Garden links, information,and resources for people who garden!

Well it was an exciting day at the urban garden . Well not really exciting just a bit busy. The first measurable snow fall of the season. Not very much really just 3″ but enough to let you know that winter would soon be here. There was not a great deal of trouble dealing with it and I was happy that it was just a small one. We are busy getting ready to put up the Manger and the rest of the Christmas decorations and do not have a lot of time to be messing around with snow.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate the rest of the week with us. Last weekend I was able to get away and spend the day at the woodland garden. It was very good weather and I was able to get some work done. You can read about it here   THE WOODLAND GARDEN.COM I really have not had a chance to spend much time out there this year but have some big projects lined up for next spring and summer so I should be able to spend a good deal of time there.

Back to the urban garden. We need to get a move on with the decorations and try to wrap everything up this week. The weather is always unpredictable and we need to get things done when we can. I would have liked to get more done with the beds this fall but I guess I will need to hope for an early spring. There is always more than enough to keep you busy at the urban garden.

Well here we are in November and already and things are starting to wind down at the urban garden for the year. Yesterday after noon it was 26 degrees at 6:00 and this morning it is 30 degrees at 3:00 the temperature some how or the other goes up here at night. I have not ever figured this out as where I come form in Miami the temperature cools down at night.

There was ice starting to form on some of the local ponds yesterday morning so we are getting a bit colder weather than usual for November. In Indiana about 60 miles away they had 8″ of Lake effect snow yesterday and expect another round tomorrow. Glad the wind is not blowing from the east.

The holiday lights are just about finished on the trees and so the next step is getting the wreaths and color pot decorations up they are due in next week. After that it will be erecting the manger and hopefully not after it has snowed.

The leaves are all just about off the trees now and almost all the perennials are done for the year. If the weather holds up we maybe able to cut a lot of them back before the weather turns too bad. It is always a challenge when we get to this time of year. Hopefully your gardens are all ready and just siting and waiting in anticipation of Spring.

Even though it is still fall the weather is trying to nudge winter towards us here in the Midwest. The temperature today will be in the upper 30’s and there will some snow showers. Not much for Chicago just a hint that there will be much more to come.  I know winter is a necessary part of the cycle of seasons but it just seems like it last forever sometimes and in contrast summer is way too short.

The holidays will be coming up shortly here and there will be a lot of hustle and bustle going on for a few weeks. Then January will come along and the dead of winter as I call it will set in. This is the time that while not very good for gardeners can be a very productive one. During those cold winter evenings you can start planning for your Spring garden. Look through the catalogs and pick out some new things to try for this year. Look on line for the latest picks on All American Selections and see if anything strikes your fancy. Start laying out this years vegetable garden. Try and remember what did good what did poorly last year and see if you can find a different variety for this year.

If you lay your plans out in advance you will have a much easier time in spring when it comes time to get in the garden.

Recently I came across a great site for those interested in Water Fountains . Soothing Walls is a great site for those who are thinking about installing a water feature in their home or yard. Their site features a huge selection of water features from Indoor Water Fountains to outdoor fountains and water features from a large number of manufacturers .

Looking through the site you can see a large number of fountains from simple yard fountains

Here is a good example of a simple water feature that will add not only elegance to a landscape but the soothing sounds of water to your garden. The best part of all is that besides free shipping this company has an easy returns policy as well. There are a huge selection of foutains to choose from and you can get just about anything you are looking for.

If you are looking to spruce up your business you can choose from one of the many Wall Fountains you can even get your company’s name or logo on some of them. This is really a one stop shop for unique water features. I have looked around and with free shipping these prices are really hard to beat.

I would definitely recommend you check out Soothing Walls if you are in the market for a great quality water feature .

The last 3 days at the urban garden have been wonderful. We have been having Indian Summer with temperatures in the low 70’s. That will change this afternoon. We are due for some cold wet weather more in keeping with the season. Still the break was nice and a chance to get some work done in a more reasonable climate.

The first part of this month is spent double checking the snow and ice equipment and cleaning the leaves. On average we spend about 3 hours a day cleaning the leaves up from the parking lots and lawn areas. That is a total of 6 man hours a day. Around the 15th of the month we will start putting up the Holiday Lights and getting ready for the holiday decorations. It is usually a very unreliable time as far as weather goes so I try to have everything done by December 1st so that if we get snow we can attend to it with out having to worry about the decorations being put up.

There are a lot more jobs involved in taking care of the urban garden then just the horticulture you need to maintain just about everything outside the building as well as a fleet of vehicles from security squad cars to patient transportation buses. Sometimes the pace can get very hectic. I am hoping this year to have a mild snow season but the prognosticators are saying the opposite. I guess we will have to wait and see. I hope I’m right as I have a lot of painting and maintenance to do on our equipment and barricades etc. and would love to get it done this winter.