Moving On Or Back To The Hotpad

The post after Bloom Day is always a little bit of a let down. So much effort is put into getting the best photos of the best blooms shone in the best light, sometimes preparing the next story to follow those flowers is intimidating. Finding yet more gardening ideas to convey as we sail into late fall and busy holiday times can be taxing.Drama in the garden is harder to come by with fewer flowers. We might resort to significant foliage shots to keep the reader interested.Truthfulness requires the source of the previous shots be revealed. Between the garage outcropping and the main house in the front is the rock covered wall of the addition joining the two structures. It is protected from winds on three sides and is paved as part of the driveway, even though no cars can drive there due to the circular bed that juts out into the drive. It is a seldom used walkway from the garage side door to the front door of the house. Last year the three taller blue pots were placed here for their safety and some aesthetic appeal. Coleus reigned in the containers this spring and summer. Replacing the frosted annuals are three Camellia sasanqua ‘Cleopatra’ shrubs for evergreen winter beauty. They will be planted under the tall pines next spring. Violas were the underplanting and  Alaska nastursiums have hung on with zeal if not many blooms.Getting to the meat of the story we begin with the replies made to the kind and sweet comments of the bloom day post and others. “Oh, you are so lucky to live where there are flowers all year” the gentle readers write. Unblushingly we reply “Oh yes, our climate is wonderful. We have all four seasons and can grow a great diversity of plants, from tulips and lilacs to Salvia greggi and muhly grass.” The scene has been set. Today is cold and blustery but we have been away from physical activity for three days and need to get outside. Bundling ourselves up from head to toe we begin with leaf duty. Looking up at the multi trunk silver maple growing close to the house it seems the majority of leaves have fallen. We have blown and vacumned leaves from the deck and pathways twice before. One more go around should do it for the season. There will be strays from neighboring trees, but the bulk have fallen. Getting the electric extension cords untangled and plugged in we begin first by blowing into a big pile, then switching to the vacumn bag attachment. Several garbage cans are filled with lovely chopped leaves. It begins to snow.Our fingers are numb and a cold wind is blowing along with the so called leaf hog. The cold causes post nasal drip and there is no tissue to stop the flow.  The leaves are wet and get sucked up in wads to the canvas bag. These maple leaves are small and even whole will break down rapidly into the prized leaf mould. The choppings are placed strategically in needy beds on the slope and the veggie garden.  The Financier has continued the block wall down to the strawberry patch.  Maybe next year the wall can be completed but the strawberries will all have to be dug and replanted.  I’m not ready to do that just yet.Looking beyond the veggie bed is the decaying remains of ferngully. The compost bin was built last Mother’s Day by the Gardoctor and Financier as a gift. Except it was in the middle of the path, not at the end of the path, where it was intended, right where the overlap of landscape fabric is visible in this photo. Too heavy to move, say the mens. Its corners are six by six posts left over from the arbor construction. The back and sliding front boards are leftover treads from the deck redo. It has been long enough for some of the compost to be useable. Let’s remove it and have a look. You can see the good stuff piled to the right of the path.  And see if we can move the bin by ourselves since everyone else went to work today. We lift one corner and it rises up into the air! It can be rolled! Kind of. Over and over it goes, trying not to damage the leyland cypress growing along the right hand side and the hydrangeas and rhododendrons on the left. It takes a while but it is now sitting in the desired location. And we know it can be moved again if need be. But after the adrenalin surge of satisfying superhuman strength subsides, there are various aches and pains along my spine. Yes, the challenge was met today. The wet leaves were taken care of despite wintry conditions and the compost bin was moved with no cajoling of or complaining by others. And we do have a wonderful pile of gardener’s gold. Just look at it. It crumbles through gloved hands with the correct consistency. Worth without equal.Fall is racing into history, but there are still some leaves showing brilliant colors, like the three seedling maples from neightbors Mae and Mickey. And looky here! Seeds!
Frances