A reflection on the garden of 2013

The mornings are becoming cooler by the day and the snowflakes are beginning to taunt us as they swirl around the air in brief interludes during the day.

The weatherman had been calling for 5cm of snow to fall over the last weekend, bringing about an urgency of fall clean up at our house. The weatherman was incorrect, but the yard is now clean and ready for the winter to begin.

As always, the annual clean up brings with it a reflection of the good, the bad and the ugly in the garden of 2013. Has anything changed since last year?

What I loved about my garden this year:

My new raised "lasagna" garden beds for the kitchen garden. What a difference! All of my plants did really well in the compost-rich soil and I harvested more vegetables than I have in the last few years.
The fence my hubby built around the kitchen garden. It was extremely effective in keeping the cat out of the garden.
Our patio makeover. We enjoyed many meals outdoors this year on the new dining table set.
The stunning orange begonia in a corner of the yard. What a hit of colour!
The combination of plants in my window boxes. The geraniums, petunias, vinca and sweet potato vines did really well all summer.
The slow release fertilizer I used in my containers made a significant difference in how healthy my plants looked all year.
Hiring a pro to come out and treat our lawn for weeds and fertilize was a great investment. Our lawn was the envy of the neighbourhood!

Some things that I didn't like about my garden this year:

My clematis died over the winter. This has left a hole in my front perennial garden. I need to do something with this next year.
The 'GROW' upcycled plate sign project I attempted never turned out the way I wanted it to. I still have plates with shoddy painted letters. I'm not sure if I have the energy to try another go at it. I had them hanging all summer anyway.
For some reason some of my perennials didn't grow very tall this year. Many of my ferns didn't even return. I hope it was just because of the unusually late start to spring.
ANTS! What a battle with ants all over the yard this year. Most annoyingly in a corner of my kitchen garden. They killed a number of tomato plants early on, which I replaced. I used a couple of different organic and un-organic methods to try to get rid of them. We'll have to wait and see what the ant story is like next spring.

This blog is about both my joys and my follies in gardening.

Much of what we learn is through making mistakes, and I have to say that I enjoy trying new and different things every year...even if they don't turn out! That really is the joy in gardening.