This looks very good.
How often do you spray? We have been getting quinces every year for quite a long time, but they are pretty much always full of bugs and just end up in the compost pile. I am thinking that next year I will want to spray several times. We do have a pear tree in the area (grafted with four varieties) which might or might not be pollinating the quince.
One thing that I like about blueberries is that at least ours seem to do fine without any insecticide spray at all.
No spray! Pacific Northwest here. Apple pests are everywhere, but they seem to not touch quinces as these ripen much later. Hope I have not jinxed it 
!
Speaking of berries⊠Sadly, we seem to be getting more and more SWD (Drosophila suzukii), so those little bastards have been swarming my alpine strawberries. I keep telling myself that SWD is ok to eat but it is just gross.
Our never-ending summer is finally over, with low temps finally in the 60s. Whew! Iâve totally given up on my 2nd attempt to grow a loquat tree. It requires way too much babyâing through our brutal summers. Itâs too high maintenance. So I pulled it out this weekend and replaced it with a yellow bells bush (tecoma stans). When mature, itâll be about 10-12â high, which is perfect because I planted it in a spot where it will block more of Nosy Neighborâs view into our backyard & our dining room. 
Hereâs a picture of one thanks to Google:
I also ripped out the rusting aluminum raised bed on the side of the house. Thatâll go out at the curb in a week for bulk trash pick up. My winter project is going to be doing a stencil spray paint art project on the concrete block fence in the part of the yard where the raised bed used to be. And Iâm going to plant some more yellow bells bushes. Theyâll look gorgeous and kind of tropical and wonât require a bunch of supplemental watering 2x/day in the dead of summer like the loquat tree required.
Any suggestions for Hardy, perennial plants that are pretty and will survive in shade?
Hostas first come to mind - SO many varieties from different greens to varigated to smaller and HUGE sizes. If you have deer though, they like to munch on them.
Are you looking for flowering perennials? Ground covers?
Additional ones I love:
Ferns
Sweet Woodruff
Astilbe
Bleeding Heart
Toad Lily
Coral Bells
Some of the above are spring bloomers then done. Also depends on your zone.
Something ate all the hostas we planted 
will look at the others. Thanks. I would like both. But would certainly like color.
Yup, hostas are favorite food of slugs and snails. Mine survive only when planted in containers on the stone patio where the crawlers canât get them. I now plant ferns in shady areas. Nothing seems to eat them.
And rabbits. They decimated my hostas this year.
I love ferns. They also come in size/color varieties. Assuming itâs hot and steamy where you are @jym626 they should be happy there in the shade.
We have lots of deer. I checked my plant apps every time I planted things this year to see if deer resistant - but truth also is, depending on other food/water availability, they will eat out of the ordinary things if there arenât other sources. Big culprits this year were hostas, mexican sunflower, a beautiful begonia hanging basket (it was fine until August and then MUNCH!) and of course if they can get their lips on geraniums they will nab those flowers!
My deck tomatoes didnât do well this year either. One variety that always does well (Amish Paste) yielded very little. I made one batch of tomato paste this year. Most years, I can get 4 or 5 batches. Homemade tomato paste is amazing. Itâs absolutely nothing like the canned stuff.
The local deer feast on our hostas, unless they are right up against the house.
@jym626, hostas are great in shade, but Iâm guessing theyâd still need frequent watering in your area. Mine get heat stressed by mid-summer, these days before they even bloom.
I think deer feasted on previous hosta. Or something ate the roots.
Silly rhododendron and Mexican sunflower - itâs November 9 in northern Ohio not spring! #nosuchthingasclimatechange
Hope this doesnât damage them for real spring!
A neighborâs rhodie has been blooming at odd times! Like last January and now. Seems to be doing ok.
We have an azalea that always blooms in September-October, and never in the spring. I planted it about six years ago. None of the others in that bed do this, but they were here when we bought the house. Wonder if I still have the plant tag somewhere to see if the fall bloom is intentional.
What part of the country are you in?
Encore Azaleas bloom more than once.
Maryland
I know itâs nearly 2025 butâŠstill 2024 for this threadâŠ
Situation: I want to have a couple of small gardening beds - potentially the âmetalâ oblong beds you see advertised but a small version.
We have deer so I canât put these in our general yard where we have more green space. We do have a fenced pool area that has landscaping among a stone (river rock) edge. One section of that would have room for a small bed.
Question. Underneath the river rock is landscape fabric. If I clear the river rock to place the small raised bed that is 1-2 feet in height and full with good âsoilâ should thst be enough for herbs and maybe a couple small pepper plants to grow? Or will the surface with the landscape fabric present an issue?
Im thinking it should be ok but thought Iâd ask the CC beehive.
I donât see any issue the landscape fabric would cause. As long as water can drain through it shouldnât be an issue. Most plants need 6" of soil or less so that soil depth is fine too.
If you were inclined you could make a little support over the bed out of pvc or bamboo, etc and drape something as simple as bird netting over it and that would, in my experience, deter many animals, deer included.
I have several of those oblong metal beds and I am happy with them so far.
