We finally had two nice days in a row this week which gave us a chance to finish cleaning the gardens for the season. The only thing we left alone was all the border Zinnias at the front of the house. They are still doing so well, and the bumble bees are still enjoying them.
One thing I love about these Zinnia's is that I never have to purchase mums for fall color. They really put on a grand show for autumn.
All the plants were trimmed and the annuals pulled out of the butterfly garden previously. All that was needed was to put down some buckets of manure then started trimming back the Limelight Hydrangea.
I gave it a very hard cut back as it was getting too tall for me to reach the top stems. I had to use a stepstool to reach a lot of them. I may not have as many flowers next year, but it certainly needed to be done.
The Hosta and ferns around the porch were cut back earlier in the week before the porch could be enclosed. Then the small tower garden with the Parsley got emptied and moved to the greenhouse.
The following day my husband and I got everything out to enclose the back porch with plastic for the winter months. We do this every year to prevent the snow from building up on the porch and it offers a windbreak from the strong North wind that comes off the Lake Ontario.
We started with the peak and then the west side of the porch and it was time for a break for lunch.
In the afternoon, the North and East sides were put on. It is sad to see the porch enclosed because you all know how much Mika and I love spending time together every day out there.
Well, at least we will have a few more days to enjoy before it gets too cold to sit out for long periods.
Mika taking a nap on the stool; after all it was a lot of hard work getting all the sides enclosed.
Well, that was a job! But lake effect winds aren't to be messed with. And those zinnias are so lovely!
Thank you, Pam We got the first significant frost this a.m. It got down to 30°. Looks like rain again for another 4 days in a row. Do you think I can leave the beets in or should I just harvest the greens? I've never planted a fall crop before, ;-) I finally got serious with the Keto again, and starting to feel better and down 5 lbs. Yay!
Way to go, with the 5 lb loss! I think beets will be fine, but if you have straw or hay, a layer wouldn't hurt.
I should go out and rake leaves, but I've had a cold twice in a month and a half. My grandson has started kindergarten and he also has a cold. I would like to be as diligent as you. You make autumn clean and beautiful. But I'll tell you one thing, all the butterflies, bumblebees and bees, even other insects overwinter in messy gardens. I also have several hedgehogs that overwinter in piles of leaves. What makes me sad is that I'll do the front next week and prepare for the first Advent. The back must be for all the animals that live there!
Once children enter school, the germs come home to be shared. sigh! I do clean up a lot of debris from the gardens but have many places where I layer the mulched leaves for the insects. I too, think about all the little creatures. We pile garden waste and leaves, in huge piles at the back of the yard with tree limbs and the like. The rabbits, chipmunks, and possum love to inhabit the piles. I hope you feel better soon. Have you ever peeled lots of garlic and fermented it in honey? It is wonderful to boost the immune system during cold and flu season. Just stir it every day until the bubbles subside and take a small clove and a little honey every day. You will be surprised at how well it works. ♥ I just started a quart-sized jar this week.
I feels good to see everything neat and ready for the next season. I still have some flowers blooming too and bees love them. Its really nice when you and your husband work together, it makes the work easier and more fun. 💛
Absolutely, at our ages we do a lot of work together which makes it easier on both of us. We have many gardens around the home that keeps us very occupied. Have a great day, @dreamrona.
There's a lot of work at the end of the season. My dad has been doing the same, slowly and gradually cleaning the garden and the yard. Those flowers still look lovely.
Hi @erikah, I love that the zinnias are still going strong, as the bees are still out and visiting them daily. Soon the cleanup will be done, and the white fluff will start to fall. We had a good frost this a.m. Ugh!