Tales From the Garden

You know how I often talk about gardening as a metaphor for hope and resilience? Well. Have I got a garden tale for you!

Last summer, I stuck my post-bloom amaryllis plants out in the garden for the season. My plan . . . was to let them do their thing in the summer sun, and then put them in a dark place to overwinter for a while before bringing them out in time to force-bloom for my post-holiday enjoyment. At the end of October last year, I stuck 6 amaryllis bulbs (still in their pots) in the garage, right next to the beer fridge.

And that was that.

And . . . that's where they stayed, actually. Because I never brought them into the house after the holidays. I completely ignored them. Didn't want to deal with them. Had no amaryllis bulbs in the house at all this year. (In fact, they're all still sitting in my garage, right next to the beer fridge.)

So imagine my surprise last weekend while I was scrambling around in the garage for my loppers . . . when I noticed one of the amaryllis bulbs sending up . . .

BUDS!

Talk about hope and resilience.

Despite my WORST neglect . . .
darkness
cold cement
not a drop of water
every conceivable plant hardship

. . . this bulb is giving me a beautiful bloom! (With two more to come.)

And a reminder that we can, indeed, survive and thrive.
Even if the conditions are far less than ideal.

(. . . or overwintered in a dark garage, right next to the beer fridge.)

Tales From the Garden

This week in my garden . . . it's all about the purple.

Globemaster allium.

Lacecap Viburnum.

Purple smoke tree.

Batik bearded iris.

Baptisia (blue false indigo).

And . . . what's THIS purple bloom in my garden???

Why . . . it's my daughter, visiting from California!
The very best tale in my garden this week, for sure.

 

Tales From My Garden

As usually happens in May . . . my garden is exploding. I'm scrambling to keep up with everything happening out there, which is both thrilling and overwhelming. Spring, when it finally happens, is Really Quite Something.

And I have the fingernails to prove it!

Here are a few tales from my garden this week.

First, I'm celebrating my sad little azalea. This little guy . . . really struggles. It is one of the few remaining plants in my garden that was original to the house when we bought it, so it's been around for a very long time. I've tried everything I can think of to get it to be a happy plant, but it just . . . isn't. Every year, I think about digging it up and letting it go. But it keeps budding, and . . . well . . . hope springs eternal in this gardener's heart.

The last 3 years have been particularly challenging for this sad little azalea. In each of the past 3 years, just as the buds emerged, we've had a hard frost and that was the end of the story. This year, though? Blooms! And lots of them. My sad little azalea was lovely this year, and I'm so happy about that.

This photo of an emerging hosta plant in my garden was taken a couple of weeks ago. My garden is full of hostas (I think I have 45-50 all told), and I think it's truly magical to watch them emerge and unfurl every year. In the early spring, my garden looks absolutely barren . . . but it's suddenly lush and green when the hostas return! Magic!

I've mentioned before that our Jenny dog LOVED hanging out in the hostas. It started when she was a puppy and continued right on through her (very long) dog life. Tom and I decided to spread her ashes among the emerging hostas in the garden so she could continue hanging out in her very favorite spots . . . and we did that last weekend. We ran out of her ashes well before we got to all the hostas, but she will continue to have a presence in our garden.

I have most of my containers planted for the season already. This one is my favorite (so far).  I picked up the very cool planter at an end-of-season sale last year (an absolute steal for $20!!!), so this is its "patio debut." The planter is made of cement, cast to look like wicker. (There is a "matching" big round one on the ground next to it.) This particular planter is about two feet tall, and quite narrow. I love the shape and size of it, and was excited to bring it out this year and show it off. 

There are lots of other "tales" waiting to be told . . . out there in my garden.
Stay tuned!

"The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul."
                                            ---Alfred Austin

 

Tales From the Garden

Hoo boy! Things are really POPPIN' out in my garden. With our sudden tropical heat wave, I've got things blooming so quickly it's making my head spin! My tulips - still in tight bud last Sunday - are opening, blooming, and dying back all in the same day. 

Enjoy them while you can. (Because tomorrow they'll just be stems!)

Anyway.

With things happening fast-and-furiously our there in the garden, I thought it might be time to reprise a post I did last August featuring my not-so-secret container garden formula . . . 

Winning containers = Thriller + Spiller + Filler

Check it out and do a little planning before visiting your local nursery.
Because, friends . . . It's planting time!

And Then . . . It Was Summer

I've been griping about the lack of Spring for weeks now. It's been cold -- with plenty of rain, sleet, some snow, and continued cold. Grey, blustery days. No sunshine. It's been a real keep-out-the-winter-jackets kind of spring.

Until Saturday. When Spring finally arrived. 

It lasted . . . 3 days.

Today, full-on Summer arrives. As in mid-to-upper 80s every day this week. Go directly to Summer. (Do not pass go; do not collect $200.)

I know it won't last. Spring will be back on Saturday, with cooler and more Spring-like temperatures. But this shot of summer will create LOTS of action out in my garden. Once all that sunshine and warmth hits my just-emerging plants, things are going to EXPLODE out there! 

You'll find me hustling to get my spring garden chores done today. As things really heat up in my garden - with growth and bloom on fast-forward, I'll miss my opportunities to dig up and transplant and get to the last of those damn hairy bittercress weeds before they go to seed. If you're looking for me today . . . head for the garden.

Because here comes Summer!
(Ready or Not.)

Tales From the Garden

Meet my springtime Garden Nemesis . . . 

Hairy bittercress.

I am currently doing battle with this little bugger ALL OVER MY GARDEN. I spend a good chunk of every day digging as much of this crappy weed out of my garden beds as I can manage. I need to do it NOW . . . before it goes to seed. Because when it goes to seed? It propels hundreds of tiny seeds in all directions! (It's very impressive.) If I can get it before it goes to seed, I can slow the spread . . . and staunch the bleeding. (This stuff is everywhere.)

If you are troubled by certain weeds, you might like to check out this super helpful weed-identification website from the University of California. Yes. I know it's California, and I don't live in California. But this weed-identification site is interactive and super easy to use -- AND most common weeds tend to thrive in all growing zones anyway. (Not all, but most.) Once I figure out what my weed IS, I can google it for my area and work from there.

Here is more hairy bittercress . . . interspersed with another of my nemesis-weeds, common chickweed. (Boo! Hiss!)

Why is it important to know about your weeds? Well, if you know which ones you've got and how to deal with them, you'll have more success getting rid of them! For me . . . with my hairy bittercress infestation . . . I know I need to pull before they seed.

I'm in a race with time.
(Wish me luck!)

 

Sometimes Mondays

. . . look like a head start.

Oh, it may look like a visit from The Ghostbusters. But it was just our yard service company doing a "spring clean-up" in my garden last Friday afternoon. (There were actually two more guys out there, but I couldn't fit them into the frame.)  For the past couple of years, we've hired a crew to do both a spring and fall "clean-up" in the garden, which is basically a couple of guys with powerful blowers making quick work of the leaves and detritus of the season. This year, I had to switch our yard service company -- and this new one? VERY thorough, very efficient! Not only did they blow the detritus out of the nooks and crannies, but they also cut back a lot of my perennials and all the grasses. I was astonished and amazed! (Because that is not usually part of the spring clean-up service.)

So I am now - officially - ahead of schedule with my garden chores. Without even trying, really.

It's even more amazing to be ahead of the game . . . seeing how it snowed the very next day.
Sigh.
(Spring in Michigan. What can I say?)

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Here's to a good week for all of us!

 

Fall Gardening Week 4: Wrapping Up the Season

As I explained earlier this month, on Thursdays in September I'm bringing you tips and advice for . . . 

And here we are . . . the last day in September (already) . . . the end of the month, and the end of my fall gardening series. I planned to finish things off today by sharing a few Fall Gardening To-Do Lists from well-known gardening gurus. Y'know . . . taking a peek at what the "pros" do. And then I got to looking at them. And I was like . . . NEWP! Because who needs THAT kind of pressure. (Seriously. These well-known gardening gurus? They either don't sleep, never go inside, or - more likely - have gardening staff on hand to help them.) (Just sayin.)

Not to be deterred, I decided to stick with my plan - sharing a Fall Gardening To-Do List - but to . . . Keep It Real. So today you get to see the fall garden chore checklist of a real-life, admittedly lazy (yet-committed!), one-woman-band (with a trusty sidekick) kind of gardener.

(Yeah. It's my list.) 

And there you have it: my garden plans for the coming weeks.

I recommend starting with the lowest-hanging fruit. My strategy for any to-do list is to dig in with the quickest, easiest tasks first . . . to rack up some early success and establish inertia. I look for the one-stop stuff like . . . scheduling the sprinkler shut-down. (One phone call! DONE.) Finalizing the snow plow contract. (Sign and mail!  DONE.) Bird seed. (Send Tom out to stock up for the winter! DONE.)

Then, I move on to the fun stuff. For me, this means decorating with mums and pumpkins, and switching out my front porch containers with some hardy annuals. This does entail a little planning and a stop (or two) at my favorite local nursery. I also think it's fun to decide which plants I want to try to bring inside for the winter. (I don't have much success here, but it's fun to go through the process - and give it whirl.)

Which leaves me with the chores that feel more like . . . actual chores. As in . . . they take some time and need to be done with a bit more care. Cleaning, oiling, and storing my garden tools for the season, for example. Or gathering and packing up my "garden tchotchkes" for the season. Emptying, cleaning out, and storing my garden pots and containers. Those chores.

Definitely not my favorite things on the list, for sure. They aren't horrible, by any means. But if you leave them until too late in the season, you risk having to do them in the cold or the rain (or snow), and that's no fun. Besides, winter weather is hard on pots and tchotchkes. If you want things to last from season to season, it's best to get them stowed away in your chosen storage area for the season. (And by all means get those hoses unhooked before it freezes.)

Another job on my list that's not much fun and never finished (ever) . . . is weeding. I continue to weed until I can't weed anymore -- because I know that every weed I pull in the fall is a weed that won't seed in the spring. So it's worth doing. And doing. And doing. And doing. (I often give myself a goal of 15-30 minutes of weeding every day. Every little bit helps.)

And then . . . let's talk about bulbs for a second, shall we? I really hate planting bulbs in the fall. (It's my least favorite chore on the list.) (I'd even rather weed every day.) I don't know why, but I just get ZERO joy from planting fall bulbs. BUT . . . I get ALL THE JOY from seeing their blooms in my garden, come spring. So I usually bite the bullet and throw a few more in the ground each fall. This year, it'll be more allium and a refresh on tulips. (I'm officially giving up on crocus. I love them. But every year - just as they're beginning to bloom - critters dig them up and eat them -- and have the gall to leave the uneaten parts right there in the garden so I can see what's been going on). 

So . . . if you haven't gotten your bulbs in the ground yet, you've still got time! It might be too late to order what you want from an online outlet, but my local nursery was well-stocked with a good selection of bulbs when I visited yesterday. So go for it if you want some joy in your garden next spring.

And one last chore that is important, but so easy to just skip, is taking stock of the garden-year-just-ended. It's not hard, and it doesn't take long. Just snap a few pictures. Walk around and jot down notes. What did you like? What was an absolute disaster? Where are the dead zones? What ideas do you have for next year? In a few months - say . . . in February - you can get these notes out and start dreaming and scheming. You'll have a much better sense of what you want to tackle first in your garden come spring if you have some notes to remind you about what you were thinking in the fall. (If any of you are interested in more information about how I take notes for my garden, let me know. If enough of you are interested, I'll put together a blog post.)

And there you have it! A real-life, fall garden chore checklist . . . from a lazy gardener you know well.
What do you think? Did I forget anything?

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Additional Information and Resources:

Looking for information on how to clean and store your garden tools for the season? This link from Gardening Know How includes bare-bones information for getting your tools ready for winter. (I like this article because it's not so detailed that you throw up your hands in frustration and annoyance.) (Trust me, some of them are ridiculously complex when it comes to cleaning tools.)

Wondering just how to clean up your pots and containers before storing them for the season? Here's another link from Gardening Know How to give you the scoop. (I skip the bleach part altogether, just so you know).

Thinking about planting some bulbs this fall? Here are some shopping-for-bulb tips from Margaret Roach of A Way to Garden. And here is a slideshow featuring her "favorite, reliable bulbs." (She doesn't plant crocus anymore either, by the way.)

About those weeds . . . Are you interested in identifying the weeds in your garden? Here's a weed-identification guide from Margaret Roach, and here's a great tool - Is This Plant A Weed? - from the University of Minnesota Extension Service.

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Past Gardening in the Fall posts:

Week One: Less is More (fall clean up information)

Week Two: Now is the Time (fall planting and transplanting information)

Week Three: Bring 'em Inside (bringing your outdoor plants indoors for the winter)

 

Fall Gardening Week 3: Bring 'em Inside

As I explained earlier this month, on Thursdays in September I'm bringing you tips and advice for . . . 

Suddenly (like . . . yesterday), the temperatures dropped quite a lot here in my corner of the world. We're not close to freezing or anything (yet), but there is definitely a fall-like nip to the air. Now is the time I start thinking about cleaning up my containers and pots. Sure, I'll replace some of them with mums and other fall-hardy plants. But . . . what do I do with the rest of them? Should I try to save non-hardy plants I've grown to love over the summer? Or should I let them go to the compost bin . . . to be replaced next spring?

Yes. Today, we're talking about bringing your outdoor plants . . . indoors (otherwise known as "overwintering")!

So, when is it time to bring outside plants inside?

Most of the plants we grow in containers are annuals (or tender perennials in Southern regions) and cannot survive cold winter temperatures. We can bring many of these plants inside, though, to let them go dormant until next spring -- or even (in some cases) to continue growing through the winter. Alternatively, we can collect seeds from our favorite annuals and save them until spring. Or we can take cuttings and try to propagate plants.

And now? Now is pretty much the time to start in on any of these options! 

Ideally, annuals should come indoors before nighttime temperatures dip below 45°F (7°C). As fall weather approaches and night temperatures reach about 50°F (10°C), it's time to start bringing the plants inside for the winter. Most tropical plants will suffer damage at temperatures below 40°F (4°C), a few even below 50°. You will need to act well in advance of any actual frost or freeze to acclimate them.

Which plants should I bring inside?

Unless you have a greenhouse (I dream of having a little backyard greenhouse . . . ), you'll likely have limited space inside for overwintering plants. If you're like me, you'll have to make some decisions about which plants you want to try to save. Think about which plants are your favorites - or which ones have sentimental value. Which of your plants are pricey enough that you'd hate to shell out the money for them again next year? How much space do you have inside -- and what kind of light can you offer the plants during the winter? You should also only bring healthy, thriving plants that are free from pests inside.

Here are lists of good candidates for bringing inside over the winter (either as plants, seeds, bulbs, or cuttings). At the end of this post, you can find some "how-to"resource links with specific information.

• Collect seeds from . . .morning glory and moon vine (Ipomoea), Nicotiana, Gomphrena, Celosia, amaranth, sunflowers (Helianthus), zinnia, cosmos, cleome, calendula, marigold, Verbena bonariensis, annual forms of poppy and larkspur, and certain Salvia, including Lady in Red and Victoria.
• Propagate cuttings from . . . coleus, sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas), Impatiens, Alternanthera, Tradescantia, either rhizomatous or cane or wax begonias, and ornamental sages, including Salvia leucantha.
• Store as dormant bulbs or tubers . . . Cannas, dahlias, gladiolus, calla lilies and pineapple lilies (Eucomis), and some elephant ears (Alocasia and certain Colocasia)
• Treat as a houseplant . . . non-hardy ivy and ferns, Plectranthus, elephant ears in the genus Alocasia, cane-type angel wing begonias, Tradescantia, flowering maple (Abutilon), and succulents.

Generally, garden experts recommend just composting some favorite annuals - heliotrope, Lantana, Calibrochoa, Bacopa, Fuschia, and Impatiens. While it's possible to get them to keep going inside during the winter, the success rate is low -- and they're easy and relatively inexpensive to replace in the spring.

I think the most important thing about trying to bring outdoor plants indoors for the winter is . . . that you will have success with some things, and absolute failures with others. I've brought in terrifically healthy Boston ferns for the winter only to have them die in weeks, for example. And every time I attempt to save my dahlia bulbs, they shrivel and dry out. Sometimes I collect seeds and then forget where I put them -- or that I even collected them in the first place. And I love watching my coleus root each winter, but then I usually . . . never plant them in the spring. But last year I got an amaryllis bulb to re-bloom, which I consider a huge win. It's all a crap shoot. It's fun. It's entertaining. It's . . . gardening in the winter!

This year, I have a few "candidates" in my containers for overwintering inside: an elephant ear, a few succulents, and an unidentified tropical annual that's just too pretty to compost. I always take cuttings from my coleus plants and annual salvia, and I plan to collect seeds from my butterfly weed and ornamental onions (and you already know that I've collected some Satomi dogwood seeds). I've also got an ongoing "experiment" with my amaryllis bulbs from last year. It's nearly time for me to bring them in and give them "the silent treatment" now for a few months.

How about you? Do you think you might try bringing any outdoor plants . . . indoors for the winter?

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Additional Information and Resources:

For some specific overwintering instructions for a variety of tender plants, this is a great article from Margaret Roach. She also has a great "experiment away" attitude (because, really, what have you got to lose, and this is a fun way to garden in the winter).

Here's a short article with good information about acclimating your houseplants from outdoors to indoors. It also includes some good information about checking for pests.

I know a lot of you love zinnias! Here's a detailed article with instructions for harvesting and saving zinnia seeds. (The same instructions can be used collecting seeds from any number of annuals, by the way.)

Interested in trying to propagate your coleus plant in water? Here are detailed instructions for doing just that from Garden Gate magazine (you'll need to scroll down a bit; first there is general information about growing coleus in planters).

Looking to overwinter some tender bulbs? I know it's kind of fussy and kind of intimidating, but here are detailed instructions with clear photos and recommendations that may help you give it a try. (Just because it's never worked for me doesn't mean it won't work for you!)

Just want to try bringing some plants inside to see if they'll work as houseplants? This article has some step-by-step instructions for how to do that. (I am much lazier than this article suggests I be . . . ) (just sayin). 

If you're looking to do some more serious propagation, here's an article listing tools and supplies you might need to get started.

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Past Gardening in the Fall posts:

Week One: Less is More (fall clean up information)

Week Two: Now is the Time (fall planting and transplanting information)

Fall Gardening Week 2: Now Is the Time

As I explained last week, on Thursdays for the rest of this month I'll be bringing you tips and advice for . . . 

Yeah. You may be ready to just clean'r'up and close up shop in your garden by this point in the season. But I'm here to tell you . . . there's some work you can do now to lay a foundation for a healthy and happy garden next spring.

Last week, we de-bunked the cutting-back-in-the-fall thing. This week, we take on planting/transplanting! Because, gardening friends, fall is most often the BEST time of year for digging a hole in the ground and sticking a plant in it!

Why plant/transplant in the fall, you ask?

Conventional wisdom used to be that fall was the time to cut back and spring was the time to plant. But conventional wisdom is really just . . .  following tradition; doing what's always been done. And you know when the whole clean-up-in-the-fall/plant-in-the-spring thing started? Well, a hundred years ago when people in England and Europe were most interested in carefully sculptured topiary gardens and growing exotic plants collected from all over the world, it was important for them to tidy up in the fall and plant in the spring. And those practices stuck around - even though most people these days don't have turn-of-the-LAST-century gardens.

In other words . . . "garden fashion" dictated the horticultural practices of the time, and those practices carried over through the decades -- where they hold firm as conventional wisdom even now. More recently, though, horticultural scientists have researched and discovered better ways for gardeners of today . . . to garden. So, unless you happen to be into carefully sculptured topiary gardens and exotic plants, it makes a lot more sense to switch those gardening tasks around: clean up in the spring, plant in the fall.

Benefits of fall planting:

• A growth headstart. In the spring the soil is cold, so the roots of newly planted perennials grow slowly. In fall, though, the soil is already warm, so roots grow faster. And since the plants won't be producing flowers in the fall, they'll have more energy for sending vigorous roots into the soil. By the time spring rolls around next year, your new plants will be happily settled -- and will grow faster and bigger than if you waited to plant in the spring.
• Take advantage of the dormant period. In the fall, most shrubs and trees are heading into their dormant phase -- which makes it an excellent time for transplanting. Rather than continuing to transfer energy into new foliage and aboveground growth, plants will transfer energy into their roots and be able to store nutrients and resources for the cold months ahead.
• Easier care. Plants just require less fuss-and-bother when planted in the fall -- and you're less worried about their "performance." They still need plenty of water, of course, but with lower temperatures and shorter days, they'll need less water -- and no fertilizer. (And you'll be able to stop watering altogether once the soil freezes.)
• You know what you need. This season's garden is still fresh in your mind, so you can easily recall (and maybe still even see) the "holes" in your in your garden and easily identify all the areas that need a bit more "pizzazz." You know what made you crazy this year. You can still remember plants in other people's gardens that caught your eye. Fill those holes now -- before you forget about them in the spring!
• Bargains. This is the time of year to pick up great bargains at nurseries. You can find big mark-downs on perennials right now. Sure, the plants may be "leggy" and they most likely won't be blooming. They may look a little worse for the wear. But in the fall, we don't care so much about the tops of the plants -- we care about the roots! So take advantage of lower pricing on perennials in the fall. I have "rescued" many a great plant from fall clearance tables -- including a sad little Japanese maple ($8) that is now a star performer in my garden.

Know your gardening zone . . . and pay attention to the weather.

Successful gardeners know their gardening zone. The USDA publishes a plant zone map (or hardiness zone map) for the United States. Here's a handy interactive plant zone map -- you just plug in your zip code and the site will tell you your zone. Once you know your zone, you've got some valuable information at your fingertips! Plant information (on tags, websites, in catalogs or books) will always tell you which zones a particular plant is appropriate for. (Local nurseries will usually only carry plants appropriate for you local zone.)

Your zone is also helpful for targeting the general frost date for your area -- and will help you pinpoint when it's the best time to do some fall planting. For example, in Zones 6 and 7, the cool-down period starts around the end of September, about six weeks before the first fall frost. This is the ideal time to start your fall plants. In Zones 3 to 5, you’ll want to plant earlier if you can. And of course, Zones 8 to 11 can pretty much plant year-round without a problem. You want to get an early start to give roots time to get established before the hard frosts hit.

Sure . . . frost might seem like your biggest fall planting challenge, but it’s actually not a huge problem. Yes, frost will kill the tops of your new plants, but it won’t affect the root growth. The roots will grow until the soil freezes solid (a hard frost), which is often weeks or even months after the first frost hits. In temperate regions—everywhere but the far North and the high mountains—soil usually doesn’t freeze until after Thanksgiving.

I hope you can see . . . that NOW is a great time for planting and transplanting.
In fact . . . what are you waiting for???

(And be sure to check out the excellent resources below for tips and how-to advice on doing the actual planting/transplanting. I've even included a special link for hydrangeas -- because fall is THE BEST time to transplant hydrangeas.)

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Additional Resources:

Here's a Frost Date Chart to help you figure out your area's first frost/last frost date. (Really helpful information for gardeners.)

Looking to move a hydrangea? Here's the scoop: Moving Hydrangea Bushes: When and How to Transplant Hydrangea.

Here's a bare-bones article with information to help you determine the best time to transplant perennials, shrubs, and trees from GardeningKnowHow.com.

Wondering how to successfully transplant perennials in the fall? Check these tips from Horticulture Magazine.

Here's an engaging discussion about dividing and editing your perennials with Margaret Roach and her guest Toshi Yano on this episode of A Way To Garden. (There's a link to listen - 25 minutes, or you can read the transcript.)