Orange beautiful*

*Post title inspired by -- well, pretty much copied from but with all credit given to  -- this gorgeous site & blog.

"In like a lion, out like a lamb" (and vice versa) is the well-known saying applied to March's weather. I'm trying to think of an equivalent to describe last month. If you read drafts of this post I published accidentally (oops), you'll know I tried marmalade cats and Bengal tigers. The first of October was sunny and warm and I recall purring contentedly in the kitchen while roasting eggplants; the 30th and 31st included every kind of weather: bold, strong, and untamed, if not quite ferocious at the end. But perhaps colour is the most accurate, and for me, memorable way to describe October in and October out: in with tasty reds & aubergines and out with glowing oranges.

Saturday's destination

The Hope Slough (in Chilliwack, B.C.), fish habitat restoration area
photographed on the bridge, October 30th, 2010

And now you know why I was so impatient to leave the city last Saturday morning.

Today I've also written about  A Sense of Place on the Hedge Society.

Three for the balcony in autumn

Last Saturday morning, just before 8 am, I was beyond ready, eager and impatient to be on the road east to brighter skies, long walks & photo ops along Hope River Road and on Little Mountain, and, at the end of the day, a warm, tasty meal of homemade soup and pumpkin seed bread. But before leaving, I chose to exercise self-discipline (a weak muscle for me) and spent a good hour -- with the emphasis on good so it was really no hardship --  tidying and tending the balcony's plants, tools and surfaces.

After I'd finished clearing the dried leaves from the Japanese maples and sweeping the deck, sunlight began streaming through gaps between the clouds. Because I consider it a "sin" to waste a moment of good light in October, I dropped the broom and secateurs and picked up my camera so I could preserve the images of herbs that have delighted and nourished my senses through late spring, summer and now autumn.

Thymus 'Doone Valley' (Doone Valley Thyme) 

Rumex sanguineus var. sanguineus (Red-veined Sorrel, Bloody Dock)

Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' (Golden Oregano)

This post contains an experience-based recommendation -- and perhaps some evidence -- for including these three "5-star" plants in the fall kitchen garden.

Each plant gets stars for: #1) attractive appearance, #2) container suitability, #3) ease of care, and #4) culinary potential.

Each plant gets a fifth and one or more bonus stars for these features:

Doone Valley Thyme -- scent.

Red-veined Sorrel --  other common name: Bloody Dock!

Oregano -- exuberant, lush growth habit: it spreads, climbs and trails to fill and spill over a container.

Most of all, my eyes enjoy all three along the balcony's railing where they look good in all levels and qualities of light, even today's overcast grey.

Growing tips from some favourite resources

It's about thyme - from You Grow Girl

Origanum vulgare 'Aureum' | Golden Oregano - an excerpt from Designing an Herb Garden

The Macabre Beauty of Bloody Dock - from Paghat's Garden

Note: I eventually made it to my destination but that's the subject of the next post.