I looked over the weather predictions carefully for rose gardening. We have some nights around freezing, which is not bad. The 20 degree nights almost finished off the rose blooms, but not quite.
I cut a few for last Sunday and one for the diabetic specialist on Wednesday. The roses that bloom get very frost-bit, but the sepals covering the buds protects them fairly well.
Therefore I have one rose bush with a cane bearing four rose buds for now. I am trying to encourage blooming by Saturday, dusk. Yesterday I carted two buckets of rainwater to that bush to promote blooming. I will do the same today.
The trees have changed color and are dropping leaves fast. The shredded wood mulch on the front yard is so covered in golden maple leaves that the mulch has disappeared under the blanket.
 |
| Hot Cocoa sold out last spring. I had two bushes for $5 each. |
Voids Keep Warmth In
The maple leaves interlock so well that they are my favorite mulch, unlike Syamore, whose leaves are semi-permanent Frisbees that float over various yards.
I packed a box of books with plastic-covered air. The pockets of plastic are like the pockets of air between leaves. Maple leaves hold in the moisture and slowly feed the soil creatures, encouraged by shade, warmth, and moisture. The soil creatures slow down for the winter, but they do not stop, and they begin again - much earlier than many people think - in the early spring.
A large contingent of soil creatures will be even larger if they have a leaf comforter above them for the winter. Snow is another layer of warmth, as anyone knows who has built a snow fort or igloo. In fact, an igloo is much warmer than a WELS church, as one study from Fuller Seminary revealed. (It was suppressed, for obvious reasons.)
Newly fallen snow is mostly air, the crystals locking in air, making it light and translucent when viewed from below.
Snow offers the added advantage of moisture coming down to feed all life below while keeping away the drying and freezing winds.
Some fear an embarrassing blanket of leaves on the ground in the spring. What will the neighbors say? But from early to late spring, from crocus to tulip season, the leaves will be devoured and turned to fertilizer by the earthworms, springtails, mites, slugs, and other creatures.
Those hated moles mix the soil for free, serving like gigantic Rome plows compared to the relatively small earthworms. Moles will eat earthworms glalore but also store them in their earthen safety deposit boxes, where they will leave behind earthworm cocoons to hatch out more babies and pure fertilizer material.
Moles do not eliminate earthworms but leverage their work and make the soil even more attractive to the smaller earth creatures. Note well - moles eat insect larvae too.
About those leaves again.
Leaves in the spring will be grabbed by the birds for their nests. One Robin was afraid of me - somewhat - but he would not let go of his mouthful of leaves last spring. He was determined to hold onto his prize.
To watch bird nesting activity, drape string and twine over bushes. The birds will grab them faster the synod officials grab foundation grants. A bird will dive to the ground if one string is dropped.
Dryer lint is also treasured for nests. A wire basket for suet will hold plenty of lint. Leave that near the strings and watch the lint disapper too.
Others are raking their leaves out of the yard, into bags, onto the streets. I am raking them away from my neighbors and onto each garden area.
 |
| You laugh at my leaves? Here is my refutation. |
