2021 proved to be a record breaking year wherever one gardens. While gardeners are notorious about complaining about the weather 2021 proved to be extraordinary across much of the planet. Usually I brush off little brushes with irregular weather – after all, I live and garden in New England – but last year proved to be noteworthy in many ways.

Without going into great detail, for us, June brought record-breaking heat as it did across much of the US and along with it, drought, which continued from the previous year. My sweet pea plants seemed to suffer right from the start, but since I had a feature article being planned for Fine Gardening magazine, hundreds of plants were set out in tidy rows in hopes of an epic photoshoot later in early July.

In late May our heat wave began, and while a few days near 90° F aren’t unusual by early June, consecutive days near or over 100° F was unheard of. In an attempt to keep the pea plants cool I placed sprinklers in the beds to cool the plants down during the hottest part of the day. Sweet peas prefer temperatures that are both consistent and cool to avoid bud drop and while I expect bud drop (yellowing buds that drop is normal in the first few weeks of June when nights are typically cool and day temps high), this time I could see that it was going to be different. Just as old gardening books advised (but I had never seen before) the water from the sprinklers basically cooked the new emerging foliage which looked as if I had dipped then in boiling water. Any buds naturally dropped off as well.

By the time my date for the big photoshoot came about the weather had shifted to another record breaking cool and wet period, but the plants never recovered. A few dozen blooms arrived early in late June, but by July the weather changed for what seemed like a welcome wet period with cool temperatures, but there can be too much of a good thing. By the third week of July we had 24″ of rain and one sunny day. Typically this would be ideal sweet pea weather, but it was too late. The plants never produced any more flowerbeds. I’ve been raising sweet peas since the late 1980s and this has never happened before. Out came the pea plants and in went dahlias that I had been keeping in pots until then.

By mid-summer it was clearly a record-breaking year in many ways. The never-ending rain caused another problem that I had never seen before – denitrification. The lack of oxygen in the constantly soggy soil made nitrogen unavailable to many plants. Additional fertility had to be added, but again, it was too late for most plants. Hundreds of cosmos, zinnias and other annuals that might be considered fool-proof that were sown in June and set out as healthy, robust young plants in July all stopped growing, and eventually just rotted. Tomatoes in conatainers never set fruit – out of 36 plants we had only a handful of tomatoes, although, the hot weather in June didn’t help as tomatoes won’t set fruit if temps are over 96° F. What fruit did set, seemed to succumb to blossom end rot.

There were plenty of wins though, so it wasn’t all bad news in 2021. Other than tomatoes, other container plants enjoyed the wet weather (hey, I really wasn’t complaining given what California and the west was dealing with this year). Rain every other day meant that I had to fertilize pots more, but I hardly had to water anything.

Clearly I haven’t been posting much in the past year, mostly this was due to transferring what is an already content-rich blog from Blogger to a new WordPress platform, and me learning how to navigate an entirely new system. I think that I finally have it all here, and while I am still learning all of the bells and whistles (ugh- SO many bells and whistles now!), I think I can begin to run with posting. It’s just hard learning a new process after the older one became innate for me. SO please bear with me.

In the next post I will cover some of my favorite wins from last year (yes, there were plenty), and while none of them will feature squash or tomatoes, get ready for some new and exciting flowers that I never knew existed as well as some great container plants that maybe you can use this year.

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I never knew that the antonym of autumnal was vernal. Which makes sense, I guess as there is no word for springnal. With covid, I think many of us are embracing gardening more than we even have. Most garden centers and nurseries are reporting record sales (have you tried to order bulbs or garlic lately? Most everywhere is sold out!). So while the entire planet continues to deal with the nasty effects of Covid 19, I suppose we could say that for gardening – there’s been a bit of a silver lining.

Not that I am happy about it. I’ve lost close friend, my Godmother passed away from Covid in June, and I even had a scare myself with the disease. So gardening has certainly been my primary escape. I heard the other day that there are something like 13 million new gardeners this year in the US (it might have even been 30 million, but I may have heard wrong), but clearly many more people are gardening than ever before. Many first-time gardeners too. I also heard that only 5% admitted that the probably wont garden next year, but still, those numbers are impressive to say the least. It’s safe to say that there are many new gardeners. This is thrilling to hear.

I dont need to tell my fellow gardeners that Covid-19 has affected us gardeners. People who may have never gardened suddenly taking up a hoe or trowel is a global phenomenon. The Financial Times in London reported that in the first few days of the pandemic that 15 million people visited the RHS website. Even people without the space to garden outdoors have turned to houseplants, a trend that already was out of hand by the end of 2019 especially with young adults.

By late March many of us found is difficult if not impossible to order seeds from not only our favorite sources, but from obscure ones as well. The sudden onslaught of new gardeners dreaming of new victory gardens and raised beds of fresh greens became so intense that many large seed suppiers couldnt keep up with the demand.

Now, in autumn as Covid continues to hold us hostage we are finding fall, winter and even spring supplies in demand. Dutch bulbs are virtually sold out at most websites and many seed companies are delaying or even not accepting new orders due to the demand.

Of course, this is a double edged sword, especially for those who might have waited too late to order their garlic (me), while benefiting the retailers who finally can recoup some of the lost profits earlier in the year.

I think the point here is that even if 50% of those who experimented with some sort of gardening this past year continue, we’ve essentially doubled the number of gardeners. In the long run, that’s terrific. Right now? Im not that happy that I can’t buy a bulb planter, shovel or a dozen hyacinths. I mean really…rakes are sold out? True. At least at my Home Depot. I’m predicting the same for paperwhites, amaryllis and probably Holiday lights, right? (still, its all a good thing.).

We’re pretty fortunate here though. I know that. I really don’t need to buy more bulbs or even to plant more greens for winter. We are so fotunate to have a greenhouse and to be healthy. There are those who have so much less. It;s been a difficult year for so many around the world and in our country.

If you follow me on Instagram you probably know that we undertook a few big outdoor projects this summer (a driveway resurfacing with gravel and cobbles keeps me up at night as we try to complete it before the ground freezes) and then there is how to landscape the 80 foot edge along the driveway where we cut 16 trees down earlier in the summer. I won’t be able to afford a fence for some time, but right now we can see all of the neighbors – something that we havent experienced as long as I have lived here (which is a very long time!).

I have two Tupelo trees going in and a Nyssa, along with 4 American Holly cultivars (that will grow quickly to 30′ or more). Many small Blue Prince and Blue Princess holly will fill in gaps as they will top out to about 7-10 feet around here, but the truth is we are getting old and the time has arrived when expecting to see a tree mature to full size is unrealistic. My plan is to have quick growing shade trees but also broadleaf evergreens along with wildlife-friendly berries, understory trees and shrubs and then mixed perennials underneath. My priority is focused on native species, or at least, North American natives first.

I suppose that the good news is that they are forecasting a mild winter here in the Northeast. I love snow, but not the cold, yet meteorologists are adding that mostly here, it should be a rainy winter. I can’t have it all – deep snow, temperatures just below freezing…totally unrealistic.

Bulbs are arriving in boxes most every day now. Lilies are the last to arrive, not too many this year, just a few from my favorite sources. I’ve learned to order early for the real choice bulbs like the giant alliums and the most stylish colors in tulips. Also, since I force a lot of bulbs, the earlier I plant them in October, the sooner I can force them in January.

It’s funny how little time I have now, now that I am not working a full-time job. Not only can I not seem to find time to update this blog, I seem to never catch up with gardening chores. OK, I’m sure I ‘have the time’, but I am surely more lazy or distracted. I neglected much of our garden this year – mulch piles are still in the driveway, vegetable beds have tall weeds and as anyone who visited here knows – most of the garden was just neglected. I just didn’t feel like doing it all. (note: We don’t have garden help).

There are hornbeam hedges that are half-way cut this year, boxwoods that have yet to be trimmed, and many projects half done or not even started. I have no idea why. I’m probably watching more TV and cooking more (which doesn’t help my waist or health) but I guess more of us are baking bread or making kimchi than we might have before. Sure, I did make a new garden that was large, and then there were projects like refinishing the hardwood floors in our house downstairs and that aforementioned driveway re-do, but still.

The Garden Conservancy is pushing me to host an Open Days tour next year again, and I just don’t know if we could do it (and if we can do it, will it even be exciting or worth people’s time to come here? I mean, we are no estate or fancy garden, and that is our competition. I mean – our garden doesn’t even have a name (should it?).

While photos of it certainly look pretty on-line, in real life…well, let’s just say it’s just a regular back yard with all that comes with suburban life. Dumpsters, sheds, trashy areas where there shouldn’t be. I don’t know. I’m torn, and I’m not sure that I need the added pressure of a garden tour. I am watching other garden hosts with orders of thousands of bulbs to plant, and then I look at our measly 300 bulbs. Some narcissus arrive only in packs of 6 or 10. We are more realistic, I know, but is that something people want to pay to see?

It’s mid-October now, and while we’ve only experienced a few light touches of frost, the morning glories are still blooming (just the tips are nipped), and the cold-hardy greenhouse plants are all still outdoors. Camellias and bay laurels won’t get moved under glass until next week or even later if the weather remains above freezing during the day. I know so many people who are complaining about senescence outside and using terms like “everything is dying as winter arrives,” but I see it differently

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I’ve been sowing seeds of Anemonopsis that I harvested fresh and sowed today in two flats. These will take some time to grow, but after a winter outdoors, they will germinate readily in the spring but will do little growth above ground in their first year – just forming two leaves and some root growth. Next spring, they will be transplanted into pots and later in summer 2022 into the garden somewhere or distributed to friends.

Maybe it’s the fact that I have the greenhouse, but so many plants are just starting to emerge or start another season. Camellias are all budded up and ready to bloom in a few months, the fall-blooming species are already blooming. South African and South American bulbs are magically emerging -most bloom before their foliage but many bloom throughout the winter. Cyclamen species from the Mediterranean are in full bloom now, and Asiatic tender shrubs scent the greenhouse as an entirely new season begins.

I am most excited about winter birds this year. An irruption of winter finches is predicted for some of my most beloved of winter feeder birds. Birch and other seed sources in the north are poor, and already we’ve seen 9 red-breasted nuthatches visiting our feeders (there were none last winter). I am most hopeful that we may see Evening Grosbeaks – a bird that we haven’t seen here at our feeders since the early 1980’s. I may be overhopeful, but there is a good chance that we will see some.

It’s hard to imagine that anything is genuinely senescent around here.

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July is all summer-time here. Bees, blueberries and lilies. Not to mention sweet peas.

As 2020 moves forward (thank goodness), amid all of the turmoil, angst, politics, protests, droughts, infestations and oh yeah – Covid 19,  the garden reassures us that things can move along (even without rain).

There is good news to report across my garden – the tomatoes have never been better, both those in containers and even though that I planted in the ground out back. Little if any sign of Late Blight (Phytophora infestans) and even though the plants demand daily watering, we are currently experiencing a deluge of tomatoes. I’m OK with that.

I like to take cutting from our many coleus, they root in just a week and a half and I can spread them throughout the garden and in containers.

Covid has allowed us to take a breather as far as garden chores are concerned. I chatted with New York Times writer Margaret Roach yesterday for about an hour and we both concurred that not hosting any garden tours this year as allowed us to focus on some larger projects like tree removal and garden reconstruction. We both admitted to having large mulch piles still sitting in our driveways and having large equipment beeping in the background.

This summer off from tidyness has allowed us to focus on some really big projects, such as a new garden out back (still unnamed, but let’s call it the old putting green garden) a water garden extravaganza with containers of lotus – a new obsession. Joe ordered about a dozen lotus after last years success, and again, they are a hit. Now after trialing them for two years I am planning on how to integrate them into the garden design (ha! Design! As if we have a design!

Then there is our a rather big driveway project which involved big equipment rentals, 30 yards of gravel and 16 trees being removed for a fence, hedge and new garden. Don’t get too excited, it all looks as if a tornado just hit us right now with branches everywhere. Our hornbeam hedges are only half-cut, much like my own hair.

Our new garden where the golf green used to be is just about complete now. Gravel paths extend back toward to gourd tunnel about 200 feet and perennials and annuals fill the gaps. Still lots to experiment with here, and plenty of weeds due to new manure that I spread in spring. That’s OK as now I know that it was good soil. I also planted about 80 boxwoods (tiny ones that I bought on sale last fall from Lowes for a steal.

It probably wasn’t a good thing to decide to strip and pickle our hardwood floors either. What we we thinking? Did I mention that this has been the hottest summer in recorded history in our town in Massachusetts?The heat means daily watering with sprinklers or hand watering as we dont have an irrigation system. Containers like these help as I can move them around.

Sweet Pea season is so short, only a month if not a few weeks, but we are thrilled with this years’ results.

Sweet peas are often calling it a day here around late July, but here is it nearing August 15 and they are still going strong. This confounds me as I’ve never had sweet peas this late, and this summer began with hot weather that hasn’t let up.

I’ve talked to other sweet pea growers and they are experiencing the same thing. Shorter vines, yes, but an extended bloom season. I’m chalking it up to the drought, as what often does sweet peas in is powdery mildew. Maybe their deep roots are allowing them to get enough moisture to continue as well? Again, I am not complaining.

My seed raised Rhodochiton atrosanguineum is looking fine. I was able to winter it over as a seedling in the greenhouse, but now that it is warm outside, it’s beginning to show its color.

Mid August is when we typically get our first hint of fall weather as well. The morning chorus has ended weeks ago as the migrating songbirds have completed raising their young, and some birds are beginning to gather in flocks as the do in the fall. Blue jays are harrassing the hawks with their noisy cawing that I enjoy so much as it reminds me of autumn, and the goldfinches – still in their summer yellow coats, have returned to the thistle feeders.

Three pairs of cardinals have raised at least two clutches, the last one just a few weeks ago. We watched them come close to the house looking for insect larvae to feed their young – something I have never seen before. Mrs. cardinal visited each tomato plant probably hoping to find a nice, juicy Tomato Hornworm, and both pairs examined every leaf on the geraniums and Torenia in the windowboxes, often repeatedly. It caused me to run out and buy a bag of dried meal worms, which they all devoured in a few days.

The last of the cut flower sweet peas are filling the vases of the house.

Nighttime insects are beginning to call louder and louder. Crickets, katydids and whatever calls in the night all come together in a symphony that begins at dusk and buzzes through the steamy night. I can see the signs that summer is maturing, high-summer my dad used to call it – when the tomatoes overtake us all, and the winter squashes begin to mature.

In the greenhouse, I’m afraid to look, but any day, not some dormant winter growing bulbs may be stirring, if not beginning to bloom. The cyclamen species start the show, sometimes as early as late August even if their pots are not watered in the sand bed where they are plunged. In some years, if I hold off on watering them in fall, they wait until late September and the flowers emerge before the foliage, particularly with the C. graecum selections.

The C.  hederifolium selections seem to form flower buds and foliage around the same time, but if they are hot and dry, they too often produce flowers first then foliage. It’s a game we play every autumn. I am curious what will happen this year as I never applied shade cloth to the greenhouse so temperatures soared into the 100s, and since we have yet to experience a chilly night, the bloom events may be delayed. Still, they surprise me every year by doing something off schedule.

I’m growing around 30 varieties of chili peppers this year, and many are in pots which they perform perfectly well in if I use fresh professional potting mix (never last years’).

For two guys who really like mild to moderately hot peppers, I am raising numerous pots and plants of some of the hottest chili peppers this year.  Inspired by Dr. Amy Goldman’s collections that we marveled at late last summer while visiting her amazing farm in upstate New York we decided that we needed to amp up our chili knowledge. The plants are beautiful as it is, and we know that pepper appreciation takes some time (and some burned lips) to improve our Scoville Unit tolerance.

Last year we started expanding the borders into what was once my parents putting green. I think that it is safe to say that now we have no more grass to cut, which is great given than we have about an acre and a half of garden (and no gardener).

The new garden is of a simple design, just an ‘x’ walk with an intersection, and while at first I wanted an object as a focal point in the center, the urn felt too obvious, and I could not afford a nice sculptural piece. I did find a photo of a central object that was just a round planting which I found curiously interesting, so I decided to experiment with something very simple – just a round pond with lilies. So far I like it, but typically I change things every year, so who knows. I am experimenting with adding containers like this to break up the symmetry.

At night, its fragrant with lilies and Zaluziaskya (night phlox) and noisy with insects like crickets. I thing the central axis design is simple but still useful, and appropriate given that our home was built in the 1910’s and it reflects many of the formal back yard designs the Fletcher Steele proposed. I need to plant more fall blooming plants as it is still heavy with spring and early summer flowers, but revising and planning new gardens is what we all live for, right?

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