Do you wait around for the last minute to put your gardens to bed for the winter? That may not be the best thing to do this year. Winter seems to be fast approaching in many areas, and Ohio might get cold quickly. In 2013, the deep cold came with the Thanksgiving holiday, and in 2014 many gardeners are complaining that the temperatures are dropping earlier than usual.
What sort of delays did I rue in the past?
- I especially regret leaving out a large pot all winter a couple years ago. It filled with water and froze. Made of resin, I was lulled into believing it would be immune to frost cracking. Not so. I will be putting all my large pots in a frost free garage environment in the next couple weeks.
- Most years I forget until too late to strike starts from some of my tender pot plants. It is already late in the season, but hard frost hasn’t impacted the garden quite yet. I hope to preserve some of the geraniums in a sunny window this year. I might have some Swedish ivy, too.
- Forgetting to collect some seed, thinking the plants would reseed themselves. They don’t always.
- Picking up the leaves completely. Well. I don’t seem to be able to do that perfectly in this very large yard, but the better I do this job, the better I feel in January. That is the time when loose leaves are matted under snow, sometimes getting free and blowing about the yard, but mostly making problems around my plants.
- Cutting back the Pyracantha. I like to keep the berries for the birds, but the branches have gotten out of hand from delaying the proper pruning. I need to remember that.
Planting Bulbs
So Much To Do
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© 2014 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.
Your predictions for an early chill has not proven to be true, thank goodness. We are enjoying a soft, warm spell here in late October, but I know the cold is coming soon. I’d better get those bulbs in the ground while it’s so nice out!
Now that record breaking lows have hit the nation, wel before Thanksgiving… what do you say about my previous predictions, now?