A lot to reflect on as gardening season closes

By: 
Rob Zimmer
Columnist

With the gardening season beginning to wind down, it’s time to take a look back and reflect on the successes, failures, trials and rewards of the growing season in 2021.

It was a year of weather challenges, from heat to cold, from excessive moisture to excessive drought. We saw it all over the past year. How did the gardening season go for you?

Were you brave enough to try anything new this season? Whether it is a new edible crop, new perennial variety, shrub, colorful annuals, or, creating a brand new bed or growing area, it is always rewarding to try something different and new to keep the gardening hobby fresh and exciting and rewarding.

Trying new varieties of plants is always an exciting part of gardening for me. Each year, plant breeders introduce more and more varieties of annuals, perennials, shrubs and edible plants to the market and selecting fun, new varieties to try at home is always a joy.

Growing plants in new ways is also exciting. Trying out new plant combinations and experimenting in the garden is a great way to keep the garden hobby alive and growing.

As we reflect back on the gardening season, what plants worked best in your garden this year? What varieties of tomatoes or peppers or other edible plants did the best in your garden? What ornamental annuals, perennials or shrubs thrived this year? Those that did are probably worth trying again because if they can survive the type of weather we had this past growing season, they probably will survive just about anything.

Another question to ask yourself is, what still looks good in the garden? Thanks to a warm September and October, thus far, many annuals and perennials are still thriving, blooming away and providing a source of pollen and nectar or late flying bees and butterflies.

What’s still blooming in your garden? Chances are, this is something you should grow again next year, as late season color is sometimes hard to come by.

Did you keep a garden journal this year? A garden journal is a great way to chronicle the growing season and keep track of the types of plants and seeds you grow, as well as treatments for disease, photos of your favorite garden plants, recipes and so much more. It’s never too late to start a garden journal. If you have photographs from your garden this past year, begin to arrange them into a journal and fill in the blanks with your observations and memories of this past growing season.

Because we’ve had a warm last few weeks, it’s not too late to enjoy what’s left of the gardening season. Many perennials, in fact, can be seeded now, in late fall, even in winter, to provide a burst of color during spring. Perennials, such as oriental poppies, columbine, lupine, delphiniums, purple coneflower, prairie coneflower and others can be planted now.

Of course, October and November are a great time to plant spring blooming bulbs in the garden. Create masses of color by planting an assortment of tulips, daffodils, allium, hyacinths and more.

Take time to answer these questions as you reflect back on an amazing growing season.


Find Rob Zimmer on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RobZimmerOutdoors.