Last weekend, we received an inch of much needed rain and the temperature became much cooler. However, this weekend, the highs are supposed to be in the 80’s once again. This is the time of year that Autumn is trying to push its way in, but summer is holding on strong.

I’m hoping to be able to plant the flower bulbs I received this last week…before the rain, it would have taken a stick of dynamite or a piece of construction equipment to dig a hole…this weekend, the digging will be much easier.

Like most gardeners in Zone 6b, I’m in the “clean up – put away – winterize –plan for next year” mood. The flower bulbs will be the last things I plant this fall. Oh, except for the three hardy hibiscus plants which have yet to arrive.

While I confess to being OCD at times, I try to NOT clean up the garden too well. I leave the seed heads on the coneflowers and black-eyed Susan’s for the gold finches and other seed eating creatures. The wildflower bed along the east side of the yard gets to overwinter as is. It provides additional seeds, food sources and shelter – plus – I want those plants to re-seed themselves. If only the Monarda wasn’t so good at re-seeding itself!

I pile the tree leaves in the garden beds and let them act as mulch to protect the plants and enrich the soil. The leaves will shelter earthworms, insects, their pupae and eggs, as well as reptiles, amphibians and small mammals, all while breaking down into nutrients. If you watch, you’ll see birds scratching around in the leaves searching for the eggs and other critters hiding there.

I’ve got an old, beat-up John Deere riding mower which has definitely seen better days; the seat’s cracked, the grass bags are held on with a bungee cord, but it still works. Since Wonderful Husband is definitely OCD about the lawn, I pick up all the grass clippings and leaves. Instead of sending them to the landfill, I informally compost them. In other words, I dump them somewhere out-of-the way and let Mother Nature do the rest.

If I know that I’m going to be creating a new bed (I have to be stealthy about this, or Wonderful Husband objects), I place the grass clippings and leaves right where I’m planning the new bed. The next spring, I start up our Mantis tiller and “Abracadabra!” I have beautiful soil.

I’ll also pile dead leaves around my new Asian pear trees and the Ol’ B rose, just to give them a bit more protection from cold temperatures…seems like there is always at least one or two weeks when the temperature will get to 10 degrees or so.

I’ll roll up all the garden hoses and put them away; bring the yard art (including my pink flamingos) and lawn furniture and prepare for a long, cold winter. There’s something a bit poignant about tucking in your gardens at the end of the season…another turn of time…some accomplishments, some failures, new resolutions, and a few items checked off the “To Do” list.

(And, of course, a few more items added to the “To Do” list!)

Stay Green, Good Friends!