There probably will be no argument to my statement “We have had a strange spell of weather this year.” This began with the cold snap in December that damaged more plants in my garden than I first thought. The awful weather continued with a long spell of rain that lasted until the middle of June.
Once July came along, though, the rains quit. And I mean really quit: nada, nothing, zilch, until September. The air temps were warmer than usual, true on the coast as well as in the valley, and I found myself wearing shorts more often than not.
In a discussion about growing vegetables on the coast with several friends a week ago, we decided this type of weather made it tougher than usual for almost all our vegetables. I don’t even think the zucchini did very well this year. That has resulted in lots of requests for recipes for green tomatoes. (Not that I am much help there as cooking is not my forte.)
My poor dahlias were not only late in blooming, they didn't bloom at all. The plants looked healthy, but no buds. Perhaps this is because I left them in the ground last fall instead of lifting them as I usually do. My better guess is lack of rain.
So here we are in late September and most of my hostas and astilbe are showing signs of quitting for the season. In fact, I have cut many back to the ground already. My hanging baskets of petunias, calibrachoa and lobelia have given up, too. They have already been dispatched to the compost pile. I seem to recall having a nicer display than this longer into October. My memory could be selective here, though, so maybe I am only dreaming of having hanging baskets lasting until fall. I must get out my journals to check that.
A lot of my Japanese maples have not turned color, but instead just dropped their leaves all together. Stressed from the drying winds and no rain. Try as I might, I do not water as thoroughly as Mother Nature.
Fall is my favorite time for moving or putting in new perennials, shrubs and trees. The ground has been warmed from the summer sun, giving the roots time to stretch out a bit before colder weather sets in. Fall also means I won’t have to water new plantings quite as often as Mother Nature will do that for me. The best part, though, is that nurseries often have great sales this time of year so they don’t have to winter over their stock. It will be a matter of finding just the right new plants for that old bed.
I am also going to fight the urge to put the gardens to bed for the winter quite so soon. My tools will stay out and at-the-ready. As the potted plants wither, I will compost them and clean those pots for storage. I will keep cutting back my established perennials as they brown or fade from their glory. I will try to extend the gardening season as long as I can, and I am optimistic enough to hope for a week or two of nice weather before the true winter rains set in.
I think we all deserve that respite, don’t you?
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