Nothing. Well, almost nothing

"Nothing" is what's been going on in my garden. Or is it what I've done as far as winterizing goes? Or does it refer to this blog, and what's happening here?

It's a mix of all three I'm afraid, as I've done so little outside over the past several months. As the time I have available for gardening has diminished, so has the desire to write about the garden.

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How little have I done this past year outside? Let's start with winterizing first. Here's a list of what I did:

1. Brought non-hardy succulents and tropicals inside

Um, that's it. I didn't even touch the Musa basjoo -- I just left it to see what happens:

It appears to be self-mulching. At least I hope so. (I didn't remove a single leaf or pseudostem, just let it dissolve in the freezes)

One task I have done: I've removed hundreds of dead bamboo culms, leaving my 'Spectabilis' looking pretty crazy. Bushy growth below, long bare culms, then tufts of foliage up above:

Some of the culms have toppled over -- there must not be enough soil back there or the rhizomes were too close to the surface. Hopefully all will be remedied after a strong shooting season come April. 

Other bamboos have shown they don't need my help, like this Indocalamus tessellatus:

The main plant was killed last winter, but the smaller shoots that came up show me how far this has actually spread. It will be impressive next year, and I did nothing to it! (Except cut down the dead stuff.)

I didn't even finish the tasks I started this summer, like rebuilding the stream, nor did I even tackle the simple things...

...like cutting this ugly Chamaecyparis down. Nothing!

My lack of time has refocused me. No longer am I content with my documentation of the changes each season brings to the garden, or the sharing of a fascinating-to-me natural discovery. My temperament is running more toward the creative these days, and that means some changes. I will still post here, but not on a regular schedule. My writings will (hopefully) be more creative, my topics more varied and less self-centric. There will still be photos, and I'm hoping they will get more creative too. I'll also be doing more general creative writing and posting that somewhere else, but that's another story...

More to come soon. 

What "more" is exactly and when "soon" will arrive is to be determined.

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