I knew I should have put this pot away last fall. Not sure why I didn't.
This one is history too.
I should have put away the garden hoses also. I can barely see them under all the pods from the Honey Locust tree.
The wood pile is falling over, the snow blasted the green paint off that wicker chair, and yes, more seed pods all over the lower patio. 
Hmm, last fall this was a twig settee, now it's a pile of sticks with an upside down birdhouse (the raccoons did it) smack in the middle of it. Okay, I'm not really very sad about all this. The blue pot was a garage sale purchase a few years ago and it came complete with a crack. I always positioned it on the pedestal with the damage toward the back. Its demise was only a matter of time. Same for the twig settee, it's been "planted" in a flower bed for 15 years, ever since it got too unstable to sit on. As for the clay pot, I do that every year, no surprises there. And the darn pods...actually I wouldn't have had the heart to post these pictures if I hadn't already started cleaning them up. The trash man took away 8 of the 55-gallon-size leaf bags full of them this morning.
Being a lazy gardener I never clean up in the fall. It's just my nature. All the grasses and plants wither away wherever they happen to grow and die. And come spring it makes for the most desolate-looking landscape. So when I get started in the garden the change is utterly amazing and I feel like I really accomplished something!
The thrill of seeing green growing things again makes it all worthwhile. This pussywillow languished in an unsuitable location for a few years and never grew more than a couple feet tall until I finally moved it to a better spot near my kitchen window. Now it's one of the first things to bud in Spring and has become a tall tree.
So back to reality, and that means back to the garden!
19 comments:
Sorry about your beautiful blue pot. If I lost any of mine I would be sad:( At least you had a nice vacation to remember as your doing Spring clean up:)
Your photos show what a very rough winter can do! I never clean up much in the fall, either, Lost Roses. My gardens are still new and small so there isn't much work to do here. But I am very familiar with the cracked pots!
I'll be repairing and painting wicker this spring too. We did a pretty good job cleaning up in the fall but I'm certain that I'll have lots to do if spring ever gets here. The couple of pots I left out are still under snow so I don't know how they faired.
I hate my black locust trees but they don't leave anywhere near the number of pods to clean up that you had!
In your climate it probably does make sense to just wait and see - and I know what you mean about it being more interesting to turn a really big mess into a nice scene.
Even in our milder climate many clay pots crack every winter - guess you have to go to somewhere like Mexico to see them looking perfect.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I don't really do fall clean up either it's too depressing! But in the spring when I see the buds of new growth I'm inspired and excited for the new blooms THEN I'm motivated to do the hard clean up work! We still have a lot to do! Hopefully we'll get a little more done today...and the aphids are already attacking!
Happy Spring!
Melissa
Beverly, well, I did like that pot but I bet I find something else to put on that pedestal! It was my focal point from the sitting area on the back porch. Maybe a piece of Mexican pottery?
Mary, now that you mention it that's the reason I didn't put anything away in the fall - we don't usually have rough winters. Oh well, live and learn, but I rarely remember what I learned!
Apple, I'm so sorry you're still under snow! The weather will just keep you in suspense a while longer to find out how your pots fared. As for the locust tree - I rely on an April freeze to nip those pods in the bud, but we obviously didn't get one last April. The pods had a banner year.
Annie, turning a really big mess into a nice scene might explain my sporadic housekeeping too! I remember reading in one of your posts about pot damage, too, so I guess it's liable to happen just about anywhere. Well, maybe not Mexico!
Melissa, ohmigosh, aphids already! You are ahead of the game in your garden. I don't worry about those critters for awhile yet. And yes, motivation is the key to garden clean-up, isn't it?
I do the same thing its like I run out of tme to take care of stuff.It drives me crazy in the spring.
I have NOT been out to take stock because we had snow in the garden up to Monday of this week! I forgot to take in or was I too lazy and left several prized containers out all winter! I am sure that I will no doubt have casulaties as you have. :( LostRose I found your roses..come see. Nice to meet you NG
Laurie & Chris, the time just gets away in the fall and I'm so busy enjoying the season I never feel like doing the garden clean-up that I should do! Glad I have company in that.
Naturegirl, that snow needs to melt pronto so you can get and see what's what in the garden. Oh, I lost another rose, went to your site and found it!
I have the same practice of letting things sit until Spring.
The blue pot could be turned into a cool mosaic or something, right? Or broken pottery makes for a good drainage base in the bottom of other pots.
I like honey locusts...but I like them far away from my yard!
Welcome back to gardening!
I am quite excited these days since the FIRST roses will move into our two-year-old garden soon! We finally found a very nice rose arc. My favouite climing rose to start with is "New Dawn". I hope I'll get in in one of our local gardening stores.
Happy spring!
Susan, that's a great idea for the broken blue pot. I have an old birdbath that I've been thinking would look cool if I did a "mosaic" on the top of it. I may never get around to actually doing that but I'm saving those pot pieces! Thanks!
Anita, you have one of the most picturesque gardens on the Internet! And New Dawn is a wonderful choice. I planted one that grew so beautifully at the front of my house until a tree got so large it shaded it too much. I moved the rose and killed it. Another of my "lost roses"!
It was heartening to read your blog entry and see your pics! My yard has just emerged from the snow looking like yours ... complete with the hidden hose. In the fall, I figure I've done well if I can catch all the pond fish and bring them indoors. Anything else is just icing on the cake!
There's something refreshing in spring cleaning ... and seeing all those pussy willows. They are the best sight!
I gather up what I can't drag into the garage in the fall and put it under a big tarp on the back patio. I need to uncover all that stuff now and find out how the pots and all did. I just hope I don't find raccoons or other critters under there.
In some ways, I like to leave some things outdoors because I like the 'weathered' look, and actually weathering is a way to achieve that!
I love pussywillows.I have to find some this spring.God bless.
Kate, the things that emerge in the spring! If only they were all flowers. I noticed you posted about the book "A gentle plea for chaos." I almost used that name for my blog because my garden is so often in that state! Thanks for visiting.
Carol, I really have no excuse for my ways, I could easily drag stuff into the garage too but just never finished doing it. And I always think I'll want to gaze out at some of those things during the winter! Hmmm, this might be a good reason not to have too many "decorative objects" in the garden?
Leann, I'm always so thrilled to see the pussywillows begin to swell and bud. They're the true harbinger of spring, unlike those fickle robins who sometimes arrive too early!
So sorry about the pretty blue pot. Maybe you will enjoy it even more in its next life (mosiac birdbath). It will be fun to hunt the sales for a new focal point item.
I have tons of spring work to do, too. I do some in the fall, but never get it all done....far, far, from all done.
Hey Zoey, if we got it all done we'd probably lay down and die. Wouldn't want that to happen! I think I've sworn off garage sales. If I bring one more thing into this house....well, maybe I'll just stop at a few sales here and there!
So much work for you now LR, but isn't it great to work in the fresh air? I'm sorry about your broken pots! Love your pussywillows and tru blue sky!
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