The Yard Sure Keeps Me Busy

Recently, I was asked to describe a typical day in my garden at this time of year. A week ago, a day in my garden would have been packed plumb-full of activities. But with frosty, damp mornings and the end of daylight-saving time, the amount of time I get to spend in the garden has disappeared. From now on, I hit the panic button.

It’s a race with Mother Nature. I know that one day soon, she’ll be turning out the lights and saying, “Goodnight, Gracie” and I’ll still be holding a plant in one hand and a stiff hose in the other.

Until that day comes, I have projects to complete, roses to cover, planters to store, bulbs to plant, plants to plant, hoses to drain, an Excedrin to take.

Here’s one typical day last week: Jim and I had decided to give the front yard a face-lift.

For years we’ve allowed the shrubs and trees to dictate the shape and size of the lawn. As the shrubs matured, the lawn was cut to accommodate them. Over these years, the turf has taken on a character of its own. The perfect kidney-shaped bed that was the highlight of the front yard has taken on the shape of an amoeba. Soft curves that once bordered the lawn have been swallowed up by ground-hugging boughs of overgrown evergreens. We’re tired of constantly reshaping the lawn to fit the shrubs. We decided it’s time to take action now, even if winter is knocking at the door.

First, the lawn needed to have a shape of its own. In order to give it soft, rolling curves and interest, grass had to be removed in some spots and added in others. In order to draw the lines, we needed something soft and flexible. The garden hose would have worked great a few weeks ago when the temperatures were warm and the hose was pliable. But a frozen hose is only good if you’re sculpting a dragon’s backside. Jim came up with the great idea of using our orange outdoor extension cords. First we warmed them up indoors, then stretched them out over the turf.

After studying the design from every conceivable angle in the yard, its shape was sealed with bright yellow paint. The paint was the same as that used by field crews for marking underground power lines and athletic fields.

That portion of the project took about two hours of our five-hour day. The hard part of this project — the digging and replanting of sod, pruning trees and shrubs and revamping the surrounding beds — would have to wait for another day.

It was on to phase two for the day — cleaning out the storage barn.

This was a difficult project for me. I don’t like to throw anything away. Our barn is storage for a wide assortment of junk — pots of every shape and size and no character, hoses waiting to be repaired, concrete blocks that will never be used and shelves upon shelves of old pesticides and fertilizers with names that are barely recognizable.

New rule: If I didn’t use it this year and if I don’t intend to use it next year, out it goes. The flower pots that haven’t been used for years went to a charity. All the chemicals and fertilizers that were older than three years were boxed and taken to the toxic drop-off site at the transfer station. A word of caution: Never deposit hazardous chemicals in the garbage. Always take them to an appropriate collection station. And, don’t allow liquid pesticides to freeze; they may not be reliable if they have.

Black plastic, woven weed barriers and floating row covers were checked for holes and tears. Usable pieces were folded neatly and stored. Hoses that weren’t still being used were drained, rolled, tied and hung. Of course, the hoses are never placed directly on a nail. They should be either draped over large hooks or hung with a piece of cording.

After the barn was cleaned, the final chore was to collect all the potting soil from various containers about the yard. I don’t mean the large flower pots and planters. The potting in these containers is perfectly fine and can be left where it is and reused next year. I am speaking of the little pots containing dead flowers, dead potted chrysanthemums, annuals that didn’t quite make it into the ground this year and so on.

These spent plants are rooted in perfectly good potting soil. I simply shake all the soil off the roots into a plastic container about the size of a whiskey barrel. I am always amazed at how much potting soil I collect.

The last hour or so was spent tiding up - picking up tools, pots, weeds, etc., from around the yard. This week will be a whole new goround in the garden with a whole new list of to-dos before the ground freezes.

Mark your calendar

The Federated Garden Clubs will present their annual holiday flower show, Novemberfest, today and Saturday at the Finch Arboretum’s Woodland Center, 3404 W. Woodland Blvd. Hours today are from 3 to 4 p.m. and Saturday it runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Novemberfest includes beautiful arrangements with themes such as Autumn in a Basket, Indian Summer and Blaze of Glory.