I too am definitely going through a withdrawal. I garden to relax so instead I've about tripled the amount of tea I drink in addition to collecting more houseplants/tropicals and planning for next season.

To ease the "Garden Withdrawal" just last weekend I expropriated a corner of my property to begin the 'construction' of what will be a shade garden.

From this:

{{gwi:283126}}

To this below:

It doesnt look like much now (in fact the "Before" looks much better :( ). But of course there is still lots to do but much of the 'grunt' work is done. (Under the soil you there are the contents of many bags of mulched leaves and grass and compost).

Soon I will be soliciting advice re the choice of plants for this somewhat problematic location ie shade and competition from the hedge on one side and the large tree (basswood?) just behind the chain link fence.

nope..

horrible year.. i am still recovering..

hopefully by mid jan.. i will start getting w/drawl.. and ready to get back out there ...

but right now.. i am still exhausted

ken

rouge, I'm jealous of all that well prepared empty soil. I always do it the wrong way and buy the plants first.

Sorry to hear that Ken. I think drought is one of the worst things for a gardener, so depressing and boring on top of that. A wet fall is a nice relief but still isn't always enough to snap you out of it.

A week off from work because of the storm and it's too wet outside to do anything other than essential repairs. I am feeling withdrawl big time. It will only get worse after the clocks change this weekend.

I'm not used to being inside so much. Any longer and I might even consider starting on the honey-do list.

I'm ready for it all to be done for another season. I still have a few minor things to do - rake a few more leaves, dig some carrots, bring in the birdbath, but I like the break. If nothing else, it will be nice to be done with the watering and the water bill.

I must admit, it took me awhile to figure out why I seemed to have so much spare time all of a sudden. I guess this gardening thing does take up a lot of time. Give me another month and I'll be itching to get to the catalogs - not the online stuff - a good-old-fashioned-paper-catalog to sit down with.

Kevin

Too busy gardening for withdrawal at this time.

Now have almost all my time to work on our own garden. Muddy, but getting lots done.

Hate to throw perennials away, so sticking chunks of 'Goldsturm', 'Alma Peotschke', etc. in another garden and potting up a greater variety of things for Merlin's Hollow, for next year.

Apart from the wind blowing in one (?) ear and a fair bit of rain, it's quite comfortable gardening weather here, though the days are getting inconveniently shorter.

Find it's time to stop, especially planting spring bulbs, when my gloved hands start going numb. It's very unpleasant when the feeling comes back into them.

kato_b wrote: I'm jealous of all that well prepared empty soil. I always do it the wrong way and buy the plants first.

I know exactly what you mean. Too often I would buy plants but they would stay potted for so long as I had no idea where to squeeze them in. I almost had to wait for it or something already established to die ;).

Is it too soon to start a new thread titled....Plants on my "to buy" list for 2013?

There are a couple threads started in late summer or so re 'hits and misses' but now that gardening season is almost over (zone 5 and colder) we could soon have a summative season ending thread titled Best and Worst Performing Perennials for 2012.

So 'kato' et al, any suggestions for an impressive anchor plant in this very much shade garden? Right now I am thinking of putting in a Eleutherococcus [Acanthopanax] sieboldianus 'Variegatus' in the back corner.

I knew I couldn't be the only one going through withdrawal. I have plenty of things on my to do list, just that so many of them keep me in the house and I would rather be outside. Yes heat and drought made for a less than stellar growing season. I would love to find a new spot for another bed but will likely have to make do with some revamping, fun, but there's something about starting with a blank canvas that's just so much more fun.

I have been so busy with travel so finally have some time to do the pre-wintering chores last weekend and hopefully this weekend, then I am sure it will hit me that winter is finally here. But then I still have all those house plants to fuss with, my favorite gardenweb forums to visit, books to read, long trips to make now that I do not have to worry about keep the gardens and pots watered.

My pre-winter to do list:
1. Plant more bulbs
2. Expand existing beds ~ 2 foot wider for next spring's planting: dig out the edge, then double layer of newspaper & soil& composite&mulch on top of the grass. They will be perfect next spring for planting.
3. Clean up the beds
4. clean up the outdoor pots and recyle the soil for next year
5. Research ways to get rid of rabbits

I almost never stop gardening, or at least gardening-related activities. It is what I live and breathe for - nothing else compares. So I've found there are lots of things to do in the off season!

During September and October, I've been collecting, drying, and cleaning seeds. Pretty soon, winter-sowing and seed trading, etc. will start and I am thinking about starting some seeds under lights this year too, to get a jump on the season for a few plants. For example, Asclepias curassavica which is one of my key Monarch host plants, doesn't usually have enough time to mature and collect seed with our short summers.

I also do bird counts, including Project Feederwatch, which helps to pass the winter. Also, lots of surfing gardening websites, researching plants, posting to GW, etc.

And last winter was practically devoid of snow, so I spent quite a bit of time pruning out invasive plants in back.

Walks in the woods and doing a little nature-watching is nice in the winter, as long as the snow isn't too deep.

And the houseplants always appreciate a little attention and the reward is that the Thanksgiving cacti are full of buds and will be blooming soon!

I never really got revved up this year, so no withdrawal, just too much on my plate to spend much time on the garden this year. I still have things to do - fall chores. My father fell ill and passed away, so between the hospital and then the funeral, the last month or so I haven't done one stinkin' thing outside other than buy a potted mum and a pumpkin and set them out.

Today I'm going to TRY to hit the nursery and see if I can round up any bulbs - still time to get those in, and I really enjoy the spring display of tulips. Hopefully I can get some chores done within the next couple of weeks but if not oh well I can just do it in the spring. :0)

I'm looking forward to "withdrawal". There's still mowing to be done and plenty of cleanup whenever I get around to it. And since we haven't yet had a hard freeze, I'm still subject to the temptation to take just a few more cuttings (potted up more tender Salvia cuttings this morning), bring in those last potted plants I earlier decided I could live without, etc.

The sooner we get the hard freeze I can relax a bit and devote more attention to the indoor light garden.

Eleutherococcus sieboldianus 'Variegatus' is a very nice shrub for foliage and texture. It's on my buy list!

I agree it Would look very nice in your yard rouge21

Thanks 'Ectasy' for your computer wizardy.

mxk3 I am sorry to hear of your loss. Your garden will wait for you.

Rouge said it well, mxk3.

Sorry about your Dad.

With gardens, there's always next year.

mxk3, I am so sorry to hear about your dad. Not only will the garden wait for you as Rouge21 said, but it will greet you with joy come spring! And probably with not a few new weeds (just trying to coax a little smile-hope you don't mind). Will send all good comforting thoughts your way.

With fall and winter rapidly approaching I am nowhere near where I would like to be in the complete redo of my front and back yards. I used to vegetable garden but it is just pointless as the water costs have risen too much for my budget and my yards seem to be the final resting place for assorted trash that gets blown in or thrown in by thoughtless people. Nonetheless I am visited by opposums and raccoons as well as cats and birds. Want to make my place more bird friendly and yet provide protection from ignorant kids who shoot at them with BB guns so it is going to be interesting But first the clean up which may well take me a year to accomplish!! Perhaps longer??? But as Rober Schuller once said "Inch by inch it's a cinch!" So here is hoping that all the obstacles will fade away or be overcame!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Robert Schuller Quotes

Thank you for the kind words and thoughts - yes, the garden will be there next spring and will indeed be joyous once again...

And mxk3 it can be the case that a garden or at least parts of a garden often thrive with benign neglect. I am sure you have lots to look forward to next year.

mxk3 - so sorry to hear of your loss
Rouge - maybe you need a clematis on that chain link or a major wheeler honeysuckle? I've been hearing a lot of good things about the honeysuckle.
I've eyed that variegated acanthopanax myself but there's something about it that I pass on each time. I don't know what it is that turns me off.... The honeysuckle and the acantho might be a nice combo though if you like yellow and bright red.

As my withdrawal sinks in even deeper I feel like nothing got accomplished this past year. I know I spent hours out there, and I'm sure not all of them were of the 'just standing around looking' type.... Although a lot were.... But as I tally up what is new and improved from last year, it's not too impressive.

Maybe if I did a little bed prep last weekend instead of staring out the window making a mental tally, a few more things would have gotten done. Oh well. Hot coffee, sweatpants, and a warm house have their pluses too.

mxk3, I'm sorry to hear of your loss.

kato_b, thanks for the suggestions. I have lots of clematis on my property and I have tried a couple on this fence but without success. I am concluding that there really is not enough sun to support such a generally sun loving plant.

With respect to the variegated acanthopanax, I am leaning towards planting it in the very back corner in (great) part because it seems from its description that it is quite forgiving in terms of the conditions under which it can thrive. In this location it is shady and dry with competition from the neighbouring hedge and large tree. It seems there are not many large plants (shrubs) that can do this.

YES, I'm going through withdawal! That's why I'm back on the compute after ignoring it since May.I moved to a new house last Nov. and spent the summer enlarging and making new gardens...brought over 200 mature perennials with me.
That was some job, choosing who gets the cut!
Here are a couple of pics of my new gardens...this is the 1st time on this site, I'm enjoying it..thanks
Heather

oops, only 1 pic turned up

Very nice. Hope you visit often!

I've been cutting back plants as they die back from the cold nights but still have many plants that are green with a few blossoms and buds amongst the seeds. I wish they would all go dormant so I can get them cut back. With spring bulbs in the beds I prefer to cut the plants back in the fall.

Also am using the lasagna technique to expand a couple of beds. The last of the leaves on our and the neighbor's maple trees have fallen and have been shredded for mulch when the ground freezes or I decide it is time to finish the garden work, whichever comes first.

There are several large planted pots that need to winter in our unheated garage when the plants go dormant. Yesterday I potted some tulips and crocus then put the pots in the ground until spring.

Thursday the last of my blooming brugmansia and other potted tender plants were brought in from the garage to winter in a dark cool room in the basement.

Lawn and deck furniture need to be brought in and bird feeder moved to a more convenient spot which doesn't have an icy slope and is closer to the heated birdbath so we don't need to shovel so much snow when they need filling.

It is also time to get the fall/winter decorative pot for the front entrance put together. I gather seed heads and other things from the gardens and yard to add to greenery.

So, no garden withdrawal here, yet. Soon, I hope.

No garden withdrawal here either. This year, I was hardly in the garden and I missed it all season. I got out in the garden yesterday to get some pots in the ground before a freeze and it was so wonderful to be outside. The sun was shining, everything smelled like fall, the temperature was just right. Loved it!

Have already started to turn my attention to indoor plants and the Holidays. This 'new' weather schedule of being able to get out in the garden where there are still plants growing in NOVEMBER, really doesn't leave as much down garden time. The holidays are here, then January is catalog month and February will be the month requiring the most patience.

Looking forward to next Spring!

Looking forward to next Spring!

Don't go away from GW until spring! It wont be long until those interesting year end threads start up e.g. Plants on my "to buy" list for 2013 etc.

I and my back are looking forward to garden withdrawal.

I spent a few hours today doing cleanup and storing canna tubers in large pots filled with peat in the garage. The last (it's gotta be the last) potted plant was brought in. Only 10-20 hours of additional trimming/mulching/cleanup left and I can relax a few minutes until seed-starting begins.