• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

  • About
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • Books
    • Shop
    • Gardening Humor
    • Children’s Books
    • New – The Halloween Hare
  • Speaking
    • Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • Social
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
  • Gardening Humor
  • Children’s
  • All Books

May Dreams Gardens

Frosted Impatiens

October 30, 2008 By Carol Michel 17 Comments

I am pretty sure that those gardeners who garden in climates where there is no killing frost, no forced dormancy, no real end to a gardening season, secretly envy those of us who have gardens that die back and go dormant for several winter months.

Why would they be envious of us?

Because in the winter, we northern gardeners get a rest!

I don’t know about others, but I usually just let the garden sleep through the winter and go about doing some non-gardening things like reading gardening books, studying seed catalogs and thinking about what to do in the garden in the spring, the spring of my perfect garden.

(What? Those aren’t non-gardening activities? I’m not getting my hands dirty or using pruners or a hoe when I do them, so they can’t be gardening activities. Therefore, they must be non-gardening activities, right?)

I have time to do all of those non-gardening activities because I don’t have to water, plant, harvest, deadhead, or mow. I just do what I can in the garden in the fall until it’s too cold and dark to do any more and then let the garden fend for itself until spring.

Some northern gardeners put on a good show of whining and lamenting about the end of the growing season. They do it every year, in person, on blogs, through pictures. They’ve mastered it with whines like…

“The killing frost has finished off my vegetable garden.”

“I miss the smell of dirt.”

“I would love to have some flowers bloom.”

And my personal favorite…

“Blowing snow off the drive is a poor substitute for mowing.”

In spite of this well-practiced routine of whining, which I’ll admit to occasionally participating in at times, I’m on good terms with the killing frost. It starts the process of wiping the ‘slate of the garden’ clean for me in the fall so I can start fresh, and renewed, in the spring.

I’m so good with the killing frost that I have chosen to express it in an artistic way. By moving the camera when I took the picture above, I created abstract art.

I call it “Frosted Impatiens”.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: fall, gardening, humor

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MA says

    October 30, 2008 at 2:03 am

    MMMMM, I am thinking a tad like Jackson Pollack w/that whipping camera action!

    Reply
  2. Kathy says

    October 30, 2008 at 2:03 am

    Some of us even use that enforced rest to remove the dirt from inside the house, a little known practice called housecleaning.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says

    October 30, 2008 at 2:12 am

    We are in for our fist killing frost of the season. I am looking forward to it. I’m ready to move my activities inside. Our summer was so hot that we spent very little time outside.

    Reply
  4. mr_subjunctive says

    October 30, 2008 at 2:29 am

    If only there were a way to grow plants inside the house. (Maybe one could call them “homeplants?”) For those people who can’t live without the smell of dirt and stuff. Maybe some kind of hollow tube filled with luminous gases, to simulate sunlight. Homes lined with pipes to carry water from far away.

    I know, I know, I’m a dreamer. Unrealistic. Eccentric, possibly crazy.

    Or maybe just toxicly sarcastic. Whatever. My own issues. I’ll go now.

    Reply
  5. Corner Gardener Sue says

    October 30, 2008 at 2:58 am

    Our Nebraska winters have been hanging on, stealing time from spring, and now the killing freeze came on time. I was hoping the fall would at least last a little longer.

    What can I use as an excuse for not keeping my house clean now, the computer, maybe? I really do want to keep it clean, but it does not stay clean, and I don’t like that, so I’m not always so motivated to keep after it.

    Reply
  6. EAL says

    October 30, 2008 at 3:07 am

    I sincerely hope I do not have to resort to housecleaning! I would like to get some winter projects done though and I too am ready for the garden to rest. I won’t miss watering.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    October 30, 2008 at 3:27 am

    Ummm, nooo, Carol, sorry. This Southerner is not envious of the killing frost and black-and-white winter. Sure, it would be nice to see a couple of days of snow each winter, but I’d want it gone by the next day. And I love our temperate winters. After our warm and pleasant fall and spring, it’s my favorite season of the year. 😉 What I envy are your cooler summers.

    Reply
  8. chuck b. says

    October 30, 2008 at 3:50 am

    “I am pretty sure that those gardeners who garden in climates where there is no killing frost…secretly envy those of us who have gardens that die back and go dormant for several winter months.”

    So, so wrong.

    I lived in a cold winter climate for two miserable, soul-sucking years. I would need a course of antidepressants to get through winter if I couldn’t go outside to visit the garden or work in it.

    Reply
  9. beckie says

    October 30, 2008 at 7:01 am

    Carol, I’m with you! I am usually ready for that first killing frost. Mainly so I don’t have to water any more. I start out in the spring lovingly watering all I have planted-but by Aug, I am sick and tired of dragging around a hose or carrying gallons of water to the potted plants.

    Reply
  10. Lisa at Greenbow says

    October 30, 2008 at 7:41 am

    Very clever of you to have made such a lovely picture of frosted impatients. I too enjoy the break in gardening. Sometimes it takes me a moment or two to realize I don’t have to water or deadhead something. Luna still makes me walk in the garden every day though.

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    October 30, 2008 at 9:02 am

    I have reached the point of being quite physically tired (from gardening) … so I am quite looking forward to a bit of a break. Then I go into my studio – and that’s a whole other story!
    K

    Reply
  12. Gail says

    October 30, 2008 at 1:34 pm

    Carol,

    I’ve just discovered that I am a semi-evergreen gardener! (Cameron at Defining Your Garden) I will sort of garden this winter, puttering around in my brown landscape. The garden will be exposed for all to see; no blanket of snow to cover it! Semi-evergreen gardener’s job will be to plant more evergreen for winter interest! Then I am taking a break!

    Gail

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    October 30, 2008 at 2:17 pm

    Although my climate isn’t as cold as yours (zone 7) I’m still grateful for the winter to come. However, by February, I want spring to come again and for me, February is the shortest and cruelest month.~~Dee

    Reply
  14. compost in my shoe says

    October 30, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    Yeh right…..and give up playing in the garden 12 months out of the year. When I need a break, can I come visit!!! I grew up as a child in Zone 5. Makes me get a chill just thinking about it. My blood is too thin now to go back. But you enjoy the break…..and stay warm!

    Reply
  15. Unknown says

    October 30, 2008 at 5:48 pm

    We had a patchy killing frost last night, too. Some of my amaranth are wilted this morning, while others are upright and fine. My eggplants, which are the last things veggies I had growing in the garden, are all wilty-looking today,too, so I’m going to go out and take the rest of what I can from those plants, then compost them.

    None of the above, by the way, look nearly as pretty as your impressionistic impatiens!

    Reply
  16. Chookie says

    October 30, 2008 at 9:20 pm

    You’re right — I would love frosts to kill off some of my weeds instead of having to try to eradicate them myself! And a slightly cooler climate would enable me to grow some fruits I like.

    Reply
  17. Cindy, MCOK says

    October 31, 2008 at 1:33 pm

    I am indeed a little envious of your enforced break from gardening activities. Used as I am to being able to garden pretty much year round, I’d probably be stir crazy in a week, though!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Categories

  • Blog (3,047)
  • Internal (2)

Blog Tags

annuals Blogging books bulbs dr. hortfreud embrace fairies fall family flowers fruits garden bloggers bloom day garden bloggers book club garden design gardeners gardening gardening geek gardens hoes holidays hortense hoelove houseplants humor indoor gardening insects lawn letters to gardening friends perennials rabbits reviews Secrets seeds shrubs spring tools trees vegetable garden vegetable gardening vegetables weather weeding weeds when a gardener wildflower wednesday winter

The Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Footer

Gardenangelists Podcast with Dee Nash

Gardenangelists Podcast

Connect

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • maydreams icon

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Books
  • May Dreams Gardens
  • Podcast

Updates from Carol Michel

* indicates required
Email Preferences

Newsletter Archive

Copyright © 2023 · CarolJMichel.com · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

Book purchase links are affiliate links and Carol earns a small commission if you make a purchase.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT