December Delights

Hallmark should come to our town to make holiday movies. On second thought, they should stay away so we don't have too many people so the locals can get our cups of cheer and tasty treats. Fine... I'm willing to share. Above is the view out of my window while it's snowing. Below is the small poinsettia I bought at the end of last year (clearance!) and kept for a year. I did nothing special, other than transplant it in a bigger pot. The long Minnesota nights are enough to trigger the color. Below that are two photos of berries in the snow, which is melting due to the sun and wind. And finally a photo of basil. I brought in a bunch of basil before the freeze, and one sprig has survived. I wish you all the delights of December and, most of all, peace and goodwill, so every person feels safe and loved.

New Plant Hardiness Zone from USDA

There's a new plant hardiness zone map, released last month and updated from 2012. In 2023, I have moved from zone 4a to 4b. Several years ago, my garden as a new homeowner had a few brutal winters, and I lost zone 4 plants, so I made a point to invest in plants for zone 3. However, recently I've been experimenting with zone 5 plants--lavender and a daisy variety--with success. I guess I don't need the map to tell me what I already know. Climate change is real. 

P. S. Find your zone here https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

First Snow October 31

I'm a little delayed with this post. The international students I work with were delighted with this lovely snow. It's fun to share in their enthusiasm. 

Fall colors and freeze

While we were away, we had a freeze....after I managed to grab the last marigolds and a supply of parsley. Photos of fall colors from my garden and yard from the last two weeks

Why 64 bulbs?

At the warehouse store, I found 64 crocus bulbs for $5. As I said to my fellow shopper, it's worth the risk. Then I got them home and wondered, "What was I thinking?" That's a lot of bulbs. I'm planting late, but they might grow since the ground is still warm. But I'm happy to be planting. I look around and wonder what else I can dig up. Thankfully, my hubby understands my garden hobby (or obsession?). Below is the space I dug with the bulbs ready to be covered. Above is the view as I entered the foggy park for my morning walk. Beautiful!

Our first frost was October 9. Fall has arrived, and it's a great time to enjoy the outdoors.  

It should be fall...

The Twin Cities marathon was cancelled because of weather today...because of heat! The humidity is awful, more like July. The cosmos are in their prime (above). Normally, I'd have the garden mostly cleaned up, but I've got mini peppers growing, so I'm going to leave them there and see what happens. 

Yet I did plant some bulbs yesterday before it got really warm (above). In both the front and back of the house, I planted 50 Tete-a-Tete daffodils, 14 Purple Sensation and 6 Mount Everest Alliums, and 15 Gravetye Giant Leucojum (good deals at a warehouse club).  At the time, I thought I bought too many bulbs, but I could have used more, though my body was tired enough. The carrots are a bit uneven this year, partly because I didn't thin them like I should but mainly because they needed more water. With our recent rains, I hope we catch up. It's no fun gardening in a drought.

I planted the Cosmos (below) next to the black compost bin. It gets pretty warm there, and I think they like it. Even though we had a late spring, with this extended heat, they are looking good. On the other hand, I'm feeling a bit limp on this humid day. 

AI in the Garden

The headline is completely misleading. I'm talking about Autumn Interest, such as the changing colors of the chokeberry bushes above. And Animal Intelligence. Caterpillars completely decimated the kale (below) when I was too busy with work. I picked 28 off over two days. Now the kale is recovering, thank goodness, so I can make some kale and potato soup, a fall favorite. 

And, no, my hibiscus didn't grow acorns (below). A squirrel hid them in the branches and returned a few days later to eat them. The squirrel had gnawed off both ends of the acorn-loaded twig. Those critters are pretty smart.

August Update in September

The photo above of zinnias and marigolds was taken today, but I've been crazy busy at work. All the following photos are from August. 

I love clearance plants! This Gerbera daisy (above) is looking good. I hope it survives our heat wave over the next few days. I also planted a red and yellow version, and the yellow may not make it. But for 99 cents for a designer flower that would have been $8.99, I'm happy to take the chance.

The pots in front look full and lush, absolutely spectacular (above). The only sad thing is an animal broke off a coleus at the base, and it has not recovered. There's still balance, however, because the two pots on each end have a coleus plant. I have to water them every day because they drink up the water so quickly. 

The hydrangea are so full that they flop (above). This is my fault, as I forgot to stake them. But I love them anyway. Next year I'll try to remember. Maybe I won't be so busy with work. 

I think this is the seventh year of this hibiscus (above), and, sadly, it will be the last. It's too big for my space, and it has had two ant infestations. Now a little frog is hanging out, which is delightful. I'll be sure to keep him safe when cool weather hits and I compost this plant (sad face). 

This is a view from the side of the deck, with the privacy screen. The screen is nice because the neighbor comes outside to smoke frequently.

This is the view from my back deck (above), a haven from the busyness of life. I feel fortunate to have this space and the money for plants to decorate it. 

The marigolds (above) are in the front yard, but I rarely see any pollinators on them. Sure, they look good, but I may not grow them again because one of my goals as a gardener is to support the bees. Below is a bee on a zinnia. I've tried saving seeds from the fluffiest and brightest pink flowers, but the results have been uneven. I'm going back to buying the seeds. Sure, I may save $3, but I spend a lot of time drying and sorting. It was a fun experiment.  The zinnias have frequent visitors (bees! butterflies! hummingbirds!), so I will be sure to plant some variety again next year. 

Drought versus no drought

Yes, the extreme drought is affecting my garden. The photo above is from August last year with the same plants (tomatoes, peppers, assorted basils, and alyssum) as the photo below, which is from this year. One addition is a chamomile plant spilling over off to the side. I water pretty much every day because the heat dries out the garden beds. The mulch is the paper used to cushion deliveries inside of boxes since there is no grass to collect. The plants are smaller, and the yield will be less. However, I'm happy we'll get food, even if it isn't the normal amount. It will still be delicious.

I can't leave you with this sad photo, so I'm adding a brag photo (below).Hurray for wave petunias!

Update on native plants, back deck, and veggies

With our heat, the geraniums and petunias are flourishing on the back deck (above). We've seen all kinds of bees, at least one hummingbird, and a sphinx moth. They also take a lot of water. I'm using the rain barrels to avoid city water (expensive and not as good for plants), but I have to tip them to get the last drips out. Rain is predicted for the weekend, and I hope it makes it here. 

Next to the deck (above) I've planted zinnias from saved seed and marigolds (no blossoms yet).

I love the bright color of the zinnias (above).

Above is a mini pepper that I bought from the greenhouse. They ripen earlier, so this is the second.

Above is the rudbeckia I grew from seed last year. Two of the plants have blooms. 

Can you see the bee on the anise hyssop (above)? They love this plant.

I planted this white coneflower last year, it survived, and it thrives. It was such an awful, icy winter, so this will be a good future plant choice. I'll leave you with a native coneflower (below). I'd say planting for bees is a success. 

The World's Most Expensive Potatoes

Okay, technically these aren't the world's most expensive potatoes (it just feels that way), but they are darn pricey. I bought the potato bags, seed potatoes, and potting soil. Lately, they needed watering twice a day. The plants were lush and healthy (above), and then they started yellowing and browning, thinning and looking miserable. That's the signal to harvest. I cut back any remaining leaves, placing the bag in the wheelbarrow for easier access (below). 

I sifted through the dirt with my hands to find the potatoes (below). This is much easier than digging them out of the ground.

Potato bag one harvest is shown below. 

Potato bag two harvest is shown below. While all the materials were pricey this season, I will re-use the soil and the bags. And now I have super fresh, organic potatoes to enjoy!

Gardening Mini Vacation

Above is the Japanese Garden at Normandale Community College. 

Above is the Japanese Garden at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. There's something calming and  comforting about these soft green spaces. Every garden space is lush and vibrant, especially the annual garden. We've been to both places before today, and I thoroughly enjoy my time there. Below is a little fellow who decided to keep us company while we ate our lunch at the Arb.