Gardeners Busy Fall Roundup
(No Horses Were Involved)

These Thursday gardeners were hard at work in September moving plants, tidying up, and weeding. Each garden has its own schedule to start projects.  Valerie Murray, gardening advisor, is usually consulted to decide on the timing. While most of the work here was done in the fall, weeding is a year-round activity. 

“The local deer are totally indiscriminate in their “weeding,” says Terracite Patty Grant. “The English country garden no longer has delphiniums, the lily garden is no more, and tulips are in gated gardens only. The list is endless.”

Luckily for the gardeners, September weather co-operated with its sunny, warm, still long days, which made outdoor coffee and treats that much more rewarding.

Pruning a Laurel That’s Hardy

Colin ascends a rather steep ladder in order to get rid of some of the English laurel’s dead wood in the Cottage garden. 
English laurel can reach up to 15-20 ft. It can become quite dense thanks to its large and glossy evergreen leaves which can block unsightly views, reduce noise from busy roads, and act as a privacy hedge.
Regular pruning is essential, though, as left to its own devices, laurel can easily start to get out of control, becoming wider and wider and taking up more space. 
Because the sap is in the roots, it’s safe to trim when the sap goes from the branches to the roots in late fall (or early spring) when the plants are dormant.