October 21, 2009

My garden is not prepared for this cold weather! Or rather, it is I who is not prepared to go out and prepare the garden for winter. These chilly, rainy days are not days that I appreciate as much as snowy, cold days! They remind me of my days in Scotland where I found it hard to keep warm. That bone-chilling cold weather was hard to keep out of the castle that I lived in. No, I’m not a princess! I attended college at UW-Dalkeith, which is a Wisconsin college program in Scotland. In front of the castle was a pasture with Highland cattle and surrounding the pasture in the spring were lots of yellow and red tulips. It brought warmth to all of us! However cold it may be, I will be planting bulbs in the near future. In the spring, you realize why you were out in the cold planting tulips and daffodils. The flowers evoke such happiness in the spring! Bright colors light up the lawn and garden as a rainbow lights up the sky.

My yard has several areas of bulbs but there is a new area that does not have any. I think I will be adding daffodils this weekend. Different shades of yellow in early spring will brighten up the garden, and they are rabbit proof, so I’ll have no worries if the cat wants to stay in the house with me.

As far as the vegetable garden goes, I keep procrastinating pulling plants and cleaning the garden. If it is not something, it’s another that I’m using as an excuse to not get into the garden. On the other hand, I am excited to still be able to harvest a few leeks and brussel sprouts from the garden. Friday-rain or shine, I will be shucking Indian corn, harvesting, and pulling plants to put in the compost pile. As for my tomatoes though, I will not be putting them into the pile. I had a bad year of tomato blight. My cherry tomatoes did excellent, but I had a small crop of bigger tomatoes. Next year will be better!

My perennials will be cut back, too. Right now is a great time to cut back perennials. Those hostas, daylilies and many others can be cut back all the way to the ground. My ‘Karl Foerster’ grass will have to wait and be cut down in the spring. I enjoy looking at it all winter. Coneflower and stonecrop are also plants that I leave to enjoy during the winter, plus the birds like hanging out in them!

If you’re not sure what to do in your garden, stop in at either location. We’re here to help you every step of the way!

Bundle up for the garden!
Wendy Thon
MNLA Certified Professional

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