Thursday, November 3, 2011

She's still singing

The fat lady sings most every night now.  We've had several more freezes and there is usually frost every morning.  It's taken full toll on the summer gardens.  They looked very ratty after Sunday's blast.

I've been busy cleaning up the beds.  I don't remember it being such a fight to pull up annuals last year.  But then, it had been a very dry year and most of the plants were stunted and not very well rooted.  This year the Yvonne's had root masses as big as beach balls, most of the marigold had developed extra rootage along stems, and the subrotunda - well, I had to just cut them off at ground level and will dig up those roots next spring.  They weren't budging at all!

It's getting there.  I've left up all the blooming mums, asters, Walker's low catmint and lavenders. And I'm not touching that magnificent honeycomb butterfly bush.  It's still blooming.  Even now, after all these freezes, it's been feeding monarchs, a painted lady, a red admiral, clouded sulfurs, cabbage butterflies, some skippers and lots of bees.  

While most tender plants have succumbed to the freezes, the foundation bed hostas are mostly still green.  But I'm going after them today - the temps are still decent and the rain will hold off until tonight. I'm also hoping to start putting leaves on the beds, too, while it's still dry.

There's one stalwart hosta that I'll not cut, though.  It's a spring bloomer that's a little confused. I hope it will open before the before Friday night's mid-20s. (Mid 20s? Dang.  That means it'll probably dip to teens here. Hmmm, maybe a little floating row cover for this one. Brrrrr.)

5 comments:

  1. happy, healthy garden are always the last to give upa dn surrender to winter. It sounds like yours definitely qualifies!! :o)

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  2. My gold buddleia has never impressed me that much. It has had the least blooms of the others. Very curious.

    All gardens are different and the plants act accordingly.

    It is cold here too. It's good to see someone busy outside....still zero work accomplished here.

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  3. The pink agastache is 'Ava'. I bought it at High Country Gardens several years ago. I can only grow it in a pot because it needs sharp drainage but it grows to about four feet high and overwinters really well. The hummers and pollinators LOVE it. The HCG write up says they like lean soil, but mine let me know this summer that a bit of fertilizer was most welcome! I gave it some liquid fish fert. in its water this summer and just repotted it into a nicer pot with compost added to the potting soil. They want full hot sun all day. Very easy and beautiful plant!

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  4. Ava doesn't reseed at all. She's very well behaved and not a diva! She's actually one tough gal. :o)

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  5. I forgot to tell you that I put my pots of lavender in our egress window for the winter. They usually survive, but I need to cut them back a bit. I also have some in the ground that live a few seasons. I can't remember what kind they are, though.

    I see what's been keeping you busy. We have been dumping a few pots at a time, and even pulling annuals from the ground just a few at a time, because I can't seem to find a good block of time to do it.

    Have a great weekend!

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