Testing.

In the fridge, I have four 8" cuttings of Marseilles fig sent to me by a GardenWeb member. Shortly after receiving them, I washed them with antibacterial dish soap, dipped them in a 10% bleach solution, and allowed them to air dry. Then I wrapped them in damp newspaper and placed them in a ziplock bag. I tried rooting this fig last year, but lost all 6 of my cuttings to mold and rot shortly after the first roots formed. I'm doing a couple of tests to determine the best method for rooting them this year.

In a ziplock bag, I have Black Mission cuttings from Carla. They were cleaned in the same manner and wrapped in moist paper. From what I've read, it should take 2-6 weeks to see the first roots develop. Nothing so far, not even a bump. It's only been a few days though.



I also stuck a cutting in the cloner. I've never had success rooting dormant, hardwood cuttings with this thing. So I'm hoping that figs will be the first successful attempt. If it works, I'll use the baggie method on two of the Marseilles and stick the other two is a very clean cloner. I've been told they will also root in water. That's something else I've never had luck with. The one cutting has developed a single white initial root. I'm waiting to see if it creates others before I call it a success.



I also have cuttings in soil in the hoophouse. I doubt I will use that method for the Marseilles. Too many things can go wrong and I tend not to pay a lot of attention to the innards of the hoophouse for days on end.

I picked up a few new seeds yesterday from the store. The Four O'clocks will be planted on the north side of the house where they can reseed with abandon. The others, I'm not sure about. I love the Pink Pop agastache. I wonder if Cameron has grown this one.



This morning, it's 25 degrees. The wind died down overnight so a heavy frost settled on everything. It should be a sunny day with a mid 50s high. I'm off tomorrow, so the new coffee maker will get a work out. I've got firewood to cut and split and a few other things to get done from my weekly to-do list. I'd like to get enough stone to finish the edging around the shrub border. I just have to uncover it and move it.

Today will be a good day.

I have faith.



The basement will be cleaned. Firewood will be split. Seeds will be chosen. Tomorrow is Winter Solstice. It's 30 degrees outside. There's a heavy frost covering everything. The wood heater is getting cranked up again. There were hot coals inside this morning. Yay!

1:35pm. The basement is done. I've got to start splitting firewood in a few, but first, lunch.

Here's the new workspace in the furthest corner from the wood heater. Those windows will maybe someday become the front of an outdoor potting shed/greenhouse. I'm looking for two sliding doors for the roof.



My indoor nursery and potting station. I wish I had a sink down here.



Four 55gallon trash bags full of recycled and collected nursery pots.



The rolling seed rack that was going to be thrown out. I purchased it for $1. I'll use it in the spring to harden off my tomatoes.



7:01pm - Just returned from Carla's. I took a bunch of things I wanted to get rid of in the basement over there. She does some woodworking and has a few power tools. She appreciated the wood, storage totes, and shelves I gave her. The seeds have been chosen for Monday's wintersowing. I've decided to only do 4 containers. I'll explain on Monday afternoon, for Darla. :)

Preparations.

I'm off from work tomorrow and Wednesday. It's supposed to rain on Tuesday. Wednesday should be nice with a high of 71. If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes.



This morning, I've got three packages to take to the Post Office. The last of the brug trades will go out this morning along with an envelope of seeds. I'm still waiting on Yvonne's salvia to finish drying before I send one to Carrie in Charlotte who gave me lots of reseeding annuals in the spring.

I've got lots of plans for my days off. I've got the pipe to build the 16' long hoophouse, caulk to prepare the kitchen for painting, 400 daffodil bulbs to plant (they went 90% off yesterday), 90 muscari bulbs, and firewood that needs to be moved into the basement. I'm also going to see a man about a new wood stove for the basement. While the little one I have works fine for a few hours at a time, the fire never lasts more than 4 hours and restarting it every morning is a pain. We'll see what he has to offer and if it's worth the money.

It's currently 28 degrees and mostly cloudy. The sun is trying to make an appearance. From my window, I can see lots of plants that are in the last stages of being damaged by several heavy frosts. I may get outside and take a few pictures later. I'm still in my pajamas for now.

Winter Wonderland

It's 25 degrees and clear. Overnight, the rain clouds moved out ushering in another frosty morning.

The backyard



The Perennial Bed



Even the leaves next to the house are covered in frost.



I'm staying inside until it's time for work. There is coffee to be had.



Sometime this week, I need to get my clearance bulbs in the ground. They're 75% off at Lowe's this weekend.

Another frosty morning

It's 32 degrees and clear.



Last night, after dinner, I spent some time sorting and organizing my seeds for next year. 17 days from now, it'll be time to wintersow again. Some were purchased, some were trades, many were collected. In no particular order...

gazania
salvia subrotunda
Double red bee balm
shell pea vine
Yvonne's salvia
Castor Bean - red
Anise hyssop "Golden Jubilee"
Mexican Hat
Rudbeckia hirta - yellow
Myrrh
Sunflower
Marigold "Cottage Red"
Cosmos "Sensation White"
Zinnia "Chippendale Daisy"
Straightneck squash
Rudbeckia "Prairie Sun"
Zinnia mix
Cosmos sulphureus
Golden Wax beans
Melampodium
Red Texas Star Hibiscus
Achillea "Summer Past"
Tuber vervain
Drummond phlox
Lobelia cardinalis
Cosmos "Single Sensation" mixed
Monarda bergamo
Disco Belle Hibiscus Mix
Sunflower "Chianti Hybrid"
Painted Daisy
Agastache "Apricot Sprite"
Lilacs
Adonis aestivalis
Verbascum "Milkshake"
Petunia mix
Dutchman's pipe vine
Salvia coccinea "purple"
Asclepias tuberosa - orange
California Poppy mix
Amaranthus "Autumn Pallet"
Pampas Grass
Unknown - "Carla's yard"
Pea "Sugar Daddy"
Salvia coccinea "Coral Nymph"
Datura inoxia
Sunflower "Red Sun"
Queen Anne's Lace
Cleome
Nicotiana - white
Bee balm "Pink petite"
Rudbeckia hirta "Cherry Brandy" collected
Coreopsis "Mahogany midget"
Yellow Milkweed
Four O'clocks - pink
Agastache mix
Laura Bush petunia
Calycanthus floridus
Solid White hibiscus
Pride of Barbados
Hyacinth Bean - white
The other red hibiscus
Asclepias Incarnata - pink
Datura - triple yellow
globe basil
Giant Red Amaranthus
Morning Glory - blue/purple
Gaillardia - red/orange/yellow
Blue milkweed
Four O'clock - white
Penstemon "Husker Red"
Coleus "Sunset"
Hyssop
Pineapple Sage
Castor Bean - green
Rudbeckia hirta - browns
Cosmos "Double click"
Salvia "Augusta Duelberg"
Plectranthus "Silver Shield"
Alstroemeria
Castor Bean - purple
Okra "Clemson Spineless"
Cosmos "Sensation"
Zinnia Dahlia California
Siberian Wallflower
Creeping Thyme
Hosta - variegated
Cosmos "Seashell"
Mealy Blue Sage
Morning Glory - Light blue
Tomatoes - Marion, Purple Cherokee, Green Zebra, Yellow Jubilee, Purple Krim, Yellow Pear, German Johnson, Brandywine Yellow, Rutgers, Roma, Striped German, Hawaiian Pineapple

I need more dirt.

December

The sun hit me square in the face this morning about 8am. Looking out the window, I thought it had snowed. Larry's roof was covered with a layer of white stuff. The back yard, untouched by the sun, was glistening.



My truck was also covered.



It's 28 degrees. It was a hard frost. I doubt any tender plants will survive this one. Now I can start thinking about moving perennials.

Last night the rain regrouped and gave us more than 1 inch in under an hour. That moisture froze as the temperature dropped rapidly. Even the birdbath is frozen solid this morning. The cat is very unhappy this morning.

1:00pm - It's 50 degrees. In the sun, it's a gorgeous day. In the shade, I'm glad I'm wearing long sleeves.

I raked all the paths in the yard. I didn't chop these leaves. It was too quite this morning to start the leaf blower. I'll let Mother Nature take care of them over the winter. There's still some green to the grass behind the house.



The cleared paths really set off the meadow garden. More larkspur has germinated. I think I've seen some Queen Anne's Lace too. I'm anxious to see what it looks like next year. I'm hoping to get back into Larry's yard soon for more shredded leaves to use as mulch. As it breaks down, it should create some nice dirt.



For more than a year now, I've assumed these plants that I moved from the gully were Mock Orange. Now, I'm inclined to think they're Cornus mas, or Cornelian Cherry. I could be wrong. I've never noticed a bloom on the ones left in the gully, but I did find red, semi-translucent fruit on one. I could be way off on the identification. There are many of these growing in the gully still.



Mr. Lincoln



The smoke from the chimney is staying low to the ground today. My mom says that's a sign that rain is coming.



Tomorrow's forecast, rain.

Sleep tight.

The garden is officially put to bed for the winter. In less than a month, new seeds will be sown in small containers and placed out in the driveway awaiting the return of warmer weather. Until then, there's not much gardening that will take place. I'll take comfort in the plants living and growing under lights in the basement. It's how I manage through these 4 months. By April, the trees will be renewed and growth will be evident every day.

This morning, the temperature at 5am was 29 degrees. It's currently 52 and sunny. The wind makes it feel cooler.

The fig tree is finally going to sleep. It will be moved in the spring before it awakens.



Melampodium seeds were collected and others scattered throughout the perennial bed.



Nasturtiums will be replanted next year to ward off squash bugs in the potager.



Vinca will return if it reseeds. If not, a single 6-pack will be purchased.



After work today, I've got two things on my list. One, finish hanging the Christmas lights around the two front windows. And two, move the new acquisition I picked up from my sister on Thanksgiving Day. It's huge. I'll post pictures later.

Frost

It's 32 degrees.

Frost.

We'll see what the damage is later today. The thermometer outside my window tells me it's 42 degrees. That thing hasn't been right since the day I bought it. The neighbor's roofs are covered with white stuff. That doesn't happen at 42 degrees.

Some pictures taken yesterday, the late and lasting bloomers.

melampodium - blooming since I brought them home from Carrie's.



helianthus - blooming for a few weeks now.



Yvonne's salvia and Miss Huff lantana - bloomed all summer long.



clearance rack mum - I really like the deep dark red. I hope she returns next year.



Gerber daisy - Buried under the flopping coreopsis, I thought they had died. There's a white one in the back yard blooming too. They're supposed to survive the winter here if given good drainage.



Salvia greggii - first year I've grown this. Seeds have been collected for wintersowing.



Waking up in the middle of the night, this was all I could smell.



The cold is almost gone. A nagging cough remains. Back to work today for 6 days. Hopefully the mechanical woodsplitter will be fixed this week and brought back. We'll be in the upper 70s again in two days. Another chance of frost tonight.

I also updated the map of my property last night. So many things have changed since the spring when I drew the other.



1:19pm - Sunny and 55. No damage to report from last night's frost. The brugs in the perennial bed came through unharmed as of yet. I hope they can make it through tonight's chance too.



The coleus by the front walk seems perfectly happy.



The yet unbloomed yellow brug was covered by a sheet propped up by my pitchfork.



The cosmos have no trees protecting them and came through just fine. The bees are happy.



Even the pineapple sage is standing tall with no damage.



Keeping my fingers crossed for tonight. The 10 day forecast shows night time temps in the 40s and 50s all next week. Back to work. Miserably slow day at the store.

Dogwood Winter

That's what the older folks call a cold spell when the dogwoods are in bloom. It should be our last one of the season. Let's hope so, the tomatoes in the hoophouse are about to bust out of their two liter containers. I'm ready to get them in the ground.

Speaking of planting out, I've got to be at work in 4 hours. It's finally light enough outside to start working in the yard, but it's only 28 degrees. While I might be a fanatical gardener, I'm not stupid. As soon as the thermometer hits 33 degrees, I'll head out and uncover the Thundercloud plum and Japanese Maple. I wrapped them last night with old sheets hoping to protect the tender growth from too much damage. The house across the street has a light frost on the roof. I can see frost on my truck too. I expect to lose a few new seedlings that have popped up over the past week or so. Hopefully none of my wintersown annuals were affected too much.

Today's forecast is for 61 degrees and sunny. The wind has died down at least. Through the trees in the backyard, the first rays of the sun are starting to appear. It shouldn't be long now before the temperature begins to rise. By the end of the week, we'll be back in the upper 70s with 40s and 50s at night. I may as well have another cup of coffee while I wait. As my dad says, "Might as well, can't dance." I still have no idea what that means after 36 years.

10:12am - Nothing got damaged as far as I can tell. I just planted out some hardy hibiscus, pink and violet queen bee balm, artemesia, and coreopsis Full Moon. I potted 12 sprouts of datura inoxia into small containers. I'll take a couple of these to my sister for her beds on Sunday. The hostas under the oak tree were pretty well shaded from any frost. It was a light frost. None of the wintersown plants have been hurt even after 3 weeks of nice warm weather. The plum tree and the Japanese Maple were covered so they seem to be fine too. 43 degrees here now and sunny. The wind is picking up again. I hope it blows this cold front way east and out to sea.

8:20pm - Left work around 6:20. There was just enough daylight left to plant 18 petunias and 18 white vincas in the white bed out back. I also planted a red alternanthera I received in a trade. I planted the two purple ones that I purchased on opposite ends. The red castor bean plant that I started from seed a couple months ago went in there as well. It's been struggling in the tiny cup I had it in, so I hope it likes its new home. I tossed in a few datura inoxia as well. The rest of the space in that bed will be planted with zinnias - "Purity" which are white as well. This bed will contain only white flowering or dark red/purple foliage plants.

Opposite this bed, I planted another wintersown datura in front of the nandinas I transplanted yesterday. I already have ginger lilies and some grasses in that space. The remaining space will be taken up by two white brugmansias. I'll wait until after Easter to plant those, just in case mother nature decides to throw me a curve ball.

In the front bed, the lantanas were planted. Near the Russian sage, I planted the yellow one. Near the coreopsis, I planted the purple. In between, I planted the bi-color orange/red/yellow lantana. All three have donated cuttings for the cloner and I hope to fill in the daylily bed along the edge of the retaining wall this year. I'll pull them out at the end of the season. I hope they'll give my wintersown daylily sprouts a bit of protection from the sun.

The plan now is to plant something everyday until it's all done. Tomorrow evening, I'll find another area to work in. The acorns in the perennial bed are really starting to worry me. I think this fall, I'll need to be a lot more diligent about removing them as they collect rather than hoping the squirrels help out.

In the back yard, I watched the two owls fight over something they were ripping apart to eat. I don't want to assume what they had caught since I couldn't see, but the victor wasn't too keen on me watching him/her have dinner. They are incredible animals. I hate when they stare at me.

It's still 55 degrees. The low tonight should be in the 40s. Tomorrow will be a gorgeous day with highs in the 70s.