Winter Care for Ajuga Reptans/Creeping Bugleweed

Now that the warm days of autumn are coming to an end I thought it would best to take care of my ajuga creeping bugleweed for winter. Normally I do not do much with this hardy evergreen groundcover but last year our winter was brutal and I lost many plants and vegetation due to extreme cold weather and ice.

This year I attended to my ajuga plants by removing all of the weeds and wild grasses that were growing too close and then I applied Scotts Organics NatureScapes red mulch around the creeping bugleweed.

Ajuga puts out runners and you do want to cover up the runners. It is best to allow space in between the plant's leaves and stems. This mulch will protect the roots that grow close to the soil surface. It will also protect the plants from becoming uprooted when snow or ice starts to melt.

Here are some photographs of my ajuga gardens:

Did you know that ajuga is one of the top 10 hardy groundcovers?  Learn more about ajuga by viewing this YouTube video

Scotts Organics NaturesScapes Mulch Review

Today I went to Lowe's garden center to buy Scotts Organics NatureScapes Advanced Sierra Red Mulch. I used this mulch in the spring this year and really liked it and is my new favorite garden mulch.

What I like about the Scotts Organics mulch is that it does not fade under the hot sun. 

Here is a photo of my summer black-eyed Susan garden. I applied three layers of mulch and it naturally prevented weed growth. This saved me time and effort because I did not have to go out weekly to spot-check the gardens for weeds or annoying crabgrass.

Another benefit is that this mulch holds the water and released it into the soil when needed. I did not have to water my gardens daily throughout the hot summer months and the container garden plants did not wilt in the afternoon.

So today I mulched my flower gardens with 3 layers of Scott's Organics Sierra red mulch and this extra layer of mulch will protect my flower gardens from ice and snow this winter.

Trash to Treasured Patio Light

The trash to treasure trellis was recycled into accent lighting for my patio and considering the total cost for this light was $0.00 I feel good about recycling the trellis that I found buried under a heap of leaves and dirt in the woods.

They always say that one mans trash is another mans treasure and while I’ve never been able to say that I recycled a great find until now. I found while clearing the land next to my yard a metal trellis that had been buried under a layer of dirt. The trellis appeared to be decades old, it was rusted and bent but had pretty scroll work and I pulled it out, wiped It off and thought I can recycle this.

When I got back to the house I gave the trellis a good cleaning with a wire brush to remove the dirt and the rust. Then I washed it off with hot water and dawn dish soap before letting it dry in the sun. Once dry I spray painted with black rustoleum, both sides. When paint was dried I checked to see if additional paint was needed and to be on the safe side I gave the trellis two coats.

The trellis dried quickly, then it was time to decorated it with a strand of led white Christmas lights. I secured the strand of lights onto the trellis with plastic zip ties. When attaching lights to the trellis was completed I propped it up in the corner of my patio, ran an outdoor extension cord to the outlet and set it on a timer.

Stocked up on End of Season Spring Bulbs at Lowe's

The other day I was quite pleased with my spring bulb purchase that I had gotten at Lowe's nursery center. I thought the 40 medium-sized Dutch master daffodils were a great buy considering I paid under $10. for them. Then this morning I went to Lowe's to shop for some pet-safe ice melt and a new snow shovel and saw while I was there that the spring bulbs were all on sale for 25 % off.

Needless to say, I felt like I was in a chocolate candy store and did not waste any time in selecting bags of spring bulbs; daffodils, crocus, paperwhites, tulips, and hyacinths to name a few.

While some people may think it is too late to plant since much of the US is presently bitter cold with snow in the forecast.  This weather will prevent many gardens from planting bulbs in the ground.  

I will store these spring bulbs in a wood box in my root cellar that is covered with dry peat moss until early spring and then plant them in container gardens for clients or my personal garden.

Today was a great day for shopping at Lowe's home improvement store and I am so glad that I checked out the spring bulb section in the garden center.

Plants That add Interest to Winter Gardens

Normally after a hard frost I will go out and cut back my plants in my garden however some plants I leave because they will provide interest through out the winter months.

Fountain grass in winter

The dried ornamental grass plumes as they add not only interest but also movement in the garden. I also find that the seed heads from the autumn joy sedum. Black-eyed Susan’s and the dried hydrangea flowers look eye appealing during the winter season.

Dried Hydrangea Flowers in in late fall

What I usually do is leave these garden plants alone throughout the winter months and then cut them back in early spring.

After a hard frost after I clean up the garden (cut back all other plants)  I will apply a layer of cypress mulch around the stems of the plants that I am leaving for winter interest.  This year I am using  Scotts nature scapes mulch in the color of red for winter because it is a nice contrast.

Here is a YouTube video that will show you how beautiful grasses look in winter.

Admiring my November Garden

Looking out my picture window I can see hardy copper, red and purple coleus, white inpatients, and purple wandering jew plants that are full, healthy, and covered with new leaves and blooms. These annual flowers when grown with perennial ornamental grasses and other plants really make my November garden look nice and all of my neighbors when they walk past my house compliment me on my late-in-season flower gardens.

Know that my plants usually are not this healthy, in fact, if the summer heat did not kill them then the first cold night in fall would. I am really thankful that I took a chance with Spray n grow because this product feeds my garden plants and flowers with micronutrients which are vitamins for your plants.

Here is a photograph postcard that I created from one of my fall garden photographs.  I think you will agree that the November garden plants look amazing.  I know it is not due to my green thumb.  I am certain it is due to the spray-n-grow garden product that I used to feed my plants.

Getting Ready to Plant Daffodils

Today while shopping at Loews garden center I picked up 40 daffodils Dutch master bulbs for $9.99 and I intend on planting them in my garden this afternoon.  

My husband was surprised that I bought the bulbs because I usually only buy from the nursery where I can pick the bulbs up, feel them for soft spots, inspect for mold, or shop online at respectable landscape nurseries.  But today I took a chance at buying prepackaged daffodils.

Granted it took some time for me to find a package of bulbs that I liked.But after I checked several packages I did find a package of 40 daffodils bulbs.  

So after this post I will be heading outdoors to plant daffodils today in the back garden the is located next to the garden path.  This garden is viewed from my picture window; a perfect location for the mid spring blooms. 

I will also be adding a few mid spring blooming daffodils bulbs to my kitchen window-box.  The flowers will look so pretty when they bloom and I can gaze out at them while doing the dishes. 

Transplant Sweet Autumn Clematis

I transplanted some sweet autumn clematis vines so they would grow my privacy fence the runs down my driveway. I thought the vines would look pretty in the fall when the white flowers bloomed. I also liked the idea of looking out the kitchen window at the pretty star shaped white flowers and thought it would be fun to watch the hummingbirds, honey bees and butterflies that enjoy sipping nectar from this flower.

The green leafy vine grew up the wood privacy fence quickly and this week the flowers bloomed. Now this part of the yard smells sweet like vanilla and when I open the kitchen the scent fills the room.

If your fall is mild the clematis will continue to bloom until a frost.  Today is November 8th and my clematis still has pretty white blooms.  

In the late fall the seed heads will appear. That is when I remove the seeds and put them in a trash bag to throw out. This particular clematis can become invasive if you do not remove the seeds and prune after the flowers bloom. 

Tips for growing: Clematis is drought tolerant and grows well in full sun to part shade. I add a layer of mulch around the stems and feed with miracle grow bloom booster in mid August and always get prolific blooms throughout the fall season.

Flowers Blooming in My Garden: Photo Gallery

Even though the weather has changed and the evenings have been dipping into the low thirties there are still flowers blooming in my gardens. These white, yellow, and pink flowers add interest and are also eye appealing.

Sweet Autumn clematis 

 

Today I awoke to find that the change in temperature has caused the autumn leaves to fall from the trees onto the garden beds.  These golden and red leaves make a nice background for the burgundy and yellow Chrysanthemums and magenta and salmon-colored Four O clock flowers.

Yellow daisy-like Chrysanthemums 

Other autumn wildflowers are blooming in the woods that is adjacent to my home; delicate white flowers of the sweet autumn clematis, and goldenrod, and then a compact weed has delicate white flower clusters that look so pretty. I noted a few lavender phlox-type flowers blooming along the trail and thought this flower would be lovely if grown in masses.

Flowers blooming in the woods along the nature path

I suspect that these flowers will continue to bloom until there is a hard frost, hoping that does not occur any time soon.  I hope you enjoyed the photographs of the autumn flowers that are blooming in my yard and gardens. 

What flowers are blooming in your yard?

Early Fall Yard Work: Trimming Grass / Brush

For the last three days my husband and I have been working together to clean up the yard and gardens.  The weather is cooler and we find is agreeable when working long hours in the yard. 

Trim grasses around pavestone and stepping stones

Husband has been using our greenworks chainsaw and pole to trim the tree branches and I have been using the 10 amp string trimmer to clean up the tall grass growing next to the garden edgestones, and along the rock wall.  

This trimmer is light weight so I could use it easily to get close to the base of the rock wall and cut down the tall grass. Cleaning up the wall will discourage snakes from wanting to winter in the crevices.

When the overgrowth by rock wall was cut back I moved to the side yard to trim the tall grass growing up against the dog pen.  In order to get this grass I needed to stand on a large limestone rock and lean up hill.  If I had used the gas trimmer I would be really sore right now, but the greenworks is light and I could get the trimming done without feeling discomfort.

Next on my list was to work on the evasive vines that were choking out the blackberry and raspberry bushes, so I got busy in removing the wild sweet autumn clematis.   When I get the vines removed I will use my trimmer to cut back the grass and brush growing around the berry bushes and then remove clippings with rake. 

There is a lot of work that needs to be done during early falls and I am thinking that I will need two more days to get every section manicured.  Then I can relax on the patio and enjoy looking out at a well maintained yard and garden.