FALL AND WINTER IN THE GARDENS 2015 - 2016

It was a mild winter with a small exception. 

Last November we had some sudden cold days right after the fall rains started the plants into a growing cycle after their very droughty summer.  I was not allowed out in the garden after my stem cell transplant because my immunity was wiped out with the pre transplant chemo.  Fortunately my wonderful caregiver, my husband Frank,  was also up for some hasty garden care in addition to all the housekeeping and cooking he was doing.

so out side he went whenever the weather forecast was for low temps to protect one main plant--the Euphorbia stygiana--which had lots of new tip growth that would be susceptible to the 28 degree nights.  Out came the Christmas lights spread under the plant with a couple sheets over the top. That little extra warmth really worked as the new undamaged growth in spring attests.

Euphorbia stygiana with
fall new growth

cold night protection
with old Christmas lights

But backing up a month to October. 

I was released from SCCA Oct 17th and did not have to stay in downtown housing any longer. This was so much easier on Frank for cooking and caring for me at home. 

But I was still VERY fragile and definitely not allowed out in the gardens for fear of fungal spores etc. in the air. 

There my gardens sat. Not only had very little gardening taken place since July, but no way could I get out to do any fall clean up.

Rescue came in the form of our wonderful horticultural community, called together by Walt Bubelis, one of my hort professors from Edmonds CC. 

On Oct 20th, 20 volunteers of former students, many of which are professional horticulturists, spent all day on a Sunday, cleaning up, transplanting, replanting, cutting back and all the various other fall clean up tasks in my garden. 

I watched from inside the house going from window to window,  as they worked and hauled load after load of old biomass down the hill to the brush piles.  

With much gratitude, as I waited for Spring and my doctors' ok to get back out in the dirt, I could look out all winter and see the much nicer, tidied up gardens.