October Cottage Garden Tour (2023)
Well it has officially reached freezing temperatures and the frost is here. The ground is a frozen brick. I am a frozen brick. We will be cold until April. There’s nothing to do in the cottage garden at this point. We are all entering a season of rest. Ugh. I can’t believe I just said that. I used to get so annoyed when people would tell me, “Oh, it is just a season you are in right now.” 😒 Whatever…
My hope is that the ground crushes the equisetum with its frozen grip while the leaves smother the light of day. Let’s hope they don’t come back ten fold next year. I’ll laugh cause of the irony. Then I might cry.
I’m not sure what these little guys are called. I used a plant app and it said it was a burning bush. The leaves change red when it gets colder out. It’s not my fave but it isn’t doing any harm so I’ll leave it for now. I might give it the boot later down the road. The frost has zapped it so the leaves are looking a little droopy.
Sadly, we didn’t harvest any rhubarb this year. I leave the rhubarb to Jake so I am not sure why he didn’t get around to cutting any of the stalks. I need to remove that green stake. I think we can all tell where the rhubarb is. It’s pretty massive. I also cut back the chives.
I put the strawberries in the bed where the chives used to be. I am hoping the strawberries don’t have an onion flavor to them next year. *Note to self: protect the strawberries from the squirrels by covering them with some type of mesh. I find them half nibbled throughout the yard. What a waste. They could at least eat the entire strawberry if they’re going to take them.
I cannot wait to see these foxgloves next year! They are strawberry foxgloves, named for their color. I was obsessed with their name so I bought them. I’ve learned to buy flowers in odd numbers because they look better together. I wish I had bought five or seven because I love large drifts of flowers. Next year, I’ll add more.
The chickens are thriving. Not much longer and we will have to switch out their water bowl to their heated water bowl. Jake is so smart and got them a heated dog water bowl so their water doesn’t freeze in the winter. I’ll have to start grabbing their eggs everyday so they don’t freeze. When they freeze, they crack. I don’t keep the cracked ones because it’s a potential hazard for germies to get in there. And it’s such a sad waste to have to throw them out after all the chicken’s hard work of laying.
L.
ps. If you have any tips on how to protect your berries from the squirrels, write a comment!
pps. If you’re the praying kind, add me to your list. I’m asking for all hands on deck to obliterate the equisetum in my yard. It’s atrocious. I never want to see one again. Do you have a nasty weed in your yard? What is it? I feel your pain! Tell me what it is in the comments.
