Garden Mojo

Autumn is in full swing here in Northern Indiana. The fall foliage is taking center stage, while the gardens are beginning to wind down for the season.

When we moved here in the spring of 2008, I took a hard line with my gardening. I was frustrated with the fact that we've been moving with some frequency in recent years, and I never got to see the full fruits of my labor where my gardens are concerned. Gardening is a time and money consuming process, and when you're planting entire gardens by scratch (as I've been doing with the last three or four houses), you really don't get to see a fully matured garden for three to five years after planting. Unfortunately, we've been moving before the lush garden phase.




I told myself that this time, I was going to leave well enough alone and only plant vegetable and herb gardens for their practicality. In truth, I think I just lost my gardening mojo.

This year, after another bout of Lyme disease, I finally felt well enough to plant something else in July. And lucky for me, by that time, everything was in deep discount at the garden centers. Thanks to a cool summer, my new plants took instantly, and where other gardens in the neighborhood were looking a little sad, mine was in full bloom. Those little plants were so thankful to be rescued from the clearance rack at the garden center!




This year, I had three stand outs. In the very last week of June, John Ryan helped me plant Morning Glory seeds along our mailbox, lamp post, and trellis near the garage. This vine was amazing! It bloomed in pink, purple, blue, white and red. People commented on this plant all summer. I was so pleased that it took, considering how late we got it into the ground!





Another favorite plant? Coleus. I had some lovely varieties in shades of lime green, purple and red. Some of them grew to bush-size! Coleus takes a backstage in spring and early summer, but by late summer and early fall, they really shine.



I also bought a flat of tuberous begonias because they were cheap. They loved the dappled sun/shade of my front yard, and bloomed in profusion. They looked like delicate red and pink roses. It's the middle of October, and they're still blooming!



My big garden setback this year was a powdery mildew fungus that overtook my Hollyhocks. They had grown to over seven feet tall, but before they could fully bloom, the powdery mildew took over. Well, I must have been foggy-headed thanks to the Lyme disease, because I didn't recognize the problem until it was too late. The mildew killed not only the Hollyhocks, but it decimated my nearby cucumbers and zucchini, too. It wasn't until it reached the zinnias that I finally got around to treating it with a spray mixture of baking soda, warm water and dish soap. I think I'll have to be vigilant about this problem next year.


I think the biggest lesson I learned this year is that you can be a budget gardener in some simple ways. For starters, if you can plant it by seed, it will save you a lot of money. I successfully grew beans, peas, lettuce, zinnia, cosmos, sunflowers and morning glory from seed this year.




Another big way to save money? Don't rush out to the nurseries on that first warm weekend in May. It may be tempting to be the first in the neighborhood with colorful blooms, but the truth is you pay a big price for that. If you can wait until AFTER mother's day to buy hanging baskets, they will be much cheaper. And if, like me, you can wait until after flag day to plant your annuals, you will get them at cheap prices and still be able to enjoy them for months to come.




Now I can sit on my porch and admire the colorful mums and burning bushes and dream of next year's gardens. Roses? Wisteria? Hydrangea? Hmmm...we'll see!