The Rural Voice, 1992-11, Page 46Gardening
November is a perfect time to make gardening changes
by Rhea Hamilton
November is a sad time for
gardeners. We say goodbye to the
colours and prepare for the snow
bound shapes. The once glorious
blossoms are carefully cut back and
dried mounds are all that remain of
brilliant annuals. But for anyone
looking at making a few changes in
the garden this is the perfect time to
make some plans.
We put another perennial bed in
this year and, while everything grew
to monstrous size, I noticed a few
plants I really must move in the
spring. Plants I transferred last
spring took off in the new garden.
What I thought to be a clump of
phlox turned out to be Michaelmas
daisies or wild asters. They grew to a
fine four -foot height and produced a
riot of rich purple in the autumn but
completely overshadowed the more
delicate statice I had planted next to
it. They will go to the back row of
the garden and the dahlias that were
there this year will now have a
special place in a garden of their own
just cut this fall.
The chrysanthemums I inherited at
the garden party last spring did not
flower until late this fall yet took up
great scads of room dead centre in the
main garden. Next spring they will
be relocated to where we need the
colour late in the season and will not
be in the way during the height of the
summer season.
Just anticipating how the changes
will affect the garden makes me want
to start digging now. When you start
to make plans for the next spring
there arc some hints that might help
make the planning go easier. Before
you trim back your perennials mark
their perimeters so you can anticipate
how big they will get the following
year. This also makes it easier to
move them in the early spring
without fear of cutting off main
shoots that haven't had a chance to
fully sprout when you move them.
Sort through any pictures you took
during the summer to plan colour
42 THE RURAL VOICE
schemes and most importantly make
a few notes on height and where you
would like to move the plant the
following spring.
If you are planning to create a new
garden from lawn, cut out the sod in
the fall. If you leave the cutting until
mid or late spring the ground is too
hard and the grass is thick and lush
and those old buds of twitch grass are
more than I care to pluck out of the
soil. I have learned to cut the sod in
the fall when the ground is moist and
easier to work. I put a load of leaves
on the new spot and some old manure
and work it all in. By springtime the
ground is ready whenever you are
and saves time and aggravation in the
spring when all you want is to
arrange the new plants in their new
home.
Be aware of problems with your
manure. There are some plants that
cannot take the rich soil. Iris are
prone to iris borer which seems to
like manure, and delphiniums will
have bud drop if the soil is too rich,
so be sure to use well rotted manure
or compost and a good handful of
ashes.
Fall is also a great time to tidy up
gardens that have gotten away from
you in the busy summer. A bit of
digging here and there to spud out
clumps of weeds. Clean out your
compost pile and use as mulch or top
dressing in your garden for an early
spring boost.
To clip back or not is a question a
friend of mine had with a neighbour.
The neighbour cleaned up all the
dead debris in the garden, trimmed
back all the plants and mulched
where extra protection was needed.
My friend Liked the shapes and
silhouettes in the garden and left a lot
of the dead plant material around the
garden to protect the plants from the
winter winds. Hard to know just
what to do. I leave chrysanthemums,
phlox, iris and monkshood all as they
are but clean up iris leaves and spent
blooms. If it looks like the plant is
well dried out and most of its leaves
have fallen, like an obedient plant
will do, then I cut it off 4 to 6 inches
from the ground and place the
clippings on top of the plant. It will
collect the snow and act like a snow
fence for the garden. Foxglove and
Canterbury bells must be kept free of
debris since they have a tendency to
rot if covered.
Bulbs may be planted as long as
the ground can be worked. Don't
forget to work in a bit of bone meal
and a slow -acting, high -phosphorus
fertilizer such as 5-12-5 in the soil
below the bulb. Plant your bulbs in
clumps of eight or more and avoid
mixed clumps since it is not as
effective. Each year I plant a new
colour. This year I was able to get a
lovely translucent orange colour
similar to the California poppies.
Behind these are larger, late
blooming red and yellow Darwin
varieties. As long as there is a sunny
day there is always something to do
in the garden. Even on a bright day
in the dead of winter your garden is a
treasure for the viewing; for a true
gardener sees the promise of another
season in every mound and every bud
on every bush.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger, in addition to
working in advertising production for
The Rural Voice, raises two children,
and is a skilled cook and gardener.