Reset for Growth: Winter work prepares for spring

By AMY ROGNLIE

I don’t know about your garden, but the cooler weather and extra rain that was so welcome this summer turned mine into a veritable jungle. The cannas and Mexican petunia grew taller and were more floriferous than I’ve ever seen them. The Turk’s cap put on an amazing display, and the honeysuckle nearly took over the whole side of the yard. Of course, bindweed also had a heyday, and young pecan trees sprouted in every pot, bed and bare spot imaginable, thanks to the cute but over-achieving clan of squirrels who call our yard home.

At one point, I literally had to take a pair of clippers with me to slash my way through the path in my very own Amazon rainforest. You think I’m kidding. I’m not. I never knew that chasteberry trees (aka Texas lilacs) could grow so rapidly and so … enormous. It was glorious.

But now, as I write this in November, I have a very overgrown, slightly crispy and very brown garden. This could be partly due to the fact that, come August, I could hardly bear to be out in the summer heat that did finally come to Texas. And apparently the plants felt the same way.

The glorious display of blooms started waning, several potted plants gave up the ghost, and the new puppy took care of the rest.

Then September and October came, and it’s still hot and I’m super busy and fall is not really here yet and I convince myself that I’ll go out next weekend to start imposing some order out of the mess that resulted from the extraordinary spring growing extravaganza. Ha. Let’s just say that that hasn’t happened yet.

Most years I do better than this, so I’m having garden guilt, if you must know. I’ve hoped that my garden did not notice that I shifted my allegiance during the summer to my indoor plants, which, I might add, are a time-consuming bunch, as well.

However, things are looking up. November through May is prime gardening season in here Central Texas, and I’m sure my annual urge to start flowers and veggies from seeds will hit me any time now. I’ll get them all set up in their little cozy beds on the heating mats under the grow lights while I go outside and clear space for them to thrive so I can repeat this whole happy process again next year.

Have a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year, y’all.