Today was another day of fall chores in the garden. It was cool but somewhat damp, but it felt good. It felt like fall. We didn’t blow any leaves this weekend because they’re so wet from the rain that seem to be intermittent throughout the weekend.

The first chore today was fun. A friend had given me half a flat of baby hellebores. So today was planting day. I planted them in a couple of different spots, so I hope I see them back in the spring a little bigger.

Next I spread the mint compost from Heirloom Roses under all of the rose bushes. Supposedly, this stuff is a natural agent that helps to repel aphids, spider mites, and other damaging insects. It’s also supposed to be good when added to soils with a heavy clay or sand content. So I figured I’d give it a whirl as a winter mulch around the base of my roses.

Then I moved onto the rest of the hydrangeas that needed attention. I did commit hydrangea sacrilege because I did prune some more of them. But they’re monsters and if I don’t cut them back they take over. Maybe I will lose some blooms maybe I won’t. I have been pretty lucky because I am judicious with my pruning.

My last chore of the day was spraying for deer. But the Bambi pack around here has gotten quite large. And I don’t want lose my garden so I spray and apply granular repellent. I alternate mainly with Plant Skydd and Deer Out. I have also been using these Safer Deer Repellent Stations.

Then I took some time to just enjoy my garden. There are all sorts of weird things happening because of the weather which I blame on climate change. I have hydrangeas blooming again. I also have azaleas blooming again.

And the song birds are back. I saw all sorts of birds today. Cardinals, bluebirds, and more. And of course the woodpeckers. As we are partially in the woods, we always have multiple varieties of woodpeckers.

Today we had a spectacular sunset. It was all golden. I’m hopeful it will be cold enough overnight that more of the fig trees shed their leaves because I need to wrap them. I also have a pot of Amaryllis bulbs that I have now cut off the leaves sitting on the front porch. I want them to have a few cold nights and then I will put them in a darkish spot in the garage and wait for them to re-emerge.

How does your garden grow?