Happy November people!!! Scarecrow season was a Spooktacular success and thank you to all who came by to build their very own scarecrow or who just came by to check it out!! We were able to raise $$$ for our charities!! I also want to thank all of our in house and sponsor builders!! There were some really creative and possibly slightly twisted folks out there!!
I think it might be time for some glasses as I’ve now asked 3 different scarecrows if they were finding the plants they needed. On my behalf, it was a long day and may have been raining and occurred before my afternoon caffeine uptake. Time to tuck away our scarecrow creations for this year…who knows what creatures will take form on the nursery September and October!!
The fall colours this season were really spectacular around the lower mainland on the days that Mother Nature isn’t trying to drown you from the sky - it is still well worth a walkabout in your local park or even around your neighbourhood. It will give you a welcomed rest from the decorating version of whiplash that is about to occur as we change over from orange, black and gold to red, green and white!!
Things to look for in the garden (and at Arts Nursery!):
Beauty Berry - Calicarpa bodineri ‘Profusion’
Love love love this shrub!! Fragrant little violet puffs of fragrant flowers mid spring and intriguing metallic purple berries that last well into winter.
Hens and Chicks - Sempervivum
These are fascinating little sun and drought tolerant rockery plants that look amazing in the morning dew and frost!! We even have one variety that looks like gold. It GROWS that way…seriously!!!
Ironwood tree – Parrotia persica
An often over looked small tree that just grows along, looking glossy and green and minds its own business and doesn’t cause problems and then WOW!!! Along comes fall and you realize that tidy little tree you’ve been overlooking all year is actually a DIVA!! The fall colours of Parrotia persica are bold and glorious and really kick flowers in the… well anyway, they look really great!!
Blueberry Plants!!
Not only do they pay rent with their tasty offerings, these beauties just glow in fall with burgundy, red, orange and gold leaves and then continue through the winter with their red branches. Seriously…this is a win-win situation here.
I do enjoy this time of year where some of the background plants really do step up like the Red Twig Dogwood. They are really starting to glow and take centre stage now that they are losing their leaves. Add a bit of frost and snow and they will awesome!!
Don’t forget when you are raking up those leaves to leave some in the garden beds as mulch (even better if you have a mulcher blade on your mower). Don’t be too tidy when you are cleaning up and trimming back your garden…remember many pollinators overwinter in the hollow stems of spent perennials. It’s also not too late at all to plant bulbs if you want a little early glimmer of spring colour!
You will probably be rushing out for that final mow of lawn too!! Don’t forget to clean, dry and winterize your lawnmower or you will have a rusty, reluctant starter on your hands for next spring. Well, I’m off to binge eat Ben and Jerry’s and left over Halloween candy and try to get revved up about bringing out my winter clothes…yes I’m a procrastinator and no…I am not currently excited about turtle-necks and peppermint everything!!! I’ll get there, but it might take some convincing. Talk to you next month…or when you come by to visit at the nursery, stay dry, take time for yourself and don’t forget your Poppy!
Cheers ... Laurelle