The ‘big bulb plant’ is Saturday, Oct. 27. The plan is to bury 2,000 bulbs in a morning. It should be a lot of fun. Come and join us at the Henry Road traffic circle at 10 a.m. All you need are gloves, a trowel and a good pair of knees.
Halloween is upon us, made for the imps and goblins, enjoy those little ones.
The full moon this month is called the Beaver moon as the beaver fortifies its dams in readiness for winter, sometimes called a Frost moon. It will be in all its glory on Nov. 23.
And time goes by, the end of Daylight Saving arrives Nov. 4. We gain an hour. Sleep in, go for an extended walk, have an extra cup of coffee and do a garden stroll - no matter - celebrate in some way.
And, lest we forget, Nov. 11 is a Sunday this year. The First World War ended at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month, 1918. A total of 100,000 Canadian soldiers died in the First and Second World Wars, and we shall remember them. Wear your poppy with pride.
We Dig – Do It Now Tips
• Clean, repair and sharpen all tools before hanging them up for winter
• Turn off your water to the outside taps and open taps to drain remaining water in the pipes
• Give roses a final deadheading and prune lightly
• Dig up gladiolas
• A good time to transplant shrubs, plant new trees, and plant tulip bulbs using a bone meal fertilizer
• Running a mower over dried leaves to chop them up hastens their decomposition in compost piles or on the garden
• Cover flower and vegetable beds with leaves for frost protection and added mulch and nutrients
• Apply lime to next year’s vegetable garden excluding the potato patch and lime lawns to help prevent moss growth
• Mulch asparagus beds
• Tie up shrubs and vines against wind or wet snow damage
• Prune raspberry canes, cutting out the old and tying the new
• Continue planting spring bulbs
• Plant garlic and over wintering onions
• Plant paper white narcissus in pots for indoor Christmas flowers
Did You Know?…
…the flower of the month is the chrysanthemum meaning desolate heart?
…the fall colour of leaves is their true colour? The sun takes over in spring and summer providing chlorophyll which accounts for the green colour
…pumpkins are grown in six of the seven continents of the world?
…that Halloween was once a festival of life and death? Orange represented strength and endurance and black the symbol of darkness?
…the world’s tallest tree, named Hyperion, is 360 feet. It is a Coast Redwood in California.
Pick of the month…Viburnum ‘Pink Dawn’
A long flowering and tough shrub. Buds will start to open in October, often blooming until April. Its small green leaves turn a burgundy red in the fall. Give it as much sun as possible. Grows to 2-3 metres.
AND…Why was the jack o’lantern afraid to cross the road? It had no guts!
Chemainus Communities in Bloom next meets on Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Steeples activity room. Newcomers always welcome.
Google us at wedigchemainus.ca for current news and past editions of We Dig.