher's vid, the second is to Luis's. Enjoy 'em both and keep your cams charged for next year's Blaze.

A special thanks to all those who entered this October's four YouTube contests.

 

Halloween is gone, and so is the Blaze, but neither are forgotten. We have two more entries in our Meet the Carvers series for this year. Next up is Faith Butterfield.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.
FB: I've been an interpreter at Van Cortlandt Manor for 10 "fun"tastic years. I like making costumes, gardening, and Mr. Prince.

BB: I don't think I know him...What kind of carvings did you work on for Blaze 2008?
FB: Carved funkins for the our retail shop and simple jack o'lanterns.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
FB: Blazing...Is...Amazing

BB: Nice. Can you offer any advice for the casual carver?
FB: For intricate designs, use "art" pumpkins...they don't rot!

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
FB: I like the sounds of nature.

BB: Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
FB: Dazzling autumn leaves
inspire carvers fantasies
Blazing pumpkin eyes

BB: Excellent! So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
FB: Harvest is in...time to dress up and have fun.

BB: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
FB: My mode is real whipped cream with rum and cinnamon.

BB: Tasty. If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
FB: I'm bright, I'm dirty, I'm rotten.

BB: If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
FB: Canoeing in the Adirondacks, attending harvest festivals, baking zucchini bread and pumpkin pies.

BB: Thank you, Faith!

As promised, Meet the Carver entry #2 for today: Cristal Rose Stevens.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

CRS: I am a diverse artist - Renaissance face painting, music, stiltwalking, and custom sewing, to name a few other trades.

BB: What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?
CRS: My favorite are the fairies, gnomes, and mushrooms. I worked on everything - the monster/character sculptures were my brain child.

BB: Excellent! Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
CRS: So...Much...Work!

BB: I hear that. Can you offer a little more advice for the casual carver?
CRS: Scoop from the bottom, it will hold the structure better.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
CRS: I put my iPod on shuffle and gather inspiration from the diverse music collection. that I have - celtic, world, techno, hip hop, tribal, rock, Ani DiFranco...I love music!

BB: Me too. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
CRS: Look further inside
Tricky artists will surprise
wise carvings layered

BB: Brilliant! So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
CRS: Costume chaos, kids commotion, magic potions...I've been nicknamed the Queen of Halloween. It's my favorite holiday, I like it all.

BB: Awesome. How about pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
CRS: I prefer pumpkin soup, spicy and warm.

BB: Yum. If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
CRS: Plant my seeds? Ouch? Eat me? This is going downhill quickly...

BB: Ha ha. If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
CRS: Hiking up mountains, playing with clay, making sweet music, candle-lit romance, actually having time to make a sweet costume, lots of freelance art, who knows...

BB: Thank you, Cristal!

It's Halloween Eve. What better occasion then, to offer up not one but two Meet the Carver entries. First up, Peggy Diaco.

BB: Tell us something non-pumpkin related about yourself.

PD: I love Blaze so much I drive here from the Pocono mountains in Pennsylvania every year to help.

BB: Now that is dedication. What kind of carvings are you working on for Blaze 2008?
PD: I helped carve dinosaur bones and a variety of faces.

BB: Can you sum up Blaze in three words?
PD: Line...Up...Here!

BB: Good advice. Can you offer a little more advice for the casual carver?
PD: Study the pumpkin carefully before carving a face to see its personality emerge.

BB: What's the best music to listen to while carving?
PD: Tom Hunt singing.

BB: Excellent. Got a pumpkin haiku to share?
PD: Pumpkin nation rise
Light your beauty to the skies
smiling 'til you die

BB: Awesome! So what's your favorite thing about Halloween?
PD: That everything in nature is color coordinated.

BB: Pumpkin pie...a la mode, no a la mode, or no way?
PD: Always a la mode.

BB: If pumpkins could talk, what would they say?
PD: Please don't hurt me!

BB: If you weren't spending October carving pumpkins, what would you be doing?
PD: Seat renewals at Pocono International Raceway.

BB: Thank you, Peggy!