Indian Summer

Looks like we're in for another warmish day with temperatures fifteen degrees above normal. Yesterday was perfect for planting bulbs and cleaning up leaves from the flower beds, which I did. It's supposed to be a carbon copy today, with a high around 65° and sunny for most of the day. We did get some rain late in the day yesterday, but not until I'd exhausted my energy getting yard work done.

Indian Summer is defined as "a period of sunny, warm weather in autumn, not long before winter. Usually occurring after the first frost, Indian summer can be in late October or early November in the northern hemisphere, and late April or early May in the Southern hemisphere. It can persist for a few days or extend to a week or more." I'd say we're smack dab in the middle of it and we'd better soak it up because we're not likely to have days like this again for a long time.

I had the last of the bulbs to plant and they're all tucked away in their hidey holes in the ground, awaiting spring (just like me). I only placed one order for bulbs this fall, but I've also purchased a few from Lowe's and other garden centers:

• Lilium 'Lollipop'
• Crocus chrysanthus 'Blue Pearl'
• Lilium 'Muscadet'
  
• Lilium 'Tiger Rose'
• Lilium 'Starfighter'
• Muscari latifolium
• Narcissus 'Sagitta'
• Narcissus 'Thalia'
• Narcissus 'Pink Charm'
• Tulipa 'Elegant Lady'
  
• Crocus sieberi ssp. sublimis 'Tricolor'
• Scilla siberica
  
• Allium oreophilum
• Fritillaria imperialis 'Rubra Maxima'
• Hyacinth 'Woodstock'
• Allium sphaerocephalum

That looks like a long list, but it doesn't include Narcissus 'Jetfire' which I thought I'd ordered. And now I remember I wanted to get more Allium schubertii since mine didn't return last spring. I might need to place a small order from somewhere.

Late last week, Romie had taken the mower and chopped up a LOT of leaves that had fallen due to some windy days. I raked them up yesterday and put them on the compost pile, but not until I'd spread nearly all of what was on the pile onto the vegetable part of the garden. It wasn't done decomposing but it was far enough along that by spring it will be perfect for working into the soil when Romie tills it up for planting.

There's about three inches of compost here, covering the bare part of the
garden where the veggies grew this summer. The leaves you see on top
of it are ones that have blown in from the trees in our yard.

I cleaned the layer of wet leaves from around the base of the roses and mulched them. I trimmed them back just enough so the canes won't get whipped and broken by the wind. I'd made the error in previous years of cutting them back too far and I lost some canes, sometimes the entire rose. I learned earlier this year that in our zone we can experience about 18 inches of winter die-back, so it's best to leave at least that much growth on the roses going into winter. I piled the mulch up about 4-5 inches around the base and I'll let the leaves blow in around them. The thorns will snag the leaves and keep them there.

The fountains have been emptied and stored or covered and decorative resin garden ornies have been put away inside so the freezing and thawing that occurs all winter won't damage them.

I can't believe it's really that time of year already. It seems like just yesterday I was rejoicing over the first crocus bloom.