Winter Interest

I actually took a Sunday drive this week and was reminded of what a calm, peaceful time of year it is. This is really our season of winter interest. No snow yet, bare naked trees, grass heads blowin' in the breeze. We gardeners live for this! I read an interesting article in the New York Times from November 4th on the ins and outs of putting your garden to bed. You should read it! 

Boy, we are not done yet.............I'd like to throw some more mulch down on those plants I just transplanted last week. When is Thanksgiving? THURSDAY?  Well it will have to wait. It is a reminder to pot up Paperwhite Narcissus for Christmas bloom. I like shallow glazed bowls and natural pebbles. "Easy as Pie" (like that's easy).

Let me see if I can find some shots of winter interest...................

There, Fern on Moss    Laurel Ledge Road

Fern on Moss

                

Holly in the Holly     Mohonk red border

Holly in the Holly

               Winter Koi Spa      Mohonk Lake porch

Winter Koi Spa

OK ......GTG .......TTYL.............LYMI

Gartenmeister

You can't hide from the calendar

This week's title comes from a good piece of advice I got from a very wise person (I forgot who). Anywho, this is that time of year! I just wish I had 3 more weeks of this Indian Summer before Thanksgiving and Christmas, and all that jazz. But, alas we are down to the wire. I hope you got all your bulbs in (outdoors). You can't just throw them in the fridge and plant them in spring. We (who are hiding from the calendar) are still potting tulips in the "g" house for forcing inside. After potting they winter in the basement (which is wet) and we bring them up into the warmth after an extensive rooting period (12=16 weeks).

I am guilty of trying to fend off the holidays by getting as much done outside as possible. It seems there is no spring any more, at least no time for big garden projects. So I've been busy getting a new Delphinium border together this fall. You'll get to behold the rewards in June.

Geeze, I better get back out there while the temperatures remain above freezing............I'm leaving with one picture from the archives.... caption Where's Waldo?

Gartenmeister

Google This.......

Oh we are connected at the hip to our computers these days, aren't we?  So as I listen to Simply Red "Fairground" on Youtube, I want to share some websites with y'all...........

Who has time to read gardening magazines? Not me ......so when a friend hands me one, I feel guilty and peruse at my own risk.  Voila, a great article about a well respected friend in the latest Garden Design.  Amy Goldman is a Dutchess County resident when she is not traveling the planet on her crusade to reintroduce heirloom vegetables to the human populus.  Her "back 40" is a living museum and you will never meet a more elegant or eloquent person.

Find her in cyberspace at http://www.rareforms.com/

Bulb planting season is winding down. Sometimes it feels like a necessary evil, and then you realize it is the easiest way to get a huge bang for your buck with relatively little effort.  Bulbs are clean, light and easy on the pocketbook.  So what was I groaning about?  ............Still time for tulips and lilies, and (trust me on this one) the bulb connection is Scheepers in Bantam, Conn.    http://www.johnscheepers.com/

So while you're driving on the internet highway, Google this.............Planting Fields Arboretum, Chanticleer, Chicago Botanical Garden, House of Flowers, and Piping Rock Orchids.................there that will keep you busy  :-)

Gartenmeister

This is it

Yes, I guess the growing season is over: 4 days with lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s is a reality check to get all those garden chores done.  So, we are doing just that!  The last of the bulbs get planted (lilies in the cutting garden), moving delphiniums to the Long Arbor (taking a risk, but I will mulch around the crowns), and cleaning out all the excess debris in the beds. That should keep us busy until Thanksgiving (which is only weeks away).

Malus 'Donald Wyman'

Malus 'Donald Wyman'

Korean Mums

There is still some color...........Malus 'Donald Wyman' looks more like a cherry than an apple and those Korean mums are still going strong! 

Gartenmeister