November continues to be the month of little tasks to prepare for winter’s harsh winds, ice, and snow.
Our recent sequence of frosts, sun, and early snow means the lawn growth has slowed to nothing. If you haven’t yet, make a last mowing down to two inches high. The shorter height helps prevent diseases and fungus that can develop under the snow and damage lawns in spring.
Now before any snow forecast, I like to imagine where the snowplow will need to go, how the plow will see the drive in two feet of snow and where the plow bucket will push the snow pile. To mark the drive edges, I have large plastic pots on either side of the driveway. I have emptied them of annuals and started inserting stems of spruce and pine boughs.
Decorating window boxes and outdoor plastic containers with cut stems has a dual purpose for me. By inserting the stems in the loose potting soil, I help prevent it from compacting over the winter. Snow and rain will saturate the soil and form a solid ice block that takes a long time to melt in spring. By poking the boughs and twigs into the soil, you create avenues for water to drain. The containers will be ready for planting faster as a result.
When I removed the annuals, I confirmed that a few stems of red twig dogwood used as supports last spring had rooted! I dug them out and added the “whips” to my shrub borders—yay, free plants!
Yes, the ground is still soft enough for planting, but the window is closing! I like my decorative driveway markers, but I still need to install stakes at the driveway entrance. I have also pounded in the posts for my birdfeeders (although I will wait until December before putting out the feeders.) Likewise, you need to install those stakes for fencing that you have planned for protecting fruit trees or evergreens. You have planned to do that, right?
Before heading inside with my gardening, I still need to mulch lavender, buddleia, and roses with extra mulch to protect root crowns. Overnight temperatures will soon fall regularly into the 20s, and tender crowns of these plants will be pushed up out of the protective soil during winter’s freeze and thaw cycles. I will pile compost directly over the center of these plants, about two inches deep. After that freezes hard, I will add about 10 inches of leaves or mulch to protect not only the crown but the lower portion of stems.
Discovery of the week after clearing overgrown goldenrod: a wayward Nasturtium seed rooted under the slats of my deck. This volunteer Nasturtium “Alaska” will not survive the winter but reminds me that seeds are everywhere and will grow if given a chance.
Now to my indoor garden. I need to remember to water regularly. I realized that a few plants want water every other day while most of them need it only two times a week. To make it easier on my feeble brain, I will move the plants needing more water closer to each other—like on the same plant shelf. And really, plants don’t need more water if the house is cool, like in the 60s. Instead, the houseplants need more humidity. The woodstove has been drying the air. I will get some marble chips or gravel and fill plastic containers or extra roasting pans with the stones. Then, I will fill the shallow containers with water. These containers of water create a zone of humidity. I will put my cyclamen, philodendron, and African violet on these trays to help perk up the leaves and keep the soil from drying out too quickly.
You would think that, by talking about the change of seasons and fall preparation each week, I would remember to let my amaryllis bulbs go dormant. I did not. Bulbs saved from the previous year should have been growing strappy leaves all summer in preparation for another season of bloom. Well, mine are still “in the green.” Typically, one would stop watering these bulbs in September, let the soil dry, allow the leaves to brown, and then store the bulbs in a bag or dark basement corner to “rest” for six weeks. After the rest period, the amaryllis can be rejuvenated with water. It will push out its new flower stem and buds.
I can still put the amaryllis through dormancy, but I won’t have flowers for Christmas or New Year’s Day. I might get flowers for Valentine’s Day. If you have bulbs already dormant (like what is available at the garden centers), start them now. Use a heavy standard shaped pot about one inch wider in diameter than the widest part of the amaryllis bulb. The pot should drain. Fill the pot halfway with a light absorbent potting mix. Set the bulb on top of the soil then pack more soil around the bulb up to the widest part of the bulb, ideally reaching about halfway below the pot rim. The top half of the bulb can stay above the soil line.
Moisten the soil and bring the bulb to a warm and bright location, like a southern exposed windowsill or shelf. Keep the amaryllis soil damp, not soggy. When you see new growth from the bulb center, you can let the soil surface get dry to the touch before watering again. After growth reaches about six inches, turn the pot a quarter turn every few days and the stem will grow straight. Once it flowers, move the amaryllis away from the window but still in a bright, preferably cooler location. The new spot will help the flowers last longer.
Phew! That sounds like a ton of work, but, really, the bulb does most of the work for you. You just need to look at it regularly and decide what it needs. Maybe simpler to grow, paperwhite bulbs can be started in a bowl of stones and water. In comparison, paperwhite bulbs are less expensive than amaryllis and you needn’t bother saving them from year to year. The bulbs don’t replenish enough annually to get the nice flowers. If considering paperwhites as a gift, check that your recipient appreciates their strong fragrance.
Long-blooming houseplants and traditional holiday flowers make lovely hostess gifts. However, no one wants to endanger a house pet or small curious child. The ASPCA has a checklist online of typical houseplants and what parts (if any) may make a small mammal very ill. Double check that plants you wish to give are not toxic to curious children or pets by following this link to the ASPCA’s online article.
I am already beginning to miss my morning walks around the garden when I can stare closely at the budding flowers. With the final clearing of spent perennial borders, I could gather some seed heads to add to a Thanksgiving centerpiece. Search online and watch YouTube videos to find loads of ideas. Split milkweed pods, spherical rudbeckia seed-heads, or beaded wands of sensitive fern all make interesting additions. You could leave these natural in color or spray paint in metallic silver, gold, or white to add texture to arrangements or wreaths. Just avoid using oriental bittersweet for arrangements or on outdoor wreaths. Birds can’t resist those orange berries and promptly expel the seed everywhere. If you cut bittersweet for use indoors, plan for proper disposal in your trash, and don’t let the berries end up in your compost.
While we have plenty of winter preparation still to do, I encourage everyone to stop and relax enough to enjoy a tasty Thanksgiving filled with good food shared with happy friends and family!
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I’m willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
