Gardening with Latitude

Saturday, November 7, 2009

The Quiet Garden

Last Sunday was the putting to bed of the garden. I found myself approaching this ritual with a mix of melancholy and tenderness. I haven’t had this garden very long and it’s barely a garden, really, there is so much still to do, but I have fallen sweetly in love with it.

Of course, there was the thrill of planting my first bulbs – a bright counterpoint to the quiet grey day.

I deep watered in my new trees and shrubs, after having soaked the stand of spruce along the back the weekend before. I sprayed “Wilt-pruf” on my spiral Alberta Spruce to help it through the winter. I could have covered it or put a burlap screen up but I really enjoy looking at it in the winter with snow accenting its curved lines.

We planted the tender rose, Sterling Silver, in the ground with hopes of overwintering it. I couldn’t bear to part with it, after all.

I left the blooms on the hydrangeas (‘Unique’ and ‘Little Lamb’) to enjoy out the window as well.

In a spot facing my kitchen window, I created the little vignette above with a bench and urn to give me something to look at over the winter.

Since it is now pitch black in the backyard in the evenings after I get home, I’ve even been thinking about adding an uplight on a timer to make the scene glow in the evenings and highlight the beautiful spruce trees behind the bench. I’ve never done any garden lighting before but it might help inspire my winter dreaming.

How do you keep your garden dreams simmering over the winter?

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The super secret late season bulb patch

November 1 seems awfully late to be doing anything of the planting sort in the garden, but if you are going to try something new just do it, I say.

And these do look rather lovely. I wasn’t planning to plant bulbs this year. I have never planted any before and wanted to wait until I get my tree plan sorted and some hardscaping installed before I planted much else. I was avoiding having to move things in and out of the ground yet again.

But these sweet bulbs found me. I was at the monthly hort society meeting last Monday and I won these bulbs as a door prize. I yelped and ran up to claim my prize. I was thrilled until I realized it was super late in the year and I didn’t even know how or where I would plant them.

I decided to plant them by the back door in a new bed that has nothing in it but a lovely Holmstrup cedar. I wanted them some place I could sit and gaze at them as they poke out of the ground in the spring.

And I know they will. I am very heartened about this because I see that a couple other northern gardeners have recently planted bulbs and they are much more experienced than I.

The only thing I am worried about is the squirrels getting them, hence the sheet over them. I just hope it doesn’t act like a red flag does to a bull. No bulbs here, squirrels, no siree. Just a sheet taking a rest on the ground, so best you keep moving along. I hear there’s lots of pinecones thataway.

Now that I’ve done it I am pretty excited by the idea of flowers in the spring. Wish me luck!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

The Magic Halloween in a Garden over Hill & Vale

Halloween was quite thrilling this year. My little guy, at 2 1/2, is old enough to catch some of the magic of it, so we headed out to the country to the pumpkin festival held annually at Prairie Garden and Greenhouses.

It was a spooky affair, to be sure. There we met this little piglet who sadly declared she lost half her nose when she wiped it. I think the stuffed animal she won made up for it, though. Our little tiger immediately found the pumpkin of his dreams, just big enough to carry and rub his cheek against in affection. :)