And Then There Were The Dandelions

As 2015 nears its final days, a look back at the year in gardening tells a story of strange weather. But what we are learning is that in the end things seem to balance out and Mother Nature has her way. Last winter was one of the coldest and hardest on our gardens in recent history. This winter is the balance. It’s looking more and more as if it may be one of the warmest in recent history.

Last winter took its toll. Marginally hardy plants and plants that we thought were hardy taught us that hardiness applies more to a plant’s ability to regrow, but not necessarily to reflower … for a while.Last winter at this time we were under tons of ice and snow. A year later many of us are still outdoors planting bulbs, transplanting perennials and installing trees and shrubs. This year compost piles continue to cook, and they may do so for weeks to come while we wait and wait and wait some more before winter mulches are applied. I was tempted to get the tractor out and mow the lawn again but I resisted and over-seeded again instead. And in some shaded spots I found outbreaks of powdery mildew turning the green bluegrass and fescue to a wintry, powdery white.

The moles have certainly kept busy, and reports of active grubs have come in since the soil has not cooled enough to force them down into winter sleep. The Granny Smith apples still cling to the trees, while in the vegetable garden the brussels sprouts, beets, carrots and hardier greens continue to provide. Pansies and violas continue to flower, and a few ornamental grasses and perennials are sending up new growth, while the digitalis looks happy in its post-season bunches of foliage. And then there are the dandelions. Last week they were either in full bloom or had seed heads that were just waiting for a wisp of wind to take their adventurous seeds into the air and onto a lawn or garden near you.

Last week I took a drive down Halsey Lane Neck in Southampton and couldn’t help but notice how dramatic the changes were on the privet hedges on various properties along the road. It’s perfectly clear which ones were watered well and lightly fed during the summer, as they still retain their green foliage, providing privacy into the new year. Painfully obvious are those hedges which have not been properly treated for the destructive prunicola scale (white peach scale). These areas are noted by dead spots and areas where a green hedge suddenly shows signs of no foliage for long extents or in sections. I suspect these hedges aren’t being treated or they are being treated by landscapers who still don’t know how to deal with this pest or how to track it. This is sad because it puts everyone else’s privet in jeopardy.

A few short blocks away I visited a property on Meadow Lane, and within earshot of the ocean in a sheltered garden just feet from the dunes some very confused roses were fully budded and just waiting for one or two more warm days to open up and flower.

Missing are/were the fall invaders. There’s been a notable lack of marmorated stink bugs and boxelder bugs, and only a handful of the pesky Asian ladybeetle bugs have come inside. Even the mice are finding it more hospitable outside than in. One crazy thing though. You remember my neighbor Nancy and her front yard pumpkinland? These pumpkins have been undisturbed every year until they gently melted away under the snow into flat orange carcasses. Not this year though. Seems one very fat raccoon has discovered them and literally shreds them from top to bottom to get at the seeds.

This will all end though. It will eventually get cold, or at least cool, and the snow will come, or not. But the seed and plant catalogs have begun to trickle in and if it doesn’t get cold soon my excuses for staying indoors and adding to my lists won’t materialize. Then I’ll be in trouble. Oh well. I swore I was going to move and divide plants this year and not buy any. Yeah, sure, right.

Now, if you’ve got very young kids you may want to tell them the legend of the poinsettia. I include this in the column every few years in the hope that some parents will read it to their children as an early life explanation as to why we adorn our homes with these plants at the holidays. In time, they will learn the truth. But for now this often repeated fable will bring a smile.

This story is told of Pepita, a poor Mexican girl who had no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve services. As Pepita walked slowly to the chapel with her cousin Pedro, her heart was filled with sadness rather than joy.

“I am sure, Pepita, that even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes,” said Pedro consolingly.

Not knowing what else to do, Pepita knelt by the roadside and gathered a handful of common weeds, fashioning them into a small bouquet. Looking at the scraggly bunch of weeds, she felt more saddened and embarrassed than ever by the humbleness of her offering. She fought back a tear as she entered the small village chapel.

As she approached the altar, she remembered Pedro’s kind words: “Even the most humble gift, if given in love, will be acceptable in His eyes.” She felt her spirit lift as she knelt to lay the bouquet at the foot of the nativity scene.

Suddenly, the bouquet of weeds burst into blooms of brilliant red, and all who saw them were certain that they had witnessed a Christmas miracle right before their eyes. From that day on, the bright red flowers were known as the Flores de Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, for they bloomed each year during the Christmas season.

To all a very Merry Christmas, a happy and joyous New Year and last but by no means least, keep growing.