GET GROWING!

FALL GLUMMIES CAN LEAD TO GOOD THINGS!

By LADYBUG

 With fall colours at their brightest, our streets turn into rivers of flaming oranges, reds and sunny yellows.

People come from far and wide for “leaf peeping” and say how lucky we are to be surrounded by so much beauty. I agree enthusiastically, but it wasn’t always like that.

Come fall, I’d look at the plants shivering in the cold winds and start counting the many months it would be before I was out in the yard again.

There’s a little girl in the comic strip Adam @ Home. As the days get shorter, Katy goes all glum. “Spectre of approaching winter doom looming over it” is how she sees the season. “Lo, the season of foreboding grows nigh,” she sighs, clutching her forehead. She wraps herself in shawls and quotes dark poetry.

That used to be me. Okay, so without the poetry, but the onset of fall signalled a shutting down of the garden, of my short season of play. Summer seemed truncated, while fall, winter, and a cold early spring stretched endlessly before me. It would be months before my garden came to life again.

But now I’ve come to appreciate the quiet time. Because, as my garden grew over the years, so did my time in the garden. Just digging and planting, deadheading and dividing, watering and fighting bug infestations requires several hours a week. It has become almost impossible to be away for any length of time in spring and summer without making arrangements for at least the watering. I sit down with a book and spot a patch of weeds that must be attended to. Stat. And did the Virginia creeper shoot up another few yards overnight?

I love being outdoors in my garden, but by the time colder weather approaches, I reluctantly admit that I am perhaps ready for a break.

Of course, before that break, there’s my list of fall to-do garden chores.

Cut down perennials, leaving a few for winter interest and plants with seedheads for the birds.

Divide perennials like iris, lilies or hosta.

Dig up any annuals.

Cut down rose canes that might whip in strong winds and get damaged.

Plant new spring flowering bulbs.

Dunk pots in insecticidal soap solution and hose the plants in them down with the same to reduce chances of bringing any creepy crawlies indoors.

Clean and put away garden tools.

But don’t forget to glory in the transformed landscape, the crisp air and crunch of fallen leaves underfoot.

And then head back indoors.

I look forward to the luxury of sleeping in some mornings. Just as letting the ground lie fallow between crops allows the soil to rest and replenish nutrients, letting the mind (and body) rest is good for the coming seasons in the garden.

And I take comfort in gardening books. Let the planning for next year’s garden begin!