Next week we can officially say good-bye to all that is summer. I'm always ready for the season changes although I do whimper a bit over the end of fresh tomatoes.
Since we have forecasts for below freezing night temps next week, we'll spend the afternoon winterizing the yard and gardens. What does that mean at our house in this neck of the woods?
Bring inside all the "stuff" we drag outside each spring. This is things that can't take freezing weather such as gazing balls and most anything glass.
Empty planters, wash and store upside down out by the potting bench.
Drain and bring in the hoses, plus winterize the outside faucets.
Take to the garage any plants I hope to over-winter. This year it will be only a few: the banana tree and the most healthy of the asparagus ferns. I'm too slovenly a winter gardener to nurse much else through the cold in our basement.
One of the hardest, emotionally, is taking all the green tomatoes off our plants. Because of the dry summer and a few late rains, they are just now blooming up a storm. Too little - too late. I'll leave the herbs and cabbage a little longer.
I'll also wait for the canna to be nipped by frost before they're dug and stored.
Since Ian was kind enough to spread a thick layer of mulch down this past spring, there is little to do as far as winter plant protection needs.
I'll pick the last of my beautiful Endless Summer Hydrangea blooms. It's the first year it's really bloomed well and it has put on a whole batch of late flowers. I hope to dry them and have a beautiful blue bouquet.
The Julia Child's rose is also blooming like crazy. Seems some plants always put on a late show when insects and hot temps ease up enough for them to bloom without any negative events.
I'll also pick a huge bouquet of nasturtiums. It's the most beautiful I've ever had in the gardens. They've bloomed continually and spread down the sides of the raised bed. The front of this bed is always a color riot. Red canna, pink cleome, orange nasturtiums, white cosmos and a riot of four-o'clocks.
Some years we've put out the Christmas lights on the fences and etc. about now but I'm not quite ready to go there this year. Probably wait until we freeze our fingers during the process.
Have a beautiful fall day folks no matter what your temperatures or forecasts.
Bring inside all the "stuff" we drag outside each spring. This is things that can't take freezing weather such as gazing balls and most anything glass.
Empty planters, wash and store upside down out by the potting bench.
Drain and bring in the hoses, plus winterize the outside faucets.
One of the hardest, emotionally, is taking all the green tomatoes off our plants. Because of the dry summer and a few late rains, they are just now blooming up a storm. Too little - too late. I'll leave the herbs and cabbage a little longer.
I'll also wait for the canna to be nipped by frost before they're dug and stored.
I'll pick the last of my beautiful Endless Summer Hydrangea blooms. It's the first year it's really bloomed well and it has put on a whole batch of late flowers. I hope to dry them and have a beautiful blue bouquet.
The Julia Child's rose is also blooming like crazy. Seems some plants always put on a late show when insects and hot temps ease up enough for them to bloom without any negative events.
I'll also pick a huge bouquet of nasturtiums. It's the most beautiful I've ever had in the gardens. They've bloomed continually and spread down the sides of the raised bed. The front of this bed is always a color riot. Red canna, pink cleome, orange nasturtiums, white cosmos and a riot of four-o'clocks.
Some years we've put out the Christmas lights on the fences and etc. about now but I'm not quite ready to go there this year. Probably wait until we freeze our fingers during the process.
Have a beautiful fall day folks no matter what your temperatures or forecasts.
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