'cleanup-plus,' with ken druse, plus the november chores
Published: Sun, 11/05/23
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'cleanup-plus,' with ken druse, plus the november garden chores
Hello ,
Yes, it's time or almost time to do some raking, and to dig the dahlias to stash: time to perform the rounds of the fall cleanup, and put the garden to bed. But Ken Druse and I want to advocate for a sort
of “cleanup-plus”—for tending not just to the obvious chores, but also doing some reflection, and making time for often-overlooked late-season tasks like
seed-saving.
Or for finally transplanting one of those two overcrowded shrubs that have been screaming for more elbow room, and you keep swearing to rescue them, but never quite get to it.
Sound familiar?
That's Ken's current view of his fall garden, above. We’ve been talking this week together on the phone about how we’re winding down our respective garden seasons, and we wanted to let you in on some of the details that we hope will help you in your own cleanup-plus.
National Leaf Month: That’s what I’d declare it
if I were in charge of such things. November is nonstop leaves here, and a good rake is my constant companion. But how much leaf cleanup to do, and how much to let lie in the name of the greater environmental good?
It's all part of the puzzle called the November chores: In go the
last bulbs this month (including garlic, if it hasn’t yet); into the cellar go the last tender things. I’m still weeding (true; until the ground freezes and I can no more), mowing (until it stops growing, I’ll persist)—and also saving some seeds for use next year, and ... and ...
Why wait till year-end holiday shopping to
offer a deal on books? In support of my supportive local bookstore, Oblong Books and Music in Millerton and Rhinebeck, N.Y., I fund a coupon every year for $10 off signed copies of my book "A Way to Garden," which I totally redid in 2019 for an all-new 21st anniversary edition. Limited number; get them while they last! Use the coupon code: HOLIDAY23 at this link.
Are any of your houseplants edible? A new book
by the owners of the beloved rare-plant nursery called Logee’s Greenhouses suggests that we make room for delicious candidates among our potted indoor plants—including some of the many choices of citrus that are well-adapted to growing in containers.
Their book is called “Edible Houseplants: Grow Your Own Citrus, Coffee, Vanilla, and 43 Other Tasty Tropical Plants.” The authors Byron Martin and Laurelynn Martin co-own and operate Logee’s in Danielson, Connecticut, a family business since 1892 that specializes in distinctive plants.
Byron and I talked about the best citrus for indoor growers (perhaps treated to a summer vacation outside?), and how to care
for them.
The most recent in my "New York Times" series that began in April 2020: Milkweed has a following way beyond the famous one of monarch butterflies. There's loads to learn about this genus of powerful native plants.
Before that: I hate to complain, but ... do you mind
listening? The 2023 garden season was a struggle (jumping worms, spongy moth caterpillars, late freezes, torrential rainstorms, you name it). Blessedly, nature served up enough small miracles, too, to keep me in the game.
One column earlier: The celebrated poet and essayist's relationship to his garden is joyful, and he is grateful
for every bit of delight it offers.
A week earlier: Cornell Botanic Gardens has been experimenting with sustainable native lawn for nearly 15 years. The grass they rely on as the foundation? A genus you may never have heard of: Danthonia, or oatgrass.
The previous story: It's an old-fashioned practice that can bring contemporary gardeners a lot of late-winter joy. How to force flower bulbs (especially in a cold frame or cool garage or cellar), with Page Dickey.
For four garden seasons, I've interviewed gardening experts for my In the Garden column in the Times, and they interviewed me, too, in a Q&A on page A2 of the paper. The link is
here, with links to all my past columns as well.
