Happy Holidays!

With last night's snow and today's wind, it's a good day to update this blog. While I miss living in the woods, there are some advantages to living in a town. First, we're already plowed out. Second, we are able to drive around town to look at lights. Downtown is festive with lighted trees and wreaths as well as individual businesses and their decorations. Our neighbors near and far have decorated as well. Our outdoor electricity set up is odd, so I have one outdoor decoration, but lights in the windows facing the street. The long nights can be difficult for someone who loves sunlight, but the color and sparkle highlight neighborly spirit and hope. 

More Snow!

We have a nice, two-inch coating of snow, which is predicted to melt. Elsewhere in Minnesota, the same snowstorm dumped 20 inches and more. The photo shows my garden beds and compost bin. The photo below is my hibiscus. I had seriously considered composting it, but I didn't have the heart. So I bought a new container and potting soil. It's doing well so far, and I'll set it back outside in May. I have been spraying it with neem oil, which seems to be the only thing that takes care of fungus gnats. Or maybe they're fruit flies.  I didn't have a problem at the old place, so I'm learning. Thomas Jefferson said, "But tho an old man, I am but a young gardener." So true!

First Snow

There was barely enough snow to be pretty (honeysuckle above, hydrangea below), and now it's melted. Do not despair! More snow is on the way. Or maybe despair...if you don't want the two to three inches predicted.  

Bonfire

Bonfire! Well, maybe it's not a roaring, raging bonfire, but it was a nice way to stay warm during a crisp, fall evening. I dug out a rectangle of grass and placed a few granite pieces (below). Previously I had killed the lawn because that metal gets hot. I can mow right over the pieces as needed. Did I measure precisely? Did I layer in some sand? Did I tamp the ground level? Nope. But I can move the pieces anytime I want to, depending on how the shrubs grow. Sometimes perfection is overrated.

A Hard Frost

Beauty can be dangerous. The frost sparkles delicately. It desiccates and destroys. Yet it's a necessary part of the life cycle here in Minnesota.

The cosmos didn't do so great during this summer's drought, and I rationed water, so they didn't bloom until after significant rain. Ten days is better than no days. 

Limelight hydrangea 

Yummy carrots

A cosmos blooms on October 13.

Where is fall?

A pumpkin spice zinnia? This year has been good for the zinnias. They keep blooming no matter what. The weather has been warm and will continue to be so. Fall usually has comfortable days and cool nights, but it seems the warmth continues. I'm not a fan of hot days, especially when teaching. Also, I've been hesitant to plant garlic, but I may have to take the plunge soon. Below is the current state of my second planting of lettuce. I haven't been vigilant about thinning, so the plants are smaller than usual, but that's okay. Anything I get this time of year feels like a bonus. Below that are the asters I planted last spring and worked to save from the rabbits. I'm going to try to save some seeds to plant next spring...and I'll try to outsmart the bunnies. 

September Update

The zinnias have perked up in our recent rains. These are a welcome burst of color as other things fade. (I may have faded on my blogging, too.)

The strawberries have rallied, too. The five plants I saved (note the fence surrounding them) are shooting runners out in ever direction. 

We may have been in a drought, but I got plenty of tomatoes. The wind blew the plants over, so I gathered them in all states of ripeness. I donated quite a few. Also, this wagon? It was a gift from my hubby when we first got married. It's seen a lot of wear and tear as a toy and a garden tool. That's why the old sheet (saved for frost protection) is there, to protect the tomatoes from dirt and rust. 

A couple of weeks ago, the bees enjoyed teh pruple coneflower...and now the birds are eating the seeds. See the spot of yellow on the left side below? That's a gold finch.

In other notes, the zucchini did very well, and the green beans are still producing a bit. The second crop of lettuce is in the seedling stage. And I'll leave you with the Winnipeg Parks rose. I'm loving this vibrant fuchsia!