Garden Siren Call

       At top, see some big impatiens and a Rieger Begonia. Below are huge coleus plants.      This year of COVID-19 put the Bakers at home, mostly, along with other Americans. In the case of this blogger, it meant WAY more annual flowers were planted. Lots and lots and lots of blooms helped to raise the spirits.       It has been a colorful mass. In no particular order, here's what went in the ground for the most recent growing season:     Dinnerplate Dahlia, "Vancouver;" Lobelia; fountain grass "Fireworks;" Verbena "Quartz Purple" (four plants); Begonia "Senator IQ Mix" (three plants); purple fountain grass; succulent Creations (a perennial); Rio Dipladenia (two plants, one came indoors in an experiment to see how it goes over the winter); Silver-Nerved Fittonia and Coleus, "Royale Alligator Tears" (multiple plants).     Also: Sunset Sedona; red Salvia (two plants); Coleus "Pink Chaos;" Caladium, three plants; ...

     There are daisies, day lilies, coneflowers, heuchera, milk weed and a mum plant in this garden. Below, the same garden has been 'winterized.' This area has been cut back, but includes hostas of various sizes and spirea bushes .     When it comes to gardening in Iowa, there's as much work to do in October as there is in June.      This time of year, for example, we cut back perennials, and remove all annuals from the ground. Luckily we have a place to put these items: It's a compost area for our neighborhood in rural Scott County, Iowa.     I am most reluctant to do this. I think the annuals are just beautiful and I don't like to take them out before they are dead. However, we once left all the work until springtime and that was very hard to handle. It's done in October, mainly.     Basically Steve cuts down many of the perennials with a hedge trimmer, and hauls it away. His main concerns are two fields of Becky daisies,...