The fresh flower season is now well and truly over. The recent frost finished off the dahlias and cosmos and they are now heading to the compost bin.
I did manage to pick the last few stems of flowers and had fun displaying them as a group in bud vases. This rose was an added bonus as it is beautifully scented.
The garden clean up is well under way now with anything that won’t stand up over the winter being cut down. I do leave many plants standing for winter interest, and food and shelter for wildlife. These won’t get cleaned up until Spring. I also enjoy watching the goldfinches and chickadees waving around on the stems as they eat the seeds, and seeing the seed heads wearing little snow caps. But hopefully that is still some time away!
Here’s my list of essential fall clean up jobs for before the deep freeze:
- Dig up and store dahlia tubers
- Plant bulbs – tulips, daffodils, alliums, hyacinth and more
- Collect up and store all the garden stakes and supports, drain hoses and empty rain barrels
- Cut back only the essential plants leaving others for wildlife over winter.
- Cut off annuals at the base instead of pulling them out, leaving the roots to decompose over winter.
- Empty soil out of pots and add it to my raised beds.
- Plant any remaining biennials.
- Continue watering evergreens until the ground freezes.
- Rake leaves from the lawn and add to compost pile or onto the raised beds and borders.
You can probably think of more but that’s a good list for now!
Dried flowers and wreaths
Now that just about every thing is done in the garden I can start sorting my dried flowers and making lovely things.
There is certainly plenty to keep me busy and I love designing and making new things. So watch out for some different designs coming up for Christmas. These will be perfect for the decorating or giving as a unique gift.
As always I make sure that everything I make can be recycled or composted with no waste produced.
I had a great time at 613flea last month. It was lovely to meet lots of people and other local vendors. I had lots of comments on how beautiful my stall looked! Thanks to everyone who came out to support me.
Are you wondering how to find my dried florals? You can check out my Order Here page on my website for what is available now. I am also hoping to be at a couple of pop up events and will announce those here and on Instagram. I am also open to doing custom orders if there is something specific you would like.
Rosalind's Garden Blooms 