As a person who visits gardens large and small, fabulous and fantastic as part of what I do, I find it really easy – frustratingly easy – to fall into a trap of garden envy and discontent. Maybe my garden should be bigger? Or smaller? Maybe it should be more whimsical? Perhaps more formal and statuesque? If only I had more trees? More ferns? More flowers? More time? More money? Ahhh…if only I had more. Photo:
The Breakers historic mansion and garden Newport, Rhode Island, summer 2009.
But then late October and November come upon me and the garden. In many areas, it is the end of the growing season for summer flowers and typical summer fruits and vegetables. It’s the beginning of seasonal rain and snow, the season of evergreens and winter vegetables. It is the season of deep, bold colors exuberantly lighting up in contrast to the softening, lessening light – the last-ditch efforts at glory for our roses, our tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. It’s the beginning of the citrus season in the valley portions of the North State. It’s the season of storing the fruits of our labor for winter; the season of digging hopeful and unlikely-looking bulbs into cooling, dark soil in hopes of spring beauty returning in time. It’s the season of that first killing frost having arrived in almost all gardening zones of our region and the beginning of simpler times in the garden. Photo: Autumn oak leaves.
As much as I dread that first frost ending the summer season, a relief also accompanies frost’s arrival. That clearing out and knocking back is cleansing. And all of these forces combined, for some reason, remind me that all that I have – and have had in my garden – is always more than enough abundance and beauty for me. Photo: Burgundy-color dahlias and a shockingly orange salvia given to me by gardener Donna Murrill. Not knowing its actual variety, she calls it the “Halloween Salvia” because it always blooms at Halloween and was true to form this year.
It is plenty.
And it is plenty to be thankful for in this simultaneously contemplative and festive season between All Hallows Eve and the turning of the calendar year.
Things to do in the garden in next few months. In between soaking rains or covering snows, water plants and trees that might need it such as those planted within the last year. Rake leaves onto garden beds or out of the way places for good winter mulch and to be mixed with fresh green yard waste in your compost bin throughout the year. You can still plant out winter vegetable starts such as onions, garlic, lettuce and others. See what your local independent nursery has on offer. As you clean out summer vegetable beds, you can add fresh compost to cover the soil. The winter rains or snows will work it in for you. As trees and shrubs go dormant, you can begin pruning back for shape or health. As you prune, keep in mind that seasonal fruits, berries, leaves and branches make perfect and inexpensive holiday decorations. Unless you are very anxious to prune for shape or structure, you won’t want to prune your ornamental winter or spring flowering shrubs or trees until after they have bloomed next spring – and I am thinking here of plants such as forsythia, viburnum, deciduous magnolia, and witch hazels or winter sweets. Photo: An almost-end-of-season chili pepper at Sawmill Creek Farm in Paradise.
Plenty to be thankful for is a good description of the many gardening events being held around our region this next month or so for our edification and entertainment:
November 5-8 – Chico: CSU, Chico This Way To Sustainability Conference: This annual event is hosted by CSU, Chico, Butte Community College, and the Associated Student groups of each. Online Registration is NOW OPEN through October 30, 2009. The 7th Annual Chico Organic Farming and Food Conference will be held from 8:30 AM until 2:30 PM on Wednesday, November 4th in Room 210 of the Bell Memorial Union on the Chico State Campus and followed by tours of the Organic Vegetable Project and the Organic Dairy from 3:00 until 4:30 PM on the University Farm. The conference is sponsored by the CSU, Chico College of Agriculture, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, and the North Valley Chapter of California Certified Organic Farmers. The program is free and open to the public. For an agenda, go to: http://www.csuchico.edu/~laltier/Veg%20Project/OFFC/Conf_Info.htm. For more information please call 530-898-4137. Photo: A vibrant crepe myrtle in its fall colors.
November 7 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens 11AM – WINTERIZING YOUR POND by Sherrie Weigel. Get your pond ready for the winter, join Sherrie our Water Garden expert for some great information on winterizing your ponds and water gardens. This class is free, please call to reserve your place. More Info: 530-365-2256, Wyntourgardens.com. 8026 Airport Road, Redding.
November 8 – Gerber: Pacific Sun Olive Oil Olive Mill Open House 11 am – 3 pm Love at First Crush! Pacific Farms 22880 Gerber Rd Olive Oil Milling and Merriment; Pick Olives and Make Oil; Talk to producers, taste their wares & local wines! Kids are welcome! More Info: www.pacificsunoliveoil.com. Photo: Olive in fruit.
November 12 – Magalia: Magalia Beautification Association. The Magalia Beautification Association invites the public to the dedication of a commissioned work by local artist Glen Cowan, at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Rite Aid store at 14115 Lakeridge Circle in Magalia. The new sculpture, “The Dragonfly,” is the second piece of civic art that the MBA has proudly commissioned and installed among the Magalia’s civic gardens for all to enjoy. More info: Call 530-873-3273.
November 14 – Chico: Friends of the Chico State Herbarium 9 am – 5 pm. GENERAL INTEREST/TECHNICAL Workshop: Growing and Propagating Native Plants for the Garden with Germaine Boivin and John Whittlesey. Chico State Herbarium, Holt Hall Room 129. More Details coming soon. Please register in advance with the Gateway Science Museum office at (530) 898-3511 or gateway@csuchico.edu. Photo: The fall color of a native dogwood leaf fallen in a bed of geranium.
November 14 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Gardens, Turtle Bay A Worm by Any Other Name. 10 a.m. – noon. Vermiculture! Worm composting (vermiculture) is a fun way to compost your food scraps and harvest nutrient-rich worm castings for your garden. Sounds icky? Not at all. Let Master Gardener Joyce Hinkle and Ken Waranius “the compost tea-guy” show you how to create an easy-to-make worm bin at home. Joyce will also discuss various other composting techniques. Members & Turtle Bay volunteers: Free, nonmembers $3. Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office at 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery).
November 15 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens WINTERIZING YOUR YARD & GARDEN. 1pm. Please join Rikki for a very informative class on the magic of winterizing your yard. Learn what you should be doing now to promote a healther yard and garden next spring. Handouts, refreshments and a drawing – Don’t miss this class! This class is free, please call to reserve your place. More Info: 530-365-2256, Wyntourgardens.com. 8026 Airport Road, Redding. Photo: The interesting fall coloration of my witch hazel.
More details and many more gardening related events can be found on the Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events. If you have an event you’d like to see posted: send me an email Jennifer @jewellgarden.com.
If you’d like to meet me in person and chat gardening in the North State, on November 5th, I will be at Discover Earth in Red Bluff from 5 – 7 pm for for an In a North State Garden 2010 Calendar signing and meet and greet at their Holiday Preview Art Walk, which will be going on throughout the town that evening. On November 21st, I will be at Wyntour Gardens in Redding from 10 – 11:30 AM. My calendar signings and meet & greets have been a lot of fun so far – it is wonderful to put faces to readers’ names and email addresses! Photo: Native toyon berries coloring up.
Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming programs and gardening events? If you would like to be added to my list, email me at: jennifer@jewellgarden.com, with Add to Mailing List as the subject line.
For good winter-reads, take a look through some of these – my favorites for this season of giving and receiving. All of my reading recommendations are available in stock (or by special order for the more expensive ones) at Lyon Books in Chico. You can order on-line and they are happy to ship. You can always try our wonderful public libraries for these books as well: Photo: Eastern dogwood in deep burnt red fall color.
Our Life in Gardens, by Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2009) The personal story of these two well-known gardeners, garden designers and garden writers and the garden the now-famous garden, North Hill, have worked on together for much of the lifetimes.
The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the Food You Need on Just a Quarter Acre!, edited by Carleen Madigan (Storey Publishing, 2009).
Canning & Preserving Your Own Harvest, by Carla Emery and Lorene Edwards Forkner (Sasquatch Books, 2009)
Photo: Evening sky – Nov 1, 2009.
In a North State Garden is an outreach program of the Gateway Science Museum – Exploring the Natural History of the North State, based in Chico, CA. In a North State Garden is a weekly radio and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in California’s North State region. It is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell – all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In A North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio KCHO/KFPR radio, Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time. Podcasts of past shows are available here. Weekly essays are also posted on anewscafe.com a regional news source that is positively North State.
