By Tamara Galbraith

You see them all over the place during autumn: bales of hay used as fall décor. But once all the autumn decorations have been put away, what should you do with your bales of hay?

One option is: compost them. Hay is an excellent additive to the compost pile, and ideally, the heat of the pile will kill any weed seeds that might be languishing in the bales. Straw apparently breaks down even better than hay.

Hay and straw make great mulches and/or path covers too. First, though, break open the bales and let them sit outside for a couple of weeks. This will allow wild birds to come in and munch on any weed seeds that might still be present. When spreading hay or straw bales on garden beds, be sure they don't stay too clumpy as you break the bales apart.

Lastly, hay bales left intact make great cold frames--a kind of mini-greenhouse for housing tender plants during the colder seasons. Simply arrange the bales in a tight square and place your plants inside, either right in the soil or in containers. A piece of Plexiglas or an old window serves as the lid.

If you decide to give this easy cold frame a try, be aware that you must monitor the temperature frequently. Too much sun, and the plants inside will fry, so prop the lid open if necessary. If temperatures are going to drop too low for your plants, throw a blanket over the whole contraption and remove it when things stabilize.

No matter what, the hay will eventually break down, though, so keep an eye out for that--as well as the occasional mouse looking for a warm, fluffy place to spend the winter.

The New Zealand Flax (Phormium tenax) has become one of the most popular and versatile plants currently used in landscapes. With its wide range of color combinations, this beautiful grassy-type plant is not only tough but adaptable to many situations, including seashore plantings, wet or dry soils, hot windy situations and container plantings.

Flax was first discovered In New Zealand on Captain Cook's second expedition to the South Pacific in 1773, and new varieties have been discovered and propagated ever since. The toughness of this plant is evidenced by the variety of its habitats throughout the New Zealand landscape. From alpine lakes and river mouths to beaches and coastal cliffs with salt sea spray, this plant seems to have the ability to adapt almost anywhere.

Earlier selections, while attractive, were too large and bold for most average gardens. But beginning in the late '70s and '80s, a number of our growers have made available a colorful line of dwarf and intermediate selections, useful in a variety of garden settings. All have the compact, clumping habit and fans of narrow, folded leaves typical of this group.

Not only is the foliage attractive, but the flower stalks which form on older plants rise above the foliage producing clusters of red to yellow tubular flowers which are very attractive to hummingbirds. Many people choose to remove them, however, to promote continual production of the more ornamental leaves.

Flax plants enjoy sunlight but can also tolerate light shade. They adapt well to most soils and need only moderate to occasional watering. Occasionally, reverting green or bronze shoots will grow out of clumps with the desired leaf pattern and can overwhelm the plant if not removed. But the plants are basically pest free, and you couldn't ask for a lower maintenance plant in the landscape.

We stock a large selection of New Zealand Flax and invite you to visit the following link to get an idea of the color combinations available. Click here to view a list of our fabulous flax!

Irene is a native of San Jose and enjoys traveling, dancing, gardening, and going with friends to comedy clubs.

As a child, Irene once led Operation Tadpole Rescue, saving as many "orphan" tadpoles from the local creek as her mother's Tupperware collection would hold. Her house soon became home to a budding reptilian ecosystem, and her parents spent many a sleepless night listening to a chorus of croaking and unwittingly sharing their beds with Irene's frogs and turtles.

Once out of high school, Irene went into Montessori School working as a teacher's aide.

Ever impulsive, Irene has been known to suddenly take off on long 12-hour drives to the country. In the winter, she enjoys Frisbee-sliding in the snow.

My staff and I look forward to serving you this year. We'll go out of our way to make your day!

Matt Lepow

This week's featured recipe is from our employee, Ferne Watt. Whenever Ferne brings in her homemade goodies to share, we all love them. Try this one and let us know what you think. It will encourage her to share even more of her yummy recipes!

What You'll Need:

• 3 cups apples, chopped and peeled
• 2 cups raw cranberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ cups quick cooking oats, uncooked
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup flour
• ½ cup butter, melted
• ½ cup chopped pecans

Step by Step:

1. In a 2 quart casserole dish,combine apples, cranberries and sugar. 

2. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Press mixture on top of fruit in the casserole dish. 

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.