It was mid November when I harvested my last Eucalyptus. We had a few light frosts. The mini “trees” that Eucalyptus grow to be can handle temperatures into the 20’s.
Flowers that don’t mind the chill are sunflowers, marigolds, calendula, feverfew and strawflowers.
This month I cleaned, covered and planted. My husband and I planted 3,000+ tulip bulbs in raised beds. Jenny Love of Love n Fresh Flowers still has the best tutorial for planting bulbs efficiently. No dig, just cover.
By the end of the month, I blanketed hundreds of newly planted seedlings with a light fabric. This was to protect them from wind, cold, and critters. The dahlia bed also got a thick covering of leaves and clear plastic to keep them dry. My dahlias stay in the ground all year around. Our south facing slope is key.
One of the highlights of my month was visiting Longwood Gardens. I went with FlowerMore. This is a new online group for flower people, led by Ellen Frost of Local Color Flowers in Baltimore.
If you’ve never been to Longwood Gardens, it’s well worth the trip! We visited the first day of the Christmas display. So many cool decorations. I can’t wait to go back at dark to see the magnificent lights.
Another bonus this month was acquiring a much sought after foliage for winter months. Lindera angustifolia is valued for its leaves that dry on the stem. They don’t fall off. Lindera is a useful element and addition to the landscape. I was surprised to see it surrounding the entrance of Longwood Gardens.
A popular stem I’m harvesting now is curly willow. Perfect stuck into outdoor pots, creating a vertical addition for the season. It’s so easy to grow too. If you have fresh stems, just keep them in water a few weeks and they will start to root.
We wrapped up the month with annual Thanksgiving traditions. I love rituals that remind me of family, friends and good times. My favorite dish is Sauerkraut. I can smell it cooking at my grandmother’s during the holidays. Her dish was stocked with Polish sausage. Since I haven’t eaten meat in fifteen years, I make mine with apples, onions and a little beer. The recipe adapted from John Shields is below.
I’m so grateful to be wrapping up my 6th season growing flowers for you and our community. Our Holiday online SHOP is live! Paperwhites, Amaryllis and more are available now. Perfect gifts for flowers lovers.
Thank you for reading my blog posts.
On a side note, I had a website glitch and lost September’s and October’s posts, ending my 6 year streak of monthly posts. UGH! Learning a better back up plan as I write this.Â
