November: Descent into darkness. Soggy and bleak. I love it. I sink into November as a pillowy cloud of restfulness and recuperation from a long, long growing season that was both a bountiful blessing and a significant drain on resources and personal energy levels.
Toward the end of a string of months that brought uninterrupted heat, gardeners and gardens alike took on a noticeable droop. A little rainfall and slightly cooler temperatures delivered some relief to both. Gardens perked up and warm days through October brought on a fine flush of bloom in parts of the garden.
One day recently I spent some time in a side area of the back garden, weeding around a cabbage planting and dividing the oldest rhubarb plant in the plot. At one end of the bed, tall wire fencing had become a cheery wall of pretty leaves thickly splashed in feathery yellow bloom. A canary vine planting that I thought had expired in the heat had come to life and burst into fresh flowering.
At the other end of the plot, the summer’s sky blue flower heads on a large lacecap hydrangea had turned a gorgeous dusky pink, with rich cream undersides. Unlike the more commonly seen “mophead” bigleaf hydrangeas with their solid domes of bloom, lacecaps hold a cluster of fertile flowers at the centre, surrounded by large, showy sepals. The two components together give the “lacy” effect.
The autumn’s mild weather has brought out the best also in plantings of fall and winter greens, which are thriving in moderate warmth and intermittent periods of sunshine and rain. An attractive planting of red and green lettuces, endive, escarole and radicchio in the upper, sunniest end of the back garden was basking still in warm sunshine at the end of October as the plants continued expanding pleasingly in the congenial conditions.
Beside the substantial plot of greens is a bonus — a thick carpet of self-sown, tangy cilantro, unexpected microgreens to be cut and tossed into salads. I let a patch of cilantro flower and set seed in the site, expecting a nice volunteer planting in the spring. That is what has always happened before, but something in the weather pattern triggered germination in October. No complaints. I value cilantro as a digestive and a cleansing herb.
Unbeatable bargain. It’s a mark of the new season that pansies are flowering on the patio again, their bright orange, blue and multicoloured blooms sending cheering notes through the glass doors into the much-used family room.
I don’t always manage it, but this summer I did get around to seeding a few flats of pansies about mid-July. They are now flowering, along with more transplants that I bought, in shallow, bowl-shaped containers and windowbox-style planters.
Such a minimal expenditure in return for a container garden of lovely flowers through the fall and most of the winter, until they hit full bloom in the spring. As the weather warms, I move the pansies to the cool north side of the house to prolong the colourful displays into June.
I usually seed more violas and pansies in January or early February. Stokes Seeds always lists a remarkable number of varieties. This year, I chose the vivid violet, white and purple ‘Violet & White’ in the Delta Premium Series, known for its vigour and tolerance of weather extremes.
Veseys Seeds lists a more limited, but fine selection. I opted for a viola in a plain, rich colour. The flowers’ ruffled edges are suggested in the name: ‘Frizzle Sizzle Orange.’ From William Dam Seeds I grew ‘Wonderfall Rose Shades,’ a trailing pansy bearing blooms in shades of rose and white.
For their sturdiness, utter ease of care, low cost, hardiness and extraordinarily long and bountiful flowering season, pansies and violas are unsurpassed.
GARDEN EVENTS
Peninsula meeting. The Peninsula Garden Club will meet on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney. Writer-photographer Gwen Curry will provide an illustrated talk on Todd Inlet, the history of Coast Salish territory, and the development of Butchart Gardens. Visitors are welcome. Non-member drop-in fee is $5.
Christmas crafts. Russell Nursery, 1370 Wain Rd. in North Saanich, is once again offering its popular classes on wreath making and holiday containers. For a list of class dates and times go to russellnursery.com. Private classes for groups of 10 to 18 can also be arranged.
