Sunday, September 14, 2014

Survivors?

This time of year I want to save everything in my garden. I hate to think of my plants crispy and dead so I have a tendency to think I can overwinter my favorites. I'm usually wrong but I try it every fall anyway.

Like this pretty little abutilon. This might be Temple Bells but even if it's not I'm calling it that anyway. It goes with the Buddha. It's now on my kitchen table under the skylight.

I know better than to try to save the dwarf papyrus. I killed one last winter.
I hauled in most of the succulents before the temps went down to 33 degrees the other night. This tray is supposedly water-tight. I'll find out.
I love that big echeveria. The older leaves are hail-pitted several times over. Thank you, Rocky Mountain weather.
You can almost spot one of those cobwebby-looking cacti. Kind of creepy but it matches my decor.
I should be thinking about getting the "fern room" ready in the basement. It's an empty room with two bright windows. With a tarp on the floor it serves as a winter nursery for a dozen ferns, a couple of hibiscus and some jasmine. By the middle of winter it's a huge mess with dead leaves littering the tarp and me losing all ambition to keep them watered.

Just thinking about it makes me tired. I'll put my feet up instead and work on it tomorrow.






 

6 comments:

Tamera Beardsley said...

I enjoyed seeing your lovely plants my dear! I am in awe that you have already had temps in the 30's … we are still sweltering in the 100's here in SoCal!

Anonymous said...

I can see why it makes you tired. I've been thinking about the cuttings for the greenhouse and how much I want to overwinter. It makes me tired too. I think we're also tired from the summer work, and maybe it's time to rest.~~DEe

outlawgardener said...

The fall migration begins! I have similar areas in our basement and an extra bedroom upstairs where I'd haul all of the tender things for the winter so I can empathize with how much work it is and how bad all of the dead leaves look by spring. Plant people understand your desire to save as much as you can!

Annie in Austin said...

How cool does the Fern Room stay? Do the plants grow at all while they're in stir or do they just survive the winter?

I use the garage - most years it's OK but not last winter. Good luck saving the stuff you like best!

LostRoses said...

Tamara, our hot days are over for this year. But still some nice daytime temps, it's the overnights that are getting a bit too nippy for the tropicals.

Dee, it's occurred to me that it's a good thing I live in a four season climate. I don't think I could keep up with the garden year-round!

Outlaw, I need a greenhouse - kind of like what you're getting!

Annie, I'm not really sure - maybe low 60s? My basement is pretty chilly in the winter. They definitely don't thrive, but most manage to hang on till May if I'm lucky (or diligent.) :-)

Unknown said...

Hah! We just watched Gone With the Wind. Is your nickname Scarlett?