Let’s Talk About Winter

After the winter of 14/15 that we went through, you might react to the subject in one of two ways: 1) delight in what cold felt like since Connecticut is at the end of its second heat wave of this summer, with high humidity ; or 2) you remember what cold felt like and you went running and screaming in a southerly direction. Either way, the signs of our upcoming winter are beginning to show themselves.

I can’t help but notice that the trees are starting to change color. It’s very subtle on most trees, but there are a few that are in almost full autumn array.

In conjunction with color change, the leaves are beginning to shrink. When I look out at the woods behind my condo, I’m beginning to see daylight in places that were once a solid wall of leaves.

Another sign of winter, and this looks like it could be a bad one (the winter that is, not the sign), there is a bumper crop of choke cherries this year on the trees around the complex.

Would you believe the birds are beginning to assemble outside my patio door? First it was the mourning doves and today a bunch of sparrows. They are rummaging around where the seeds get thrown on the ground all winter. Pretty soon I start feeling like I’m in the middle of an Alfred Hitchcock movie.

Last week the Old Farmer’s Almanac showed up on my Facebook page twice. Like I didn’t notice the first time that it’s predicting a worse winter than last year. Then, again on Facebook, I get a multi-colored map showing well above average snowfall for the mid-Atlantic coast right up through coastal New England. The rest of you folks are gonna git it too, so don’t go being so smug!

Here’s an observation of interest: no acorns and no squirrels. I’ve read somewhere that the acorns go on a cycle that has nothing to do with squirrels and vice-versa. However, when there are fewer squirrels born in the spring, I sorta kinda get the feeling that there is going to be an acorn shortage…and there usually is.

Some of you take off for Florida or some other winter-warm place. I do miss you when you’re gone, and always so happy to see you when you return with that obscene tan.

No matter how you choose to face the coming winter, there is no way to stop it. I have such deep New England roots that I don’t mind winter. I’m blessed with a nice warm home with enough food to get me through the storms, and a crew of shovel-toting guys who do the heavy lifting.

Perhaps the biggest reason why I don’t mind winters…I marvel (maybe delight even) at the power of Nature. How awesome these storms can be and what it takes for us to deal with the results of that fury. As long as I have friends with generators, I’m all set!

Enjoy!

Beginning the Harvest of the Fruits of My Labor

It’s still early August, but the bee balm has pretty much run its course. The front garden still has enough to attract the hummers, but the back garden was totally done.

I went out this morning to see what had to be done and make plans to do whatever tomorrow. Well. One thing led to another and before I knew it I was harvesting the bee balm. Actually I feel I saved the white phlox that was getting choked out!

This is with the bee balm cut out

I’m glad all I was planning to do was look and plan for tomorrow! Heaven only knows what I would have done if I went out there with a plan for today! 

Then I decided it was time to harvest the safflower plants. Most of them had already flowered and the energy was going into the seed pods at the base of the flower. I have absolutely no idea of what I’m doing, but I never let that stop me. I pulled the safflower plants out (they actually pull quite easily) and cut off the seed pods into a small wicker basket. I have no idea what I’m going to do with them now, but I’ll keep them dry (maybe out in the sun) and if they burst open, the birds will have an unexpected feast! It has been a wonderful experiment, but I’ll not grow safflowers again. Next year, when they start coming up (and they will) they will be treated as a weed. And you know what we do with weeds.

Much prettier with the safflower gone

With the safflower gone, the ornamental peppers have a better chance at getting more sun, air and rain. They have not started turning colors yet like the ones in the front garden. It could be the ones in the back don’t get as much sun. Something to think about for next year. Maybe put them in a different spot.

Speaking of next year…all three of my gardens are getting a make-over. The bee balm in the front is getting dug up and given away. That will make more room for a new configuration for the white and pink phlox in front. I’ll probably still have ornamental peppers, but beyond that my gardening mind is a clean slate.

The back gardens will see the bee balm moved as well as the white phlox getting a new configuration. I need something blue back there and may try foxglove. The delphinium this year was a disappointment. It’s finished blooming 2-3 weeks ago. I need something that’s going to last longer than that.

The sedum needs a huge cutting back! That will be separated into 4 plants next year. I’ll keep one and give the rest away. It will also find a new spot in the garden. I’ll see how the bleeding heart does next year. This year it started out weak, but right now it’s starting to look pretty good. I’ll wait on that. The rest is a big question mark. I’m trying for ‘less is more.’ However, I tend to get carried away. What I need is a lot more space and a gardener.

As you can see in the following picture, my front garden needs to have much less next year. The morning glories will absolutely not be allowed to grow. I planted seeds one year and I’ll have morning glory plants for years to come. You just can’t yank them out completely. Another plant to be treated as a weed! 

Still going strong

 So there you have it. Harvest time has arrived. It won’t be long before the bee balm in the front gets cut back. Then, little by little, month by month, the rest get cut back or pulled out.

I’m dreaming of next year already and I’m seeing spectacular!