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Falling for Fall
Greetings!
The leaves are mostly on the ground now, but we've had a spectacular fall. The weather has been just right (cool nights, sunny days) to develop foliage that in some cases was so
beautiful that as I drove by I nearly veered off the street.
Those
same weather conditions, apparently, have conspired to make my dead perennials
look really, really pretty. My hardy geranium has been the richest russet and
gold. The seedheads on my obedient plant have looked like a nifty pod you'd buy
in a hobby shop. The Korean spice viburnum, behind me in the photo, is the best
color I've ever seen in it.
So
as I've been cutting back perennials, instead of pitching them on the compost
heap, the more striking ones have ended  up in windowboxes and pots.
I
featured one of my windowboxes in the last newsletter, and here's a photo of a shock I made of ornamental grasses
Just tie with twine. I weighted it with bricks to hold it in place and then
tucked in 'Annabelle' hydrangeas and lengths of loosestrife. It took just
minutes and cost not a penny. Love that!
Happy putting the garden to bed, all!
 Veronica Lorson Fowler |
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Finishing Fall Cleanup
We've created a handy-dandy check list of everything
you need to do to put your garden to bed, with helpful tips--like using a power
hedge trimmer to quickly and easily mow down your perennials.
 And
no, it's not too late to plant those spring-blooming bulbs. As long as the
ground is thawed several inches deep, you're good. With weather as mild as it's been lately, that might mean you can plant bulbs while the turkey is in the
oven. So take advantage of those nursery clearance sales!
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Getting Potted
 Each year, I plant Alberta spruces in pots to flank my front
door and accent some key spots in my backyard. But like anything in a pot in Iowa,
they wouldn't last the winter that way--they'd freeze solid. (Plus the pot would crack or shatter.)
To
keep the trees alive even at 30 below, I dig a few holes in a sheltered spot by a building or by my
compost heap. Then I bury them, pots and all. They are protected until spring,
when I pull them up again.
Click here for how-to details.
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Let it Rot
Please tell me you're not taking the time to bag up all
those leaves? What a pain--and what a waste of money and a great soil
amendment. Autumn leaves are the perfect material to compost.
I have five compost heaps and just erected a temporary sixth
one to deal with the leaf overflow.
Click here for info on how to set up and tend a compost heap with minimal effort.
Another easy way to get rid of leaves:
Dig a big hole behind some shrubs (this is a perfect kid job) or the garage and
fill it with leaves. It's called pit composting and it breaks down leaves in no
time.
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Greenhouse Dreaming
This is the time of year I wish for a beautiful walk-in
greenhouse or spacious sun room. Anyone have a nice indoor growing space like
this they'd like to share with the rest of us? Send me a photo-we'd love to feature it in an upcoming newsletter. Please show off a
bit and help us live vicariously through your warm, sunny, plant-filled space!
We're jealous!
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Trashy Compost
Put a large pot by your compost heap to serve as a mini-wastebasket.
When
you're tossing stuff onto the compost pile, or digging into the pile, it's
inevitable that you'll come across plastic plant labels, bits of twine, debris,
trash, and in my case, the occasional dirt-encrusted Lego.
Instead
of lugging the trash to your garage garbage can or putting it into your pocket
(ugh), just toss it into your little compost garbage can!
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Ask Veronica a Question
If you're a subscriber, email Veronica with your garden questions and she'll do her very best to get back to you within two business days. Click here! |
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Garden To-Do List
Click here for a complete, printable listing of fall
chores for your Iowa garden.
 If you haven't already, pull up all annuals and cut back perennials. Pitch them in your compost heap.
Dig up and store indoors any tender bulbs, such as
gladiolus, cannas, dahlias, and caladiums, that you want to store over the
winter.
Empty all pots and store indoors for the winter. In Iowa's
harsh winters, even plastic containers will crack and clay pots will definitely
shatter.
If you have any newly planted trees, especially fruit
trees, wrap them
with a protective tree wrap now. It prevents sun scald and
also prevents rabbits and rodents from nibbling the tasty bark. Remove in
spring.
If you want to be safe, wrap boxwood and any other
borderline-hardy evergreens to Iowa in burlap. It's a good idea also to wrap
any new evergreens that you planted earlier this year. This will prevent winter
burn, which can disfigure the plant badly enough you have to dig it up or cut
it down.
Perennials and strawberries do best with 1 to 4 inches of
a loose mulch over and/or around them. Leaves chopped by running a
mower over them are perfect.
Protect roses. Mound all but rugosa roses around the base with 8 to 12
inches of compost or rich, dark soil to protect the bud union (right above the
roots) from winter cold.
Hybrid
teas, grandiflora, and floribunda roses-the least cold hardy types-are more
likely to survive the winter if you also wrap their stems in burlap and twine.
Plant spring-blooming bulbs as long as the soil isn't
frozen. Water well after planting.
Force bulbs now, as
desired.
Rake leaves as needed. Keep them off the grass--they can
suffocate it.
After the frost, do one final mowing. Then run it until the gas tank is empty
to store it for winter.
Maintain your mower.
and sharpen the blade.
Detatch garden hoses or your faucet may freeze and damage pipes. Drain
the hoses and store in the garage or other sheltered place.
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Garden Events
Saturday, December 5
9th Annual Iowa Organic Conference
Ames, ISU's Scheman
Center
18 presentations for farmers,
retailers, consumers, and gardeners on organic production, marketing, and
consumer awareness. With an all-organic dinner.
Sunday, December 6
Snackin' With the Klauses
Des Moines
Botantical Center
1-4 p.m. Why settle
for a mall Santa? Santa and Mrs. Klaus, a snack, and a holiday treasure hunt
will be the centerpiece of the annual goregous poinsettia display. Bring your
camera!
Through December 31
A Ferny Holiday
Reiman Gardens, Ames
Check out the
collection and the history of ferns in the garden's conservatory.
Holiday Poinsettia Show
Lauritzen Gardens,
Omaha's Botanical Center
Saturday, November
28 to Sunday, January 10
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. More than 5,600 poinsettias, a 20-foot-poinsettia tree, and passenger and freight model trains. Cost varies from $6-$3, free for children under 6.
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Quote:
"Dull
November brings the blast,
Then the leaves are
whirling fast."
- English author
Sara Coleridge (1802-1852)
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