Chores Galore

Written by Nellie Neal

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While other gardeners are yakking about 'putting the garden to bed', those of us in mild climates could say we are 'changing the sheets'. My garden chores list is long, the weather is grand at this time of year. No doubt it's as busy in your garden as it is in mine just now. It's time to put a neat edge on everything, to clear out the errant zoysia crowded between the rubble stones that line the big front bed. Once done, the tedious plucking brings definition to the entire space.

I I use a cobrahead, a sharply pointed digging tool, for this task, and for lifting the rhizomes of dollar weed that’s invaded the area under the chaste tree. Mulch needs replacing in some areas, the sasanquas need pruning now they’re done blooming. Though the camellia petals look sweet on the ground, they’re harbors for petal blight and need raking. If I’d get the compost turned, it’s likely there’s some in the bottom of the pile that’s ready to use. And I need it for the vegetable garden bed now covered with seedlings of all sorts that are about to become green manure. When tilled in, the compost and green matter sprouted there will add the needed organic matter: potatoes and peas in a few weeks.

Joys of the season

Lantana can stay in bloom well past Thanksgiving, and I’ve known azaleas that bloomed on Christmas Day. Leave the flowering shrubs alone, as they will reset their own clocks. If the forecasters are right, the winter will be mild and green garlands and wreaths will wilt terribly if you don’t mist them daily. Do cut back the lantana and other perennials like canna that do not die back on their own. If you don’t give them a ‘timeout’, future flower power will be compromised. If someone gives you a poinsettia, thank them and enjoy it. But if you’re to give a blooming gift, choose kalanchoe for its beautiful flowers, thick leaves, and forgiving nature. The odds are better that it will live long and remind them of you everyday. Another good gift plant is Christmas cactus; indeed, one plant in a six inch pot can have easily 30 flowers on it at once. Try to buy one with buds still unfurled, and provide a saucer with instructions to water from the bottom. After it’s done blooming, Christmas cactus needs a rest, like most of us after the holiday season. Water less often for about two months, then repot if needed and start watering and fertilizing regularly

The gift

There are times when the garden is my best refuge from the chaos of the world. The daily grind of bad news and personal drama sends me screaming (well, scurrying, really) to the solitude of the garden. I’m most comforted in the garden when garden chores become a meditation of unthinking labor. Twisting wire around rebar to ground a small picket fence recently, I gained a sense of personal peace. Snip, wrap, twist, wrap, wrap, twist, twist, snip…the rhythm of the work and the instant gratification of its success overtook me. For a few minutes I was genuinely unconscious of the war, of cruelty, of dwindling savings and rising prices. I couldn’t even hear my list of mundane errands calling me. It was great, and I recommend it. Too often, I think, garden writers try to justify our passion by reducing it to aerobic exercise and pounds of potatoes harvested. The reason I garden is because it lets me be. That’s a rare gift, and I cultivate it daily. .