Do you remember where you had things planted in your garden this year, and how it all looked? Now while our memories of this year’s garden are still fresh, get a notebook and write down what worked, and what gave the spectacular showing that we were hoping for. Also, if something was a disappointment, it is good to record that as well so that we can hopefully choose something better next year! An example: we had beautiful bell peppers, truly a success, especially with one pepper variety that was like California Wonder in size, but orange. Beautiful. However, we planted a new kind of pepper that came up nicely, reached a height of two inches or so, and didn’t gain a millimetre for the rest of the summer. They were a standing joke with gardeners who came to visit, and those funny little plants finally ended up in our compost bin. We won’t be planting them again!
Here’s a plant that will go on the “grow again” page of our garden journal: osteospermum, a plant that we will eagerly plant again next spring. They may have outdone themselves this year because of the heat, one of their favorite things, but they have been a success story in previous years, too, so their consistent great performance makes them a favorite. These lovely plants with their cheery daisy-like blooms love full sun, can tolerate dry conditions, and will even grow in poor soil. They do very well in containers, and if we deadhead them regularly, they will reward us with continual flushes of blooms.
Another plant that has always been on our favorites list are marigolds, from the small, compact varieties to larger; but this year we have amazing marigolds with the creamy white
marigolds which we think were called “Vanilla” (see how important it is to write things down?).
They made a spectacular show, with consistent blooms of a beautiful shape. They also stood up well in the heat, and best of all, grew just great in containers. Another plant for the “grow again” list.
Make a list of your favorites from this year, and then you’ll be ready to garden next year.
For gardeners who have roses, this is a good time to mound up snow over the crown of the plant. Snow can be a good insulator. We often cover some of our more finicky perennials with mounds of snow, to give them an extra winter blanket. Note that if we do this, use only snow that does not have ice-melt or any similar product mixed in with it. Just nice, clean snow.
In the near future, once the cold has really set in, it will be time for us to wrap our cedars. We shouldn’t be doing this too early because the plant will get too warm, and could potentially develop a mold problem. But once the cold is here to stay, that’s the time for this task. I have read articles that say wrapping is not necessary, but some plants do need the extra protection from wind and sun.
See what’s happening with the Yorkton and District Horticultural Society by visiting us at www.yorktonhort.ca Thank you to everyone at YTW for their fine work each week.
Have a great week!
