Sunday, October 18, 2015

Mr. Frost has visited my gardens

One of my last summer bouquets. The snapdragons are
still blooming, but the zinnias are done.

Friday night the temperatures dropped to 26 degrees by morning, and the many zinnias, cosmos, nasturtiums and four o'clocks in our gardens were cut down. My husband and I tried to cover one of our tomato plants, but apparently 26 degrees was too much for them, even covered with ill-fitting sheets.

Thankfully, I had enough advance notice to gather quite a few ripe and almost-ripe tomatoes to bring inside, and picked half a dozen flower bouquets to prolong the summer flowers. (I also compelled my children to pluck the leaves off of several basil plants so that I could freeze the ground-up leaves in olive oil for making pesto in winter.)

I'm not going to show any scenes of destroyed plants -- I only want to remember the lovely scenes from a few days ago. Here are a few of them:

These flowers are still blooming near the house, as it didn't get cold enough to damage the petunias, which are slightly more cold-tolerant than zinnias and other warmer-blooded plants. The 'Golden Celebration' David Austen roses smell lovely.

Alas, these stripey four o'clocks were quite sensitive. I saved seeds from them though, in the
hope that I will be able to grow some more with these stripey characteristics. (If not,
I like the solid colored ones just fine.)

The impatiens are done, but the clematis in my White Garden is still OK.

The salvia 'Victoria Blue' are still going strong, although these moonflowers, which I had completely forgotten I planted and discovered finally blooming only the other day, have succumbed. It was nice to see them for a few days anyway....



My husband planted these mums and nasturtiums, and I think they looked very nice together. It looks like you could almost warm your hands near them.

Just above the mums, some of the red cedars in our garage windbreak are absolutely covered with blue colored berries.

A scene from the Kitchen Garden, where I was harvesting tomatoes before the freeze. The nasturtiums were totally laid low by the frost.


A final autumn scene from the Kitchen Garden, with the chickens in the background. The remnants of sweet corn make a fall-like backdrop for the marigolds in the potato bed.


Of course it's sad when the flowers die off in autumn, although the frost could have been much worse (and in fact, could have been the thick snow that Kathy at Cold Climate Gardening had this weekend -- apparently my garden is in a zone slightly too warm to even be considered a "cold climate" by these extra-hardy gardeners, which surprised me). 

We still have many flowers and the next week or so is supposed to be relatively mild and warm. I feel fortunate that we still have our petunias and snapdragons still, as those are some of my favorites, but when they go, I'll be able to clear the beds and plant the bulbs I have bought: tulips, hyacinths and daffodils, which will be cheerful in springtime.

And I'm looking forward to being done with gardening for the year, as I have other projects that I want to work on this winter: I will continue to work on my Iowa garden history book, read more gardening books, focus on my kids' home school lessons, and get ready for the holidays. Also, I'm looking forward to planning my new Winter Border and Summer Border and thinking of ways to improve some other areas of my gardens. I have a full plate, and will be glad when I don't have to spend time mowing or gardening -- for a while at least; by January 15th, I will be incredibly impatient for spring to come, no doubt.

I hope you are enjoying a warm autumn and will experience a gentle transition to a cozy winter in your own gardens. Thanks for reading! -Beth


22 comments:

  1. You have a wonderful kitchen garden and the views over the fields are amazing, love that. It´s a pity the frost have destroyed your beautiful flowers but that´s nature, we are slowly going into winter.
    Have a nice week!

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    1. Thanks so much, Janneke -- you're absolutely right: it's the way of things. Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  2. Hi Beth, No frost here yet. Ron and I have been busy gathering mulch. We rake up pine needles from Eastern White Pines and use those in the garden. So pretty! And good for the garden, and FREE! This is probably the 5th year we've used them. I have most of the garden put to bed; still need to cut back annuals when they are done blooming, and clean the pond. I too look forward to a break from gardening. I enjoy it, but after 8 months of extreme busyness, a break is a good thing. :)

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    1. Hi Beth, I'm surprised you haven't had frost yet -- usually central Iowa is a bit chillier than here, but not always I guess. You're so organized, already having many fall garden chores done already! I still have lots of work left and envy you. And I think many of us are ready for a break from gardening by the end of the year. Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  3. Hi Beth! I have really enjoyed looking around your blog. Your garden is so beautiful and I love all the wonderful views across the fields that you have, the lovely cutting garden and the beautiful borders. You have designed it all beautifully. I live in Florida and I have to admit that I would love to think that I could cut everything down and put things to bed for the winter. It makes spring all the more exciting. I shall enjoy following your endeavors!

    Kate R
    www.greytabbygardens.com

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    1. Hi Kate, Thanks so much for visiting and commenting, so that I could find your blog -- I love English gardens and I also so enjoyed my trip to central Florida gardens last year. I look forward to your future posts! Best regards, -Beth

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  4. It's pretty much the same here. We had a two day cold snap and the garden went kaput. It seems too soon as always, though it will be almost nice to have a break to do other things for awhile. I love that grouping of mums - it really does look like you could warm your hands over them!

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    1. Hi Indie, I'm sorry to hear you had your first frost too -- all your lovely cosmos must have been cut down... :-( I'm sure some of your other hardier flowers must still be beautiful though. I look forward to seeing them in your next post. Thanks for visiting! -Beth

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  5. Your gardens are lovely, as is your blog. I came across your blog on another blog, you know how it is...anyway, it caught my eye. It's always cool to see gardens so far away, growing the same plants I grow in my zone 9, Central Florida garden.

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    1. Hi Janice, Thanks so much for visiting, so now I know about your blog! It is indeed interesting how we can grow many of the same plants even though we live in different climates. I look forward to reading about how things are done in central Florida -- Thanks! -Beth

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  6. Oh yes, same here, the growing season is officially over. Glad you were able to have a good tomato harvest. I'm enjoying this warm fall weather as it's making cleanup in the garden more pleasant. I'm looking forward to having the work done too so I can move on to other projects.

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    1. Hi Karen, so glad things are still warm there during your fall cleanup time. It sure makes it nicer, doesn't it? Onward to winter -- and then spring too! :-) Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  7. My garden has been spared a killing frost and has just been licked a little...hoping it continues! Kathy is one zone below me so the snow was wet and did not stick thankfully here.

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    1. Hi Donna, I'm so happy you escaped the frost -- and the snow! -- and will have your beautiful flowers for a while longer. Hope your autumn is warm. Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  8. We have had a killing frost here nowbut it was a little later then usual.


    Take care,
    Carolyn

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    1. Hi Carolyn, I'm glad you got a little more time than usual with all your beautiful flowers before your frost. It comes to all our gardens -- those of us who enjoy four distinct seasons, that is.... Thanks for visiting! :-) -Beth

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  9. Hi Beth, I enjoyed seeing all your blooms. We had our first hard frost a couple weeks ago so most of my annuals are gone. Roses are pretty tough and a brief dip into the mid twenties doesn't bother them much. The forecasters are calling for temperatures in the upper 60's, maybe 70, this coming week. Hoping to get a few more roses before winter hits.

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    1. Hi Roses, we're enjoying the same lovely, warm weather you are -- I'm glad to enjoy the roses for a little while longer and have some pleasant temperatures to work outside in. Enjoy the warmth! Thanks for reading, -Beth

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  10. We're transitioning from Italy back to England in our garden activities at the moment. Autumn still offers up its bounty in both countries although the harvesting of most crops is coming to an end except for the olives in Italy where folk are taking advantage of sunny days to start gathering early. No frosts here at the moment in Yorkshire, but foggy mornings give way to mild temperatures. Blue skies are a bonus, but more often we experience rain. Enjoy your break from gardening, your planning for the Spring season and involvement in other home projects.

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    1. Linda, I'm so glad you are enjoying the seasons in both your gardens. Thanks for stopping by! -Beth

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  11. You have frost early there, what a shame for your beautiful blooms to be cut down. I love that stripey Mirabilis.

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  12. You have frost early there, what a shame for your beautiful blooms to be cut down. I love that stripey Mirabilis.

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