I finally got all my geraniums in the house. I used insecticidal soap on all of them. I still have a few plants in the greenhouse but they can stand a bit of colder temperature. I had planned to do that a lot earlier but my plans always change with the weather. The week of fog set me behind. My body works on solar power. No sun: no work.
I started putting my garden to bed for winter. I was to use the rototiller but I found so many worms in some spots that I turned everything with the fork. I then added lots of compost and shredded leaves and will let nature look after it for winter. In the spring I just have to rake the space and it will be ready for planting. The cold frames are also ready and I will overwinter some of my potted plants in there. The bigger plants go in the greenhouse but it is too small for all of them.
As mentioned in my last column, I will be writing about invasive plants. This is taken from the booklet distributed by the Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia. The first one on the list is Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata). Baby’s breath is a herbaceous perennial plant with delicate white or occasionally pink blooms on bushy flower stalks. Plants flourish in well-drained sandy or gravelly soils. Flower stalks are sought after by florists for dried and fresh flower arrangements, but seeds often continue to develop in arrangements and are easily spread. The flowering stems of a single plant can produce more than 10,000 seeds and these are distributed over long distances when the whole stalk breaks off at ground-level and rolls like a tumbleweed. Infestations quickly spread along roadsides and invade grasslands, reducing forage quality for livestock and wildlife.
In the “Grow me instead alternatives” you can find Pearly Everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea) which is a B.C. native. Zone 3B
Filigran Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) is a drought-tolerant perennial with a sage-like aroma; it is somewhat deer and rabbit resistant. Zone 4. Mine has reseeded in a few places but very easy to remove. The one in the front yard has never been sampled by the deer.
Hewitt’s Double Meadow Rue (Thalictrum delavayi Hewitt’s Double) Zone 4.
Sea Lavender (Limonium latifolium) Zone 4.
White Flax (Linum perenne “Diamond” Zone 3.
Additional recommendations: Zone 3 Hybrid Yarrow (Achillea millefolium hybrids) zone 3 Fernleaf Yarrow (Achillea filipendula) and Zone 4 German Statice (Goniolimon tataricum). I have been growing the German Statice for about five years. I use it a lot for dried flower arrangements. It is drought-tolerant and deer-resistant. Mine grows in full sun. This is also a plant that you can add to your butterfly garden.
My angel trumpet (Brugmansia) will be coming in the house very soon. I had more than 30 blooms in the spring and now I just counted another 25 flowers left on the plant. Quite a show. Most of the leaves are yellow and falling. I will strip the last ones when I bring it in. It will go in a dark cool corner until spring. Also my rosemary plant is in full bloom. Another one to bring in before it gets to -5C. I need a bigger house but my husband tells me it would be easier to cut down on plants. He is not a gardener.
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