GBBD and Lessons Learned II

I don't know about you, but it seems that everything I do takes longer to accomplish these days. I've taken a mini-blogging break lately so that I could focus on getting some Christmas projects and the shopping done.  But it's time for another Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, and I didn't want to miss out, even though there's not much to show.

There are a few spots of green out in the garden from the lamium, heucheras, and hellebores, but otherwise the garden is a soggy mess of brown.  Besides, it's rainy and windy outside today, so we will have to stay indoors. I had hoped I could share some blooms on the small Christmas cactus for Bloom Day, but it turns out it is more of a Thanksgiving cactus instead.  After a nice little showing for Thanksgiving, its blooms have withered, and it's time to move it and make room for more Christmas decorations.

A pot of pansies and ruffled kale are still blooming outside my patio door, but I showed them last month.  Other than that, the only real bloom I have today is a geranium resting in the garage.  Considering my shameful neglect of all the plants I brought inside last month, I'm surprised it's even still alive.  And that's it, fellow garden bloggers.  Not even a festive Christmas poinsettia to share with you . . . I really need to get that shopping done!


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Speaking of geraniums,  I also wanted to participate in a meme hosted by Beth at Plant Postings about lessons learned in the garden this autumn.  In September I wrote about what I had learned this summer, but there is always something new to learn in the garden--or maybe it's just that I need to have the lessons presented several times before I actually learn them:)  If you will indulge me, here are a few things I learned (or re-learned) this fall:

1.  Don't bother bringing in annuals or tender perennials to over-winter inside unless you're actually going to take care of them.  Determined to be a little thriftier next season, I potted several cuttings of coleus and dug up some of the geraniums, begonias, and hibiscus that were still looking good in early November. I  brought numerous pots into the garage while I tried to decide where there might be room in the house for them to spend the winter.  A month later, they're still in the garage.  The garage is semi-heated, so that shouldn't be a problem, but opening the back door repeatedly to let the dogs out and leaving it wide open on a very cold day for the furnace repairman meant some arctic blasts hit some of the tender plants. Instead of saving them for next spring, I may have merely consigned them to a slow death.

Kale and marigolds in mid-October

2. If someone else is doing the mowing and trimming, make sure you give clear directions as to what should not be mowed down. Mr. P and I have had repeated discussions on this subject, and for the most part, he tries his best to follow my wishes.  But I was surprised upon returning from some errands in early December to see him mowing the lawn.  Now that was fine because the lawn needed a last trim before winter, and the remaining leaves were shredded instead of matting the grass all winter.  It was also fine that he mowed over the vegetable garden, except that I had wanted to leave the kale standing.  It wouldn't have lasted all winter, but it would have lasted awhile longer and would have looked so pretty with the first dusting of snow.

Snow-covered fennel in January

I also like to leave the fennel standing, but it, too, was leveled.  No frozen fennel to photograph this winter!

3.  Planting spring bulbs isn't always as easy as it sounds.  I love, love tulips, and the time spent planting them in the fall is well worth it.  But I discovered this year that the amount of work it takes to have this beautiful show in the spring depends on where you plant them.   Planting them in the compost-rich soil of the new arbor bed was a breeze and actually enjoyable, especially since I didn't have to worry about disturbing other bulbs. But I decided this year that a mass of tulips and daffodils in front of the large fir tree next to the shade garden would really provide some impact next spring.  What I didn't realize is that the soil in front of the tree was rock-hard and mostly clay.  Add gnarled tree roots every few inches, and you have the makings of a very difficult job.  Several hours of pounding a shovel and then a trowel into this stubborn soil gave me quite a workout.

4. Take time to enjoy the season.  We really had a lovely fall, and although I did enjoy the fall color around me as I was working or while I was driving here and there, I wish I had stopped more often to really enjoy it.  For a month, I had promised Sophie we would go for a walk at our local forest preserve, but I kept putting it off until it was too late.  Sometimes, you just have to put down the trowel and make time for simply taking in all the beauty that is around you.

If you would like to share some lessons you've learned in the garden this past season, there's still time to join in at Plant Postings.  And don't forget to check out what's blooming all across the world at Carol's at May Dreams Gardens.

Lessons from the Garden

Researchers say that continuing to learn new things helps to keep one young and may even help to prevent Alzheimers and dementia.  That's good news to me because I have always had a love of learning. I often take a class to learn a new skill, attend workshops and presentations on various topics, and read a lot.  But there's no better place to continually learn new things than in the garden.

I've come a long way since my early days of gardening--not so long ago--when I couldn't figure out why those pretty blue hydrangeas I bought had pink blooms the next year.  But the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.  Every year there are new lessons to be learned in the garden.  Here are just a few of the new things I learned this season:

1.Pay attention to the recommended spacing on plant tags. It's easy to ignore those guidelines when the plants are small, and you want the immediate gratification of a lush, full garden.  But after a couple of years of growth, the result can be a very crowded garden, especially when the plant-addicted gardener adds even more new acquisitions in every bare spot of soil.  I like the look of a sea of green, like this scene from my shade garden, but things have gotten out of hand.  The poor hydrangea had to fight for air amongst the hostas, ferns, and hellebores.  I tried to resist the urge to plant too closely together in my new arbor bed, but the rest of the gardens need some major division and moving of plants next year.

2. Spending a little more on sturdier tomato cages is worth the investment.  Those flimsy metal cages I'd used for several years were beginning to rust, and the ends were bent every which way.  Since I cut back on the number of tomatoes I planted this year, it didn't cost that much to buy some new cages for them.  This year the tomatoes were taller than ever before and stayed upright, not falling over in the first strong summer wind.  This also meant fewer tomatoes lying on the ground where they would be more likely to rot.  As my Dad always said, "You get what you pay for."

3. If you don't want your garden taken over by aggressive self-seeders, then deadhead when the blooms are spent or pull the seedlings in the spring.  Volunteers are nice, but you can have too much of a good thing.  The Susans that filled so much of the butterfly garden last season didn't have a chance this year, and the few that appeared had to fight for space with taller bullies like goldenrod and asters.

As if that weren't bad enough, the Obedient Plant has their backs.  All these vigorous self-seeders make for a nice fall showing, but I'd like a little more diversity year-round in this garden; too many of the other more delicate plants cowered in fear at these tall gang members and just gave up.  A big part of the problem here is that I don't recognize all the seedlings that come up in my garden.  I nearly pulled some seedlings in the lily bed until friend Beckie pointed out they were poppies.  I've nurtured an unusual plant only to discover when it was full grown and blooming that it was a noxious weed.  I do want some goldenrod, asters, and Obedient plant next year, but I'm going to deadhead them this fall before they spread any more.  And next spring I intend to learn more about the appearance of different seedlings so I can have more control over what is growing in my garden.

I have no excuse, though, when it comes to the cleome in the lily bed.  I had one large cleome at the back of this garden area last year and pulled it in September to make room for a new hydrangea 'Vanilla Strawberry.'  Apparently, though, it had already dropped its seeds, because I had dozens of cleome seedlings appear in late spring.  I do know what cleome seedlings look like, and I pulled quite a few, but thought I'd leave a few for late summer blooms.  But egads, I forgot how tall they can get!  Now instead of noticing the fading hydrangea blooms at the back of this garden or the yellow Knockout roses that are re-blooming, the first thing anyone notices here are these tall, gangly spider flowers. They're pretty, but they're out of place.  Next year their offspring are headed to the butterfly garden where they will fit in better.

4. Don't buy any new plants in the heat of summer unless you're going to give them some extra TLC.  You would have thought I had learned this lesson last year when I nearly killed a much-desired new hydrangea.  I planted it during the middle of a prolonged hot and dry spell and then forgot to water it for a few days.  I managed to revive it, and it did come back this year, but it's rather spindly and never did bloom.  This year I lost a new heuchera planted in the heat of July, again forgetting it needed some extra water.  A new Japanese Anemone also looks like a goner, even though I did give it frequent waterings.  I didn't want to show either of these pathetic mistakes, so the photo is of my lantana which loves heat. 

5. Keep your eyes open for possibilities.  This was not a lesson I learned in the garden, but I had to include it as my final point anyway because it is garden-related.  I was taking in some aluminum cans for recycling and had to wait my turn in line, when I noticed this old wrought iron chair sitting next to a dumpster. I asked about it, and after some checking, the recycling attendant said, sure, I could have it.  Another worker then said there was a second chair already in the dumpster and went to dig it out.  It was a missing an arm, but I didn't care.  They were destined for the metal crusher, but I picked up both of them for a few dollars each.  I can see them sitting under a tree with a colorful pot of annuals next year, can't you?

Over the years the garden has taught me patience, a respect for all the living creatures that inhabit the garden, and an appreciation for the simple pleasures that nature provides.  But every year the garden also gives me some specific valuable lessons to help me improve my gardening skills as well.

What about you?  What lessons have you learned from the garden this year?  If you like, you can join Plant Postings in sharing your experiences.  There is always something new to learn in the garden!