True Dirt

mid-life makeover

After a couple of weeks of nearly solid rain I can rest easy that winter has indeed arrived in my garden--as well as spring for they are one and the same for much of my garden inhabitants. Even as the rose bushes finally go dormant, after putting out a few eager flower buds that quickly become sodden and rot on the cane, the indigenous plants are looking sparkly and plump at last.

I ventured out yesterday, after a month or more hiatus from the grey and cold environs of the back yard, to prune the wisteria, the grape, and as many of the sprawling roses as I could. Without a pruning now the wisteria will leaf out soon and not produce as many flower clusters. The roses are massive brambles unless cut back to canes this time of year. And the grape is an experiment. It's a wild species and does not require pruning. But it is also prolific and massive now and without a severe cutting back will cover the wisteria, the lemon tree, several rambling rose bushes, and the garage.

Pruning has become the single most important task in my gardening regime, more important than watering, weeding, or--heaven forbid--installing new plants. After 10 years the garden is approaching a mid-life crisis: it needs to lose weight, get a new hairdo, and consider a color consultant.