I don 't remember what my excuse was last fall but I did not do a very good job on cleaning flower beds :-? Yesterday and today have been beautiful so I've about killed myself getting things in shape I found a peony and 2 hostas that I had completely forgotten about! They all look great so I feel like I won a prize!!! At the same time, I noticed I lost a day lily or two and a hosta or two I think that is a result of the mole/vole/gopher thing I fought all summer! :-x
Stratsmom--I am glad you have whipped those beds into shape! Congrats. I don't know what it is, but every year I seem to find some plant I've forgotten about.... If you find a cure for the voles/moles/gophers, I'd be interested.
Hi Deanna,..sorry to read that your critter be it mole or vole/gopher may be back but delighted to read you are whipping your beds into shape,..hope you don't suffer the day after,..hoping to see some Nora Barlow Columbine this year in your garden. Philip
Deanna, No need to be embarrassed. We get busy and then we loose that window of work opportunity...forgetting is as good excuse as any I have. I almost forgot to put the honey supers on the hives yesterday and it was an important job. I saw a bee on a dandelion and I though "Good Night!, what am I doing?', Get busy on that!" And you could have lost the plants to the same reason even had you cleaned up the bed. No telling.
I also got behind on doing clean up.Roof job.But I was told by lady-she doesn't clean up her many peonies until spring.She says they bloom better.Stand up better.
Thanks everybody I don't feel so bad now! Philip, I am hoping for A LOT of columbines this year!! my shade bed actually had quite a few babies in it :-D Not to mention a foxglove or two also!!! We should take a poll and see when everyone cuts back their peonies, I am interested! I read somewhere that you are to cut them back in October but sometimes our October's are covered in snow
SM, I cut my peonies back when I am putting the garden to bed for the winter. I think I read somewhere that leaving the leaves & stalks can breed disease (botrytis?). I don't cut the rest of the garden back, just the plants that are susceptible to disease. I kind of like seeing perennial stalks in the winter & think they help trap leaves for winter insulation.
Stratsmom, show me a gardener who is on top of things, has everything cleaned up/mulched/fertilized on time, and I'll show you either someone with a tiny, tiny pot of ivy, or a liar! No one is perfect, nor are our gardens, but we do enjoy them anyway. Don't be embarrassed, be happy you got so much done! I personally am proud of you, and wish I was as efficient.
Hey no worries, sometimes life gets away from us. And maybe if may have been for the better. Good luck
I havent finished fall chores yet myself. And the spring ones are falling behind too. I am trying to weed my flower beds--not sure, but think I have about 35 or more flower beds here. And the weeds grow faster than I can pull them. I am slowly getting caught up. I HOPE I get the one bed by the driveway cleaned out by next week, because I do not want to worry about grabbing any SNAKES while weeding. It was around 80' today, so those darn things will be out and looking for food. At least we are getting one more cold front to slow them down a bit. I have lots of things blooming, and some of my roses have buds on them already! The knock out rose buds are about to pop open even. Two roses are back in buckets while I wait for my DS to finish building the lattice work wall at my deck. They both have buds.
Oh mom, I will always fight the fight with weeds... When all else is almost dead (and it looks like... very hot and dry days ALREADY!) the weeds thrive! I'm always on my knees pulling out weeds with a knife or a small tool and dad comes with his eternal advice "Just get a hoe and cut all the weeds, they'll die!" and my reply is "Yea, I can see that at the back of the house, in your veggie garden"
There is no end to the weeds here either. I don't like to use chemicals and poisons on my property. It poisons the animals, birds, beneficial species of insects, etc.
I have more problems with runaway perennials...seeding themselves in my lawn, my terrace, in the middle of other perennials...all places where they have no business being! I have managed to "infect" friends' gardens with perennials that piggyback their way in with another plant. I have a tiny little sedum that is pretty & seems innocuous, but oh, once you have it, you can't get rid of it!
