January always begins with the festivities surrounding the Holiday Season, but reality soon returns as gardeners face short and often cloudy days, cold temperatures and a sleeping garden. Looking on the positive side, we now have the leisure of working in the Garden when our time or the weather suits our schedule, since the garden is in a state of suspended animation so to speak. Continue making notes in your journal on the temperatures, snowfall or rain amounts along with the sightings of visiting birds, all while enjoying your favorite winter beverage by a warm glow of a lamp or fire.
Bruce Crawford
An Evergreen for Winter Structure and Beauty
The hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season is finally upon us! The fall provided ample moisture, minimizing worries of watering newly installed plants this winter. Although there were frosts in the north, the temperatures remained reasonably warm, sparing many tender plants. The chilly temps and sunshine providing good conditions for great fall color too. This is the time to properly prepare the garden for winter as autumn truly bids us farewell and the sub-freezing temperatures of winter are just around the corner. As time permits between baking and ‘online’ shopping, continue your ledgers with notes on the weather and how plants are performing. Wishing everyone a very Happy and Merry Holiday Season!
A Holiday Plant for Many Seasons to Come
November is here. The cool nights combined with the ample rainfall in October has allowed our trees to erupt into a bonanza of spectacular colors. In addition, the soil is adequately moist to bring plants safely into the start of winter without the worry of drought. The light frosts of October have started to impact our annuals but very soon, they will need to be removed with the onset of colder weather. Even though the weather is becoming cooler, there is still much to do in the Garden before it can be put to bed for winter!
