Winter is not officially here until Dec.21
Windy weather has slowed the yard cleanup here.
Yard clean up will continue whenever we get the Chinooks coming through.
They are warm winds from Oregon which break the winter for us.
There is still pruning to be done and a few bulbs to plant.
More winter sowing to be done also.
Caroline

I have a lot of the garden cleaned up. I don't usually do my daylilies and iris til spring but this year I decided to do it now. The annuals were all pulled out and the spots marked so I will remember where certain ones were. There will probably be some reseeding. The one drawback to this mild weather is that some of the trees and shrubs are sending out new growth and that new growth will probably not survive a sudden freeze. My lilacs are budding up and I might not have them flowering in the spring. I realize lilacs bud up in the fall but these ones are starting to swell up like they usually do in spring. Diane, I agree with you about the redbud tree. I would like to try one but don't think it will be hardy here (Stayner). You got it at a price that makes it worth a try. Please let me know if it survives the winter for you. Marg

I kind of like leaving the flowers on the hydrangeas, the dying ornamental grasses unpruned and some fallen leaves on the ground. There's something so nice just looking at a yard like that so I let it be until next spring. However, I do have to bind the yews which I have about 15 to do.

Thought I'd encourage you both to grow the Redbud tree, shrub really. I have three here out in the boonies between Elmvale and Midland, Zone 5a. One is 11 years old, purchased from Hortico but it's always late to leaf out fully and of course there is winterkill. No flowers yet.
The other two I grew from seed six or so years ago. The older one has bloomed two years in a row! They are only six to seven feet tall and I'm sure that is what they will remain at. No seed has set though. When it does produce seed it'll be hardy.
Placement and snow cover helps. The oldest one receives lots of snow cover with a 4 foot thick downed willow tree trunk at it's east facing back but meets northwest winds head on.
The other two are in an easterly facing position protected behind a sturdy lattice fencing with tall shrub roses on the west side. Again lots of snow cover.
You have indeed got yourself a great bargain, Diane. And in the warmth of the city it'll survive for sure!
This is the first year I've given the gardens a haircut to all the straggly dead stems and blooms. Things look very tidy. I'm even getting roses cut back properly this year! Unfortunately I'm finding perennial weeds to dig out also, grrrr. The ornamental grasses and echinacea plants are left to peak out of the snow.

I'm leaving a lot to rot/compost itself this year. Giving the finches some food, and letting the leaves that have dropped rot away in the beds.
I'll probably regret this in the spring.

I've cut back most of what i intended to do, and i did do irises this fall because they're so mushy and ugly in the spring. I cut back the hollyhocks, especially because they get so darn tall and were falling across the path! I still need to dump some leaves where there are Oriental lilies growing - will probably do that today.

Our weather has been lovely in November. People keep saying we're going to pay for it, but i think that between the so-called summer and the lousy October we had, we put a big downpayment on this already!

Thanks for encouragement re The Redbud tree

I have it located in a somewhat sheltered spot, and put down lots of leaves over the area Leaves about one foot deep.

Picked up Hydranges "Bits of Lace" and "Lemon Daddy"
at 60% off

Put them into my vegetable plot The soil is very rich and it is kind of sheltered. WIll see how they do

I put down lots of elaves as well on the ground and placed bushel baskets overtop of each one. Bushel baskets that have the bottoms broken out of them Filled these with leaves.

I just love some of the new Hydrangeas.

I am hoping to be on m way, for the winter, to Florida, this Thursday
Have a little house there in Fort Myers and a garden that awaits.

I was way behind in my yard cleanup, and am really glad we have had this beautiful fall, because I was able to do some of the things I thought I would have to do in spring, and was not looking forward to it. I have had the chance to amend my veggie plots, cut back my hydrangeas, maltese cross, heliopsis, etc. in my back garden. Also all the milk weeds, hollyhocks, and heleniums. Tomorrow I will try to clean up my daylilies, and sprinkle some poppy seeds among them and see what happens. I still have roses to prune, more hydrangeas, zinnias to uproot and a small bed where I grew my cuckes last year to cover with plastic. I had some kind of bug that killed my plants this summer, and apparently the bug eggs will be killed off with the spring sun. Hope it works.
Northerner.

Northerner

I had a similar problem one year in my vegetable plot. In it I had buried lots of compost directly into the soil Kitchen scraps, which I over the year, had just dug a little hole into the bed, here and there, threw in the kitchen waste (no meat of course) and then covered with soil.

But it was said that I had a fungus in the soil. Don't know if it was the compost put in directly or something else But I concluded that this is where the fungus came from. I forget what I sprinkled over the bed, and left it unused the next summer. After which it was fine.

It is terrific having all this time in the garden

I bought more hydrangeas the prices are so terrific just now.
Found Endless summer 'blushing bride" and "Bits of Lace" then Lemon Daddy . All had been quite expensive and I had looked at them earlier in the year. But now where 60% off.
COuldn't resist
I watered them in well after digging large holes. Then put lots of leaves on top and a cardboard box over each of them. boxes that had had, apples in them so where quite strong.
I planted them all temporarily in my vegetable patch, as the soil was nicely prepared and the bed open.

In spring or summer or even fall, I will decide where to move them to and will know if the have survived or not

Nice to spread poppy seeds around. Looks nice next season

I have taken to spreading a heavy layer of fallen leaves over all my beds. This is the second year for doing so. The beds are all new that I have created in the last two years. I brought in good garden soil but I thought the layers of leaves would enrich it further.
Un expected benefits last year, in the some Calla lilies I had not got dug up, survived. Roses seemed to love the cover as did the Hydrangeas. Everything came up a little slower, as the plants had to work through the leaves.

This year I was going to chop the leaves up before applying them to the beds, but didn't get it done. Just threw them, out of the bags, (which I had collected from neigbhours) right onto the beds.

Oh, gosh. It seems that every weekend we get rain, rain, rain. Today we finally get a sunny day despite the rainy forecast, and even though all is turned to muck because of all this precipitation, I have started to do some work and pick-up where things have been left.

Trying to do a bit more cleaning of the gardens this fall. And some compost mulching. Shredded leaves (50 bags +) have been brought in from the city to start the winter compost. Seaweed will be gathered today or tomorrow.

I discovered a nice pile of leaf mold two weeks ago so that's being used for mulching too. YUM!!

The last mowing was done two weeks ago and the lawn is looking good.

The Azalea yearlings have been planted and mulched heavily to make it through the winter. Pallets have been meticulously placed on top so as to deter the deers from walking on them. Starting to need some traffic lights out there for those creatures. :O)

Wondering if I should baby my two year old Peony Tree and blanket it with spruce branches or just leave it to fend for itself... Ah, the dilemas of a gardener!

I have all my gardens finally ready. This is my first winter with the two Blaze roses. I have them laying on the ground and covered. I had one years ago that was big and beautiful and this is what I did every winter. It worked well.

I have my one new little cedar tied up and a wooden 'A' over it. It is planted where the snow and ice falls in a pile off the roof (it is an old farm house).

I have all my squash in the basement, aging and my tender bulbs put away in the basement. I also put all my potted brugs down there. I had them in the kitchen to overwinter growing, but decided that I needed the space so into the basement they went. I stripped off all the leaves first. Hopefully, they will survive down there until spring.

That redbud tree sound interesting. I would like to get a few of them. How long from seed to flower?

There were a few fields that I had hoped to till before winter, but I think its a bit too late now. Spring will be good enouigh.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Country DIY Blog

Sheryl, I was just enjoying your blog. That is a great looking wreath. I have something similar in my basement but I didn'd do much with it. It's very inspiring. thanks for sharing.

Re redbud.. I note you live in Barrie which is really more of a zone 4. Redbuds are borderline in zone 5 and would thrive better in a zone 6. Having said this, I've seen a couple of redbuds here in Richmond Hill where I live and which is in a zone 5b. However mine died although it was in a protected corner, so who knows....

Diane, I hope you enjoy your weather down there in sunny Florida. Today here in Ontario its snow and rain which equals misery.