What does late November look and feel like this year... not much like the Novembers I've known in the past. Actually I like the mild temperatures (if you can think of low 40's as mild) but I know that any day we may be socked with that big snowstorm. I guess I have two concerns, but really can't do a whole lot about either one. Our fall has been on the dry side even though we've had misty rain all day. I shut down and drained all my outside water supplies with the expectation the rains that would come.... maybe they will, one can hope. The other thing that concerns me is that when it is this mild this late in the season, will we be hit by sudden very cold temperatures. This is always a concern when one grows plants with borderline hardiness. A proper hardening off period is to my way of thinking one of the most important aspects of growing plants of questionable hardiness. I have a good friend who is a rancher in northeastern Colorado. He recently called me for some advice as he wanted to install some landscaping. There really aren't a lot of choices in his climate with the inconsistent rains and huge temperature changes over the course of a day's time. I had no interest in plants when we settled here... but we lucked out in terms of climate and our gardening futures... we are thankful that we can grow so many wonderful plants now that gardening has become such a big part of our lives.
Despite the many hard frosts we've experienced for the past few weeks, I do have a few colors other than green and brown in the gardens. Witness the alyssum pictured above and of course the ornamental cabbages are still doing their thing. They are just a nice presence in the gardens at this late date.
Lest you think us slovenly gardeners, I do leave my lily canes until spring for two reasons... I like them to remind me where the bulbs are in the spring, and I feel there is less opportunity for too much moisture being directed to the bulbs with the canes intact. I don't know that I've ever read that any place... it just makes sense to me as I have noted the large depression in lily bulbs when their canes have been removed. I also leave leaves where they fall in the gardens despite reading warnings about harbored diseases, etc. I figure that if it's good enough for the forest, it's good enough for me. Yes I know some folks grind them up and then spread them as a mulch and I can't help wondering if that were so important, how come God didn't invent the leaf mulcher a very long time ago?
I mentioned in a previous blog that my orthopedic surgeon told me that I needed a major life style change because of my disintegrated right rotator cuff... of course my reaction was a life style "adaptation" perhaps... after all, I'm not crazy about being in pain. I've taken the first step towards the adaptation by ordering 30 new dwarf and miniature conifers with the idea of doing lots more hyper-tuffa plantings. This means a whole lot of hyper-tuffa container making some time before spring arrives, but I'm actually looking forward to an adapation that could eventually change the face of my gardens and cut down on the work! I've already installed a lot of dwarf conifers in this rock garden area... I have to say that I really like the look... all I need now is that mountain stream (and no alpine cabbages in view!)
And now for the late fall critter update... there are actually two fronts in this battle...
The first goes like this..."they're ba...aak..." Rabbits that is, after a four month hiatus... The time has come to wrap magnolia and Japanese maple trunks... and on bushier varieties, build cages. It's not the prettiest sight to see in the winter, but absolutely necessary in farm country! I also purchased a 250' roll of 6' burlap to wrap susceptible conifers and Japanese maples that have a difficult time with bright sun and drying winds in winter... although I haven't quite gotten around to that task yet... here are some photos of how the battle is being waged.
The second battle cry is... "they're still here and I wish I knew what they were!!!" While 24 hour radio stations blasting at full voice for weeks on end are solving the problem of my younger plants being dug out in some of the gardens, there are areas where this simply won't work because it would be problematic for the neighbors (just a hunch on my part). Let me speak to the following photo... first off this area did have 3" of wood mulch which the creatures have fully incorporated into the soil by digging holes a foot across and a foot deep. The small wrapped tree is a magnolia, half of its root system totally exposed to the air by the "thing" this morning. If I new what they were I probably could rent them out to the local farmers for plowing... probably lots cheaper that diesel fuel! I'm almost to the point of buying one of those digital motion cameras!
In a previous post I mentioned the promise of spring as related by the buds on one's magnolias... for a magnolia lover, this is exciting stuff!! As an example, look at this Brozzonii cultivar... (and yes the rabbits do a number on a tree this large, hence the splints and bandages, otherwise called tree wraps)...
Well, I've said it before, November is the very best time to evaluate the bones of one's gardens. I like to take photos and study them through the winter... I consider it a success when an area is somewhat attractive despite the fallen leaves and lack of bloom. Here are a few of the areas that I'm considering right now... until next time, Larry
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