End of season pics ( lots of pics)

10 years ago

Non hardy bananas have been dug, stuff that goes in the house is in the house, garage is cleaned leaves are changing, one car is waxed, and most of my outside chores are done before I start my new job in 9 days. Frost will come soon, forescast shows lows in the low 30's late next week, and I'm ready for spring.

I'm gonna steal my neighbors leaves for protection

No more maurellii's, they're in the garage, waiting to be tucked in for winter.

My new Goshikii

Last days of life

This azalea and another have been blooming all year. It didn't re-bloom last year, in fact it was done blooming by the time I moved in May 1. I did move them last fall, they must like it there.

Most of the veggies are done, I have a few peppers, a wild tomato, celery, carrots, Swiss chard, beets, kale, brussels sprouts and lettuce left. Kale and Swiss chard are real winners, one planting of seed in April has been producing for me all year. I'm killing some grass around the Natchez crape with the lasagna gardening method. I fenced the Natchez and another crape off because my dog decided to make fetch stick out of them last winter so they had to grow back from the ground.

Butia not looking so good heading into winter. I took Dennis's advice and planted it in ground, it probably would have died by now. It pushed out a crappy leaf, but this spear looks solid. I will heat it with mini-lights on a 35/45 Thermocube and pray.

Figs starting to ripen, I've only eaten 2 so far. Bad year after transplanting.

My new Goshikii at the edge of the rock bed, and my tiny little photinia, barely visible toward the bottom left corner. Probably to close to the fig, but I'm anticipating the fig staying shrub-like as I will not protect it.

Don't know what to do with this Acoma, it's growing like ground cover. I need to move it in the spring, and I suspect I'll have to prune aggressively to shape it the way I want. I'll hit y'all up for advice on that one.

Another blue pot, I had it in a pot for a year, so I hope it gained some hardiness, I killed 2 with ease last year.

These didn't grow very quickly in my desert bed, so I potted the up and will keep them it that pot.

Rest of the in house plants

Thanks for looking! Happy Weekend, and Go Steelers! Even though we don't look good at all, it always feels good to beat up on the lousy Ravens!

Comments (8)

jimhardy
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Looking good...

I don't know about you but I sure love having the plants back in-
about the only benefit of the cold.
bradleyo_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
If I only had a few, I might agree, however they take up every sunny window, my basement bathroom and I never see the ones in my daughter's room! With 3 kids and 2 big dogs, it takes away some significant space. Plus, with everything competing for light, they tend to suffer throughout winter, and then the bugs that I drag in, plus it means it's cold, etc.... You know how I feel about winter. I'm ready for May!
islandbreeze
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Sad time of year but your yard looks great. How do you overwinter the alocasia? Are you leaving the oleander in the ground?
bradleyo_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks island. I'm overwintering the alocasia a couple different ways, one continuing to grow in a pot, one bareroot, and I may even try to overwinter in the ground. I'm just going to let the oleander die probably. I took a cutting. It's gotten too big to haul in and out and it always gets covered on scale and look like crap by spring. I may just dig it up and throw it in a pot in the garage to see how it does, however I have no windows in my unheated garage.
islandbreeze
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Oleanders do great in an unheated attached garage over winter, no bug problems and really don't need to be watered. If too big, you can hack it way back to about a foot and it'll regrow. I've been growing them for about 12 years and never had one die on me.
theyardman
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have almost all of the same plants growing in my yard in SE Michigan. We got our first frost yesterday as we usually get the last week of October (right on schedule). I keep my windmill palms and some bananas outdoors during the winter.

Where are you located and do you do the same?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tropics of Michigan
bradleyo_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Island - I may try to dig that oleander and leave it in the garage. I was just going to leave it because, once, again, it's loaded with scale and it also had gotten too big to drag in and out of the house. I sprayed it down yesterday, so I'll probably try and dig.

Yardman - You sound the same as us. We are pretty clockwork with frosts right around Halloween here in Pittsburgh. As far as what stays and what goes, pretty much everything outside now (and in the pics) will stay out except I will dig the alocasias and maybe the cannas. I will be trying the butia and washie outside this year.
chadec
10 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Nice looking yard. I really hate this time of year. The neighbors more so!