It is somewhat frustrating though. Many of the fall chores must wait on that frost. We are finally planting bulbs, but the tender roses are still doing their thing and can't be put to bed yet. All the large patio plants that come in for the winter are still waffling at the door. Since they are going to be put to bed dormant in the basement, they need that first frost too. I don't have enough windows for them all to be upstairs.
For myself, I'm looking at my large army of door yard planters that appear to have been vandalized. We dug up or took cuttings of everything that we normally save over winter. We will decorate the pots with evergreens when the freezing weather comes, but, since it hasn't, and I have been busy, there they sit with mutilated stumps and gaping holes among the abandoned petunias, snaps and impatiens that are still blooming. The teachers at the elementary school across the street who normally say nice things about the pots must think we have offended the Mob.
In this climate a long, warm fall is a very seldom thing. There are drawbacks, of course. Since the nights have been very warm and the weather dry, we are not having a good fall for leaf color. It's really a shame that the two — warm nights and bright leaf color — are mutually exclusive. Most of the people who made reservations for Colors Weekends on the North Shore probably went anyway, but it won't have been spectacular this year. On the other hand, the weather has been wonderful for shopping at local apple orchards where you can pick your own. Or, you can buy them picked by someone with a ladder to reach those on top that always look best anyway! The Farmer's Market is stuffed with all the wonders of the fall vegetable garden as well as decorative items like pumpkins, gourds, calico corn, dried flowers and grasses of all kinds. I love to walk along with my market basket and see and smell the offerings. The first stall belongs to the producer who brings his farm-processed pork. His specialty is fresh brats and brat burgers. He is always grilling samples that he and his son hand out on toothpicks to passing shoppers. Your low-fat resolve is strong if you can escape that aroma without tasting.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Mary Henry's Northern Gardening topic, please visit the Discussions page.