Start saving a stash of cash for a plant-buying bash

(the flower catalogues will be here before we know it!).

Patti

Cut back the rampant evergreen vines. This is a wrestling match each year with the solanum and passiflora vines. Took me over an hour's hard work to wrestle the coral passiflora off the wooden arbor this morning. I hated to do it, because the Gulf Frittilary butterflies were still fluttering around it -- don't ya just love California, butterflies in December!! -- but the thing is just a monster and was invading my poor neighbor's yard. Their nandina and strelitzia had sprouted incongruous hats of beautiful coral passionflowers.

The daylilies need to be cleaned up, as do the bearded iris (sigh). I've got to get my gardener to top off the silver maple that is once again hiding our beautiful hillside view. I'll ask him to take out one of the star jasmine plants too, it's a bit too much for me to do by myself.

The weather has been cold at night but warm in the daytime, so all the roses are thinking it's March and sending up nice new leaves. Sometimes it's impossible to know when to prune the roses back because they just never stop blooming here.

My Sungold tomatoes are still surviving, although I get no more than a small handful of ripe cherry tomatoes every week. But I did cut the dahlias back finally. The freesias are going to bloom very early this season, at least 6 weeks ahead of time. I don't normally see this much growth on the bulbs until mid-January.

Send those butterflies to my yard! I've never seen a Gulf Fritillary in my neck of the woods, I'm so jealous.

Edna

Slugs. Find slugs. Destroy slugs.
ditto
ditto
ditto

1)Plant more sweet pea and poppy seeds.

2) Buy more violas! I just planted violas for the first time last month and they are growing like crazy. After a freeze last week, they reacted by putting out more flowers. I have no idea why I hadn't tried them before!

3) Sharpen and clean gardening tools.

4) Rake leaves and bag them for next fall's mulch.

Marilyn

Viola's are hardy little things. Mine have self sown for two years in a row. I love them.

Thanks for the reminder to sharpen the the garden tools :-) I always forget.

Ah, yes! Those nasty slugs. I have a hard time killing them, feel too guilty.

Viola's are hardy little things. Mine have self sown for two years in a row. I love them.

Thanks for the reminder to sharpen the the garden tools :-) I always forget.

Ah, yes! Those nasty slugs. I have a hard time killing them, feel too guilty. They're kinda cute in a slimy way. I throw them in the neighbors yard.

Patti, you are too funny. Don't forget to save a few pennies for a scarf for that albino squirrel. ; )

Marilyn, violas are my favs besides roses. They don't even mind the snow. I have some in 6 packs that I bought about a month ago and forgot to plant. Found them today and they are thriving.

No slugs, TG. But I have something making holes in the front lawn. They are coming up from under it and have made about 8 holes so far. My cats hang out around the holes, poking at them, but not a catch in sight. Darn! It looks awful! I think it might be ground squirrels. They can dig some really long tunnels. And I'm sure they're ticked at me for double fencing them out. Rats with fuzzy tails! grrrrr!

Diana

We a Master Gradener column on this topic in today's paper. The other big one is get those winter weed grasses before they set seed! And plant out any sale bulbs you run across. Cut back the asparagus. Oh, slugs!

Around here - try to contain myself for January garden-planning, since I really need to get holiday shopping done before I can think about the garden plan!

Oh, yeah - I did knock down snow from the arborvitae (came with the house) that was weighting them down horribly. Does that count? ;)

Try to keep up with shovelling the snow, so the mail person can deliver those seed catalogues.

Violas are hardy...they self-seed here as well.

"Ah, yes! Those nasty slugs. I have a hard time killing them, feel too guilty. They're kinda cute in a slimy way. I throw them in the neighbors yard."

Haha...what a plan....since my neighbour thought it was funny to throw their dog poop over the fence and in my garden.

Sierra

1. Order as many seed catalogues as possible.
2. Buy seeds.
3. Anxiously await Winter Solstice (kickoff for winter sowing).
4. Putter in solar garden shed & dream about Spring.
5. Buy more seeds.
6. Breathe a huge sigh of relief that all fall garden work was completed before the snow & ice hit.
7. Lay awake at night, designing/re-designing current / future gardens. Give up at 2AM & log onto GW. See a picture in a thread & immediately move on to #8:
8. Buy more seeds.
9. Daydream about running away to a warmer climate for year-round gardening. Spend lunch hour on GW. Skip lunch in order to -

10. Buy more seeds.

Ilsa

pretty simple, really:

stare out the window at the snow-covered garden.
make sure walks and such are free of ice so my wife doesn't slip and crack her skull open.
remove excess snow from evergreens
Go back to staring out the window.

Honestly, Once the snow and cold hit, the garden is set into the back of my mind. I use this time to embrace my other hobbies, so rudely tossed aside during the growing season.

Ilsa,

you forgot to mention buying more seeds :).

Sierra, I don't quite understand how to take what you said by "Haha...what a plan....since my neighbour thought it was funny to throw their dog poop over the fence and in my garden."

People who know me in this forum know I have a sense of humor and I do not throw slugs in my neighbor's yard. Just dreaming out-loud.

I've had a constant battle with my neighbor throwing tree branches over my fence and his landscaper blowing fallen leaves into my front yard.

Edna

Hi Edna,

I took what you said as a joke, and I too was joking with the thought of throwing slugs over the fence. LOL! I was laughing, that is why I wrote Haha.

Gardeners that I have met, joke a lot, and they are good natured people.

As you can tell, I don't exactly have a good neighbour.

Sorry if how I wrote that offended...certainly not my intent...I am still giggling about the slugs when I think about it. Don't worry, I would never do that...but when I think of it...I will be giggling to myself.

Sierra :-)

oh ladies i must be to mean for this forum! I must confess if my neigbor threw his dogs dodo on my roses...oh yes i could throw a slug or two on his pile of junk leaning on the fence!
as for december gardening i am trying to find a place to store the fall bulbs that never saw soil this year!

Here's my Dec checklist:

1. Pull out all the St Augustine grass that's sneaked into my rose garden.

2. Just for Christmas, eat one of the three navel oranges that my poor ol' orange tree managed to pop out.

3. Give a pep talk to my tiny little iceland poppies, bach. buttons, and farewell-to-spring, that I planted in early September, no less.

4. Just sit in my garden and enjoy it anyway. It may not be the most ravaging garden in the world, but I'm glad I have it, and that I can sit in it in the middle of December.

Sierra, oh no, I was not offended at all and no offence taken. It's just my jaw dropped when I read you neighbor threw dog waste in your yard. I thought perhaps you threw slugs they threw poop. What a nasty neighbor. If you think about it, slugs would be hard to toss wouldn't they? Probably stick your fingers. Snails would be much easier.

boondoggle, enjoy those oranges :-) I'm sure there will be more next year.

Edna

My slugs get tossed into the road and alley. I once hit a passing car and felt terrible, but I don't think the driver noticed. The trick is to let the slime dry, you can roll it off like dried glue.

Someday I'll regret it, but I do my best to help "my" snails out. They are still new to me, I never saw any in the neighborhood I grew up in. I think they're cute.

My December checklist is mostly to not forget to water newly planted bushes and trees and the bogs. I still need to wrap up my fig, but so far so good.

My December chores are to clean and organize the work area in my basement to prepare for wintersowing. I still have lots of seed organizing to do too. The swap seeds haven't been entered into my database yet.

Oh, one other chore. Get the last bag of bulbs in the ground before it freezes.

Ha! flowered-corners, I might chug a slug or two, as well. : ) Makes me thankful my neighbors are acres away.

My cats have discovered the holes in the grass. Maybe they'll bring me a "present" of a foot or tail, then I'll know what I'm dealing with. ; )

mrsgalihad, you reminded me I have a bag of bulbs somewhere. I hope they haven't sprouted!

Snails. LOL! I haven't seen any snails here. How 'bout I plant a row of lettuce leading from my veggie garden all the way across the yard to the fence...a slug hi-way. The slugs can follow it to the fence and then crawl under it. LOL! ;-))Na that wouldn't work either...the slugs would just stay where the food was. :O

Our yard used to be a wide open 3 houses wide park like setting. When these neighbours moved in....I went out one day and all the dirt had been pulled out of one of my barrel planters in the driveway. At first I couldn't figure out what happened....then I noticed little toys and toy road systems in the dirt. The ornaments were tossed to the ground on the side. This neighbour also never put their garbage out and it smelled really bad......they put it over on the property line between our houses...falling all over my yard. We used to park up beside our house in our driveway........but we couldn't stand the smell......so started parking down at the bottom of the driveway. Shortly after we build the 6 foot fence along that side. The bi-law people came and talked to them about their smelly garbage a few times, as well.

The problem with the fence was, it looked really bare to me.....so last Christmas I put lights on it and some painted wooden ornaments....that neighbour kept knocking them off. I actually saw this neighbour hitting the fence one day with a big stick. I'm not talking the kids either. When I put the blooming bags up on the fence in the spring......I was worried......but I tried to make sure they couldn't be easily knocked off. They tried but couldn't knock them off. We also built a greenhouse where we used to park.....so the space isn't complete lost.

They got rid of the dogs, but still throw garbage and wood pieces and stuff over the fence. I just pick it up and do my best to ignor them. Not much else I can do. We built the fence to bi-law specification of 6 feet along the sides of the property.....but it really isn't tall enough.

Ooops now I got this thread off topic...My Bad!

How about...for December gardening guide...keep gardening threads on topic. I will try.....

Happy thoughts all, now wheres my seed catalogues.
Sierra :-)

December To Do List:
Order Firewood - CA$110.00/cord, delivered.
Stack firewood into small, self-built woodshed.
Get fireplace WETT certified so that insurance will pay out if home burns down.(CA$125.00).
Get fire going when it gets too cold.
Open bottle of good Australian Siraz and pour a glass.
Try to keep moronic neighbours from 'borrowing' firewood.

Seriously, I have picked up all the 'doggie-do' on my yard come spring and presented it to my neighbours in a lovely grocery bag. No reaction. Two years running. I now pitch it over the hedge or fence, without conscience.

Happy December.

Wow. I am so thankful that the only dog doo I have to pick up belongs to my own pooch.

Thanks Edna for your kindly thought about my orange tree. It lifted my spirits after a depressing visit to the garden. My "Siberia" tomato succumbed to the cold weather, although I had caged it and wrapped it plastic. (Maybe it cooked, but I don't think it got that warm here the last few days.) So I'm adding to my December to-do list: remove dead tomato plant and leave tomatoes for summertime.

Susan

Wow - some really nasty neighbours out there! Like Susan, I'm lucky(?) enough to only clean up after my own pooch. Come January she's been known to do her "business" on the back deck so she doesn't have to wade snow (the dog - not Susan)! She gets a (gentle) boot - it's not a "little" mess since she's an 80 lb sheppard! Spoiled.

I'm jealous reading about all the gardening still going on. I'm with Sierra, Mrmorton and the rest of the northerners:

1. stare at frozen gardens with grandiose dreams for next spring
2. fill bird feeders
3. study.....again
4. pick seed catalogues up in mailbox and stash for January reading
5. walk around frozen gardens with grandiose dreams for next spring
6. study.....again
7. turn heat light on for chickens at night and empty frozen waterer
8. contemplate finishing the Christmas shopping and drink wine instead
9. try to study........but the wine made me sleepy

10. have a nap ;)

OK. It's not the exact order of events, but that's how I've spent the last month basically! My routine will change drastically next week when all the "study" gets eliminated. Then I'll have much more time for dreaming grandiose dreams for next spring, reading seed catalogues until they are in tatters, ordering seeds, starting seeds, generally just enjoying the anticipation of the coming spring (which in our neck of the woods might be another 6 mos. away!).

Got first catalog... rest of world came to a screeching halt.
Mind-planting a red garden like Brenda's.
Got a gift cert. to my favorite nursery as a retirement present from my co-workers. 6 days to go!!
Christmas...ooops, I knew it was coming, need to start my engines.
Ate the cookies I baked early looking at the catalog.
Read two books.
Shop at my new favorite store, "Rural King of Ohio".

Happy, Happy, (last Saturday to work)
georgeanne

Pull up frost-killed tomato plants.
Net leaves out of pond, cover pond with netting to keep leaves out. Cover tender plants....and hope they survive.
Deadhead zinnias and save seed.
Find a place to plant poppy seed.
Mulch up fallen leaves.
Water roses in pots often.
Keep water in birdbaths for birdies.
And finally, curl up with seed catalogs and dream about new raised beds for next spring.

sierra- I just can't believe that neighbor of yours. I wish 10' fences were legal.

georich5- congratulations on your retirement! I wish you all the best R & R. Social Security tells me mine will be at the age of 70. Now who's going to want to keep a 70 year old as an employee?

balsam- thank you for reminding me to get bird seed.

Georgeanne, congrats on your retirement! Whoopee! Now you can spend LOTS more time on your garden. Let me know if you want ideas for your redbed :-) I've often thought of doing a redbed "starter pack" at a garden swap, cause I get too many dahlias, cannas, amaranthus and bee balm.

December - still need to do christmas cards.
- instead, was outside moving rocks yesterday because we had an unusual spell of warm weather. Normally rocks are frozen to the ground in December.

Todos: normal Christmas stuff
Garden todos
- hardwood cuttings
- move boulders to veggie bed
- move fieldstone to front beds
- finish clearing out veggie garden for compost pile
- start planning new front beds and barn bed. Daydreaming fun!