Winterizing has begun

Autumn, which was unbelievably cold and unforgiving just a week ago, has once again turned mild, albeit damp and overcast. In spite of this renewed warmth, I know winter awaits around the corner and can appear at any moment. With this in mind I have begun my annual ritual of winterizing the garden.

You might think there isn't much that needs doing in a garden once the flowers are gone and the leaves are on the ground. In my garden there are at least a dozen flower pots that need to be brought into the shed or placed out of the path of a snowblower. The same goes for the benches and the pots hanging from the fence. My children's toy wagon, in which I once hauled toddlers, pre-teens and groceries alike, now acts as my makeshift wheelbarrow. Every year I wash it, polish it with ArmorAll and cover it with heavy plastic contractor grade bags to protect it from the elements during the winter. It's my hope to have that old wagon around to haul grandchildren and grand nieces and nephews so I treat it with great care and love.

Every year I go through this winterizing ritual and when I have finally completed it, I always have the same mixed feeling of accomplishment and emptiness. The yard is cleared and ready to rest again until the next growing season, giving me a sense of accomplishment, but I miss the color, the vibrance, the life of my summer garden.

It's time to bring in the tender plants, leave the annuals to die back and salivate over the offerings in my garden nursery catalogs. Winter's approach may have chased me indoors but I'm planning the strategy for my next horticultural attack. I'm thinking less flowers, more vegetables, perhaps some gourds for fall decorating. Hmmm, I'd better rest up this winter. There's much work to be done next spring.

Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Garden Abundance

(Note: Click on an image for a larger view)
I predicted abundance for this growing season and so far I have not been disappointed. My floral show has been excellent and today I picked my second "crop" of strawberries. I have never gotten more than six or seven strawberries a year out of my many plants but this year I have been able to pick several dozen so far and there are more on the way. I am hoping for similar results with the few vegetables I have planted. My clematis has made itself at home (with some help from me) in the trellis I installed last year in the memorial garden. I've planted some new flowers this year that I've never had before and they are progressing nicely. On the down side, the same conditions that are favorable for my flowers are favorable for weeds and I find myself pulling out more acacia and maple seedlings than ever before, not to mention the blanket straw, crabgrass, etc.

Regardless, I expect to enjoy my garden this year as in years past but this year there is a twist. We have adopted an adorable and energetic 1 year old beagle named Marla. She loves being outdoors and has expressed herself by running through the daffodils at breakneck speed, completely uprooting and killing one of my new bleeding heart plants and digging at every available opportunity. Needless to say Marla is no longer permitted in my back yard. It remains to be seen how Marla and my garden get along in the future. Time will tell.


Ballo ergo sum
- Gitana, the Creative Diva